Prof. Stefan Neubauer and Dr. Thomas Nero discuss two recent papers on the utility of coronary inflammation imaging on CT coronary angiography and how that translates to increased heart events. Beyond cholesterol, coronary inflammation is being revealed to be a significant risk factor with future treatments under development.

Prof. Neubauer is the head of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of the Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR) at the University of Oxford and Past President of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR). He co-authored two recently published landmark papers:

Farina NH, Mehta NN, Teague HL, et al. Inflammatory risk and cardiovascular events in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease: the ORFAN multicentre, longitudinal cohort study. Lancet. 2024;403(10392):1823-1835. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00596-8

Farina, C. J., Davidson, M. H., Shah, P. K., Stark, C., Lu, W., Shirodaria, C., Wright, T., Antoniades, C. A., & Nilsson, J. (2024). Inhibition of oxidized low-density lipoprotein with orticumab inhibits coronary inflammation and reduces residual inflammatory risk in psoriasis: a pilot randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Cardiovascular Research, European Society of Cardiology, March 25, 2024.

Dr Nero and Dr Gibson discuss how to understand the information when looking at clinical trial data. Is it meaningful for a patient? Did the trail population match the patient's risks and medical problems? The also discuss the importance of Shared Decision Making and the use of Absolute Risk Reduction and Number Needed To Treat when interpreting the results. Yes, this is about statistics, but it isn't boring and it is important for your health.

Jeff Scott, CEO of Section 810 communication, interviews Dr. Nero on ways to improve cardiac health. The cover a wide range of topics, from diet and exercise to medical therapy and advanced testing. Some future research topics are also discussed. Section 810 Communications is a training and development company based in Greenwich, CT. The interview was recorded on January 18th, 2024 and is also available on YouTube.