Aspirin represents the sine qua non for antiplatelet pharmacotherapy in patients with cardiovascular diseases because of its well-established role in secondary prevention and its widespread availability and affordability. Historical studies, conducted in an era that bears little resemblance to contemporary clinical practice, demonstrated large reductions in thrombotic risk when aspirin was compared with placebo, thus forming the evidence base promulgated in practice guidelines and recommendations. P2Y12 inhibitors have mostly been studied in addition to aspirin; dual-antiplatelet therapy proved superiority compared with aspirin monotherapy for the prevention of ischemic events, despite increased bleeding risks. An alternative approach currently under investigation includes evaluation of single-antiplatelet therapy with P2Y12 inhibitors alone versus dual-antiplatelet therapy after acute coronary syndromes or coronary stent implantation. As the availability of more effective antiplatelet agents increases, it is time to revisit the existing and long-standing paradigm supporting aspirin use for secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events. Ongoing trials will provide new evidence whether the less-is-more strategy is justified.

Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) is consistently superior to clinic blood pressure (CBP) as a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality risk. A common perception is that ABP is usually lower than CBP. The relationship of the CBP minus ABP difference to age has not been examined in the United States.

Ventricular tachyarrhythmias are characteristic of giant cell myocarditis, but their true incidence, predictors, and outcome are unknown.

In ventricular scar, impulse spread is slow because it traverses split and zigzag channels of surviving muscle. We aimed to evaluate scar electrograms to determine their local delay (activation time) and inequality in voltage splitting (entropy), and their relationship to channels. We reasoned that unlike innocuous channels, which are often short with multiple side branches, ventricular tachycardia (VT) supporting channels have very slow impulse spread and possess low entropy because of their longer protected length and relative lack of side-branching.

For patients with in-hospital cardiac arrests attributable to nonshockable rhythms, delays in epinephrine administration beyond 5 minutes is associated with worse survival. However, the extent of hospital variation in delayed epinephrine administration and its effect on hospital-level outcomes is unknown.

Phase analysis of cardiac arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation, has gained interest because of the ability to detect organized stable drivers (rotors) and target them for therapy. However, the lack of methodology details in publications on the topic has resulted in ongoing debate over the phase mapping technique. By comparing phase maps and activation maps, we examined advantages and limitations of phase mapping.

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is associated with worse survival in those undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Left ventricular (LV) lead position in CRT may ameliorate mechanisms of MR. We examine the association between a longer LV electric delay (QLV) at the LV stimulation site and MR reduction after CRT.

Prophylactic exclusion of the left atrial appendage (LAA) is often performed during cardiac surgery ostensibly to reduce the risk of stroke. However, the clinical impact of LAA closure in humans remains inconclusive.

Agonistic angiotensin II type 1 receptor autoantibodies (AT1RaAbs) have not been associated with functional measures or risk for adverse health outcomes. AT1RaAbs could be used to stratify patient risk and to identify patients who can benefit from angiotensin receptor blocker treatment.