Congress Reports

American College of Cardiology
Scientific Session 2005
Orlando (Florida), March 6-9, 2005
 

Highlights from the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session 2005

Once again, the Scientific Session provided a breadth of new information and further illumination in many areas of cardiovascular medicine. Provided here are some of the highlights that have the potential to affect clinical practice.

ASCOT-BPLA Preliminary Main Results: Puts Beta Blockers in Their Place. Changes to Come in Guidelines?

 (March 8, 2005, Orlando, Florida) Treating hypertension with a calcium channel blocker plus an ACE inhibitor reduced cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive patients compared to treatment with a beta blocker and a diuretic. The preliminary data for the main results of the ASCOT-BPLA (Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Study Blood Pressure Lowering Arm) study were eagerly awaited, because the trial was terminated early in November 2004, based on the recommendation of the trial’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB). The co-principal investigators presented the data at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Sessions.

Hypertension: Risk Factors and Population Trends

A session at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session titled “Hypertension: Risk Factors and Population Trends” provides further insights from the INVEST and LIFE studies, and reveals new information about the role of inflammation in hypertension.

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