The Tell-Tale Heart: The Pharmacist's Cardiovascular Digest

Host Craig Beavers sits down with Kazuhiko Kido, PharmD, a clinical associate professor at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy, to discuss intravenous iron and its use in patients with heart failure, as well as findings from the FAIR-HF2 clinical trial.

Show notes: Anker SD, Friede T, Butler J, et al. Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in heart failure with iron deficiency. JAMA. 2025;333(22):1965-1976. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.3833 Kido K, Fang W, Broscious R, et al. Evaluation of a pharmacist-provider collaborative clinic for treatment of iron deficiency in patients with heart failure. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2023;80(19):1326-1335. doi:10.1093/ajhp/zxad149 ...

Host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, CACP, chats with Shannon Finks, PharmD, FCCP, BCPS, BCCP, AHSCP-CHC, president and director of pharmacy services at ZupMed in Memphis, Tennessee. Finks reviews exactly what concierge medicine is, as well as its role in cardio-kidney-metabolic health and her own research on compounded GLP-1 and GIP agonists in a pharmacist-managed cardiometabolic clinic.

Show Notes: Finks SW, Benavides D, Martin AG, Carmon AS. Real-world observations of using compounded GLP-1 +- GIP agonists within a clinical pharmacist-managed cardiometabolic clinic. J Am Col Clin Pharm. 2024. doi:10.1002/jac5.2071 Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM, et...

Ralph Riello, PharmD, BCPS, a board-certified clinical pharmacy specialist at the Yale University School of Medicine, discusses challenges in implementation for novel cardiovascular treatments and interventions. In his work, Riello has researched the use of proactive messaging to providers to better implement new treatments, finding success with this approach.

Host Craig Beavers speaks with Orly Vardeny, PharmD, MS, a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. Vardeny discusses her own career path, the importance of mentors, and pharmacist involvement in clinical research, such as her work with the FINEARTS-HF study of finerenone in heart failure.

Show Notes:  FINEART trial: https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMoa2407107 Orly’s Study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2826717 TOPCAT: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1313731 Topcat Regional: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circulationaha.114.013255

Host Craig Beavers spoke with Lavinia Salama, PharmD, clinical assistant professor at the University of Wyoming, about cardio-kidney-metabolic syndrome and how pharmacists can be at the forefront of serving patients. Salama also discusses her work in rural communities and why pharmacists are so crucial for those patients.

Show Notes: SELECT trial of semaglutide: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2307563 

Host Craig Beavers spoke with Arthur Allen, PharmD, for the latest updates from the RIVAWAR trial of rivaroxaban and a discussion of the newest Acute Coronary Syndrome Guidelines for left ventricular thrombus.

For more information: Management of Patients at Risk for and With Left Ventricular Thrombus: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association Anticoagulation Forum Rapid Resources LV Thrombus 2025 ACC/AHA Guidelines ACC 2025: Rivaroxaban Comparable to Warfarin in Left Ventricular Blood Clots

This week, expert Steven Dunn, PharmD, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, discusses the 2025 ACC/AHA/ACEP/NAEMSP/SCAI Guideline for the Management of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes. Read the guidelines here: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001309 

This episode discussed multiple studies. See the list below for links to articles and relevant content: 

REVERSE-IT trial data:  https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/acc-2025-ticagrelor-antidote-restores-platelet-function-treats-bleeding https://evidence.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/EVIDoa210004 FAIR-HF2 trial data:  https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/acc-2025-intravenous-iron-safe-but-results-in-mixed-findings-for-patients-with-heart-failure https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2832132 STRIDE trial data:  https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/acc-2025-semaglutide-significantly-improves-walking-distance-symptoms-qol-for-individuals-with-pad-and-diabetes https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00509-4/abstract ADVANCE-HTN trial: https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Clinical-Trials/2025/03/27/15/49/advance-htn

FRESH-UP trial: https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Clinical-Trials/2025/03/27/17/26/fresh-up

FINEARTS-HF trial: https://www.acc.org...