TCTMD’s COVID-19 Dispatch was our most-read story in July, with articles focused on issues of concern among physicians, as well as new research, filling out the list. Three of the top stories delved into a countrywide doctors’ strike in Turkey sparked by a cardiologist’s murder, a US dobutamine shortage, and reactions to proposed cuts to reimbursement by the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). There’s also a feature story on the outlook for interatrial shunt devices in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and an article on an analysis that raises fresh questions about the benefits seen in the REDUCE-IT trial.

We’re curating a list of COVID-19 research and other useful content, and updating it regularly.

2. Cardiologist’s Murder Prompts Countrywide Doctors’ Strike in Turkey

The hospital shooting of Ekrem Karakaya is the latest high-profile attack in Turkey, where assaults on physicians are soaring.

3. US Dobutamine Shortage a ‘Huge Problem’—What’s the Solution?

With stocks not expected to stabilize until late this year or early next, hospitals should be planning ahead, one expert says.

4. ‘It’s All Cuts’: Cardiologists React to the 2023 CMS Proposed Rule

A short-term solution by Congress would be acceptable, but the “flawed” system needs an overhaul, said Lyndon Box.

5. Longer-Term Data Still Worrisome for Impella-Treated AMICs Patients

A propensity-matched analysis of Impella and IABP outcomes out to 1 year raise “serious concerns,” upping the stakes for RCTs.

6. Warfarin May Speed Progression of Aortic Stenosis and Worsen Outcomes

The findings are not definitive, but they should be considered when choosing an anticoagulant, Samir Kapadia says.

7. Few Adults Eligible for Primary Prevention With Statins in Latest ESC Guidelines

The thresholds for starting statins are too high and need to more closely align with other international guidelines, say researchers.

8. FEATURE A Hole in the Heart for HFpEF? Setbacks, Progress for Interatrial Shunts

REDUCE-LAP HF II dampened some hopes for LA shunts in heart failure, but the field is learning lessons and moving forward.

9. RADIANCE II Top-Line Results Promising for Ultrasound Renal Denervation

Three sham-controlled studies, including this US IDE trial, have been positive for the Paradise system. A fourth study flopped.

10. New Biomarker Data Again Draw Eyes to Mineral Oil in REDUCE-IT

The placebo group saw rises in Lp-PLA2, IL-6, IL-1β, and other biomarkers. Could this explain the advantage for icosapent ethyl?

Todd Neale is the Associate News Editor for TCTMD and a Senior Medical Journalist. He got his start in journalism at …

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