An excellent summary & balanced perspective on the major trials from American College of Cardiology 2018 meeting.

 

Pocock SJ, Collier TJ. Critical Appraisal of the 2018 ACC Scientific Sessions Late-Breaking Trials From a Statistician’s Perspective. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018 Jun 26;71(25):2957–69.

Abstract

The late-breaking clinical trials presentations at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in March 2018 are an important contribution to the field of cardiology. This paper presents a constructive critical appraisal of 7 key studies: ODYSSEY OUTCOMES (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab), VEST (Vest Prevention of Early Sudden Death Trial), SECURE-PCI (Statins Evaluation in Coronary Procedures and Revascularization), TREAT (Ticagrelor in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction treated with Pharmacological Thrombolysis), POISE (PeriOperative ISchemic Evaluation), SMART-DATE (Safety of 6-Month Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome), and CVD-REAL 2 (Comparative Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Outcomes in New Users of SGLT-2 Inhibitors). For each study, our aim is to document and interpret the main findings, noting particularly when “positive spin” appears to occur, and to provide a balanced account of each study, paying attention to both constructive new findings and study limitations. These topical examples also provide useful general insights on what to look for when critiquing clinical trial presentations and publications. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2018;71:2957–69) © 2018 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.