Author: Kit Yarn

With the emergence and increasing popularity of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists for the treatment of obesity in recent years, it might be worth investigating if these agents are able to reduce the cardiovascular risks associated with overweight and obesity, especially since they have been shown to reduce risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes who are at high cardiovascular risk.

Summary: The recent MULTISTARS AMI trial reveals significant findings, indicating that immediate multivessel PCI is non-inferior to staged procedures for patients with STEMI and multivessel coronary artery disease. This approach potentially alters the course of treatment by reducing serious cardiac events, thereby influencing guidelines on the optimal timing for such interventions.

The use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) have increased significantly in recent years due to its marked efficacy in body weight reduction in clinical trials and most recently, due to claims by celebrities and social media personalities that they have lost weight after using Ozempic (Semaglutide). While there were earlier concerns on supply shortage due to high demand of on-label and off-label use, there has been reports of a new adverse event signal that has drawn scrutiny from health authorities in the United States (US), European union (EU) and in Asia about its possible link to suicidal episodes. 

Iron deficiency is present in 50% of the patients with heart failure and it is associated with worse symptoms and outcomes [1]. There have been a few studies analysing the benefit of intravenous (IV) ferric carboxymaltose in heart failure with iron deficiency. In the AFFIRM-AHF [2] trial, administration of IV ferric carboxymaltose reduced the risk of cardiovascular death and total hospitalisations for heart failure in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure.

Cardiogenic shock is the leading cause of death amongst patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction. Immediate revascularization of the culprit lesion is the only treatment available but mortality still remains high. The use of extracorporeal life support (ECLS), which enables full circulatory and respiratory support, have increased with the aim to achieve haemodynamic stabilization in patients with severe or rapidly deteriorating infarct-related cardiogenic shock.