In recent years, there has been a switch to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) as first-line thrombosis prevention, with fewer people started on a vitamin K antagonist, such as warfarin. This has led to an increase in number of people taking anticoagulants and, therefore, an increased risk of intracranial and intracerebral haemorrhages and gastrointestinal bleeds. Listen to Richard Buka, Clinical Research Fellow Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Birmingham, discuss the challenges clinical teams face in the reversal of these drugs. He explores the findings of recent trials of Andexanet alfa and considers how effective these drugs really are and what it means in practice.
The increasing survival rate of cancer patients along with the increase in the toxicity profile of treatments has resulted in a growing demand for specialist cardio-oncology care. Listen to Priya Reehal, Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Royal Brompton Hospital Centre of Excellence for Cardio-oncology, discuss her role, present the findings of a decade-long study into the number of patients referred for cancer therapy–related cardiac dysfunction, and explain why we need more cardio-oncology centres of excellence across the UK.
Gayle Campbell and Professor Pardeep Jhund discuss secondary prevention for heart failure patients, including key topics such as preventing reinfarction, foundational anti-failure agents, managing worsening heart failure, and improving patient adherence using tools like MedTap.
Masterclass
Federica Marelli-Berg takes a look at some common and not-so-common causes of myocarditis, and the clinical manifestations cardiologists should consider.
In this masterclass, Dr Dermot Neely and Dr Jai Cegla discuss the why, when and how of measuring lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], the current management of people with elevated Lp(a) and the future prospects for treatment.
Masterclass
