Updated data show a decline in the number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and visits to the emergency department among those aged 65 and older as the US averages 3 million vaccine doses administered daily, according to CDC director Rochelle Walensky. The US had administered nearly 171.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of Wednesday, with about 75% of people 65 and older having received their first dose and more than 50% from this population already ​fully vaccinated.

A report in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions describes how a European hospital established an endovascular therapy program at a cardiac cath lab that resulted in good outcomes for stroke patients. Researchers said having a catheter-based thrombectomy program in a cardiac cath lab, with collaboration among cardiologists, neurologists and radiologists, led to outcomes similar to those in neuroradiology centers.

Discharging patients with COVID-19 pneumonia from the hospital with home oxygen was associated with low rates of all-cause mortality and all-cause 30-day readmissions, according to a study in JAMA Network Open. "This [expected practice] may be considered part of a strategy to ensure right care, right place and right time for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, and to preserve acute care access during the pandemic," the researchers said.

A Life Image survey conducted in March found that 70% of health care organizations were aware of the implementation of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's interoperability and information blocking rules, which took effect Monday, but almost half of respondents admitted engaging in practices that violate the rules. Results from the poll, which involved almost 4,000 insurers, health care providers, information technology and other health care leaders, indicate "general confusion" about the rule's requirements and the measures necessary to avoid being penalized.

Patient trust is an important element in the success of technology innovations in health care, a panel of physicians, researchers and other experts told a forum at the University of Colorado Boulder's Conference on World Affairs. Sandra Gollnick of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York said it can be difficult when patients who already do not trust the medical system are asked to talk to a health care professional virtually or by phone.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association found female physicians spend an average of 30 more minutes per day on EHR tasks than their male peers, and researchers said it was unclear why. The researchers also found gastroenterologists, internal medicine physicians and family physicians spend more time using EHRs on average than surgeons, sports medicine specialists, neurologists, psychiatrists and obstetrician/gynecologists.

Asian, Black and Hispanic people now account for 30.4% of video-based and 35.0% of audio-based cardiology visits in a patient population that is 71.9% non-Hispanic white, suggesting that telehealth is reaching some previously underserved populations, researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. The researchers also found that people with private health insurance were more likely than those without to use telehealth for ambulatory cardiology visits, and virtual cardiology clinic visits were associated with lower rates of testing and medication orders.

Data on more than 16,000 patients with type 2 diabetes showed the leading cause of death in the group was cardiovascular disease, with 66.3% of deaths linked to one of five CV conditions, researchers reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The most common CV event was sudden cardiac death, which accounted for 30.1% of total cases.

A report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology said reproductive counseling and pregnancy planning is important for women of reproductive age who have cardiovascular disease and are sexually active. Researcher Dr. Kathryn Lindley said the report can help cardiologists, obstetricians and primary care professionals provide safe and effective contraceptives for patients, and raise awareness that reproductive planning needs to be part of routine cardiovascular care.

"As president, my hope for - and my challenge to - ACC members for the next year and beyond is to not lose sight of our strengths or the sense of community that have grown out of our shared vulnerabilities and our shared sense of purpose," writes Dipti Itchhaporia, MD, FACC, in her first JACC Leadership Page since becoming ACC president on April 1. Itchhaporia highlights the many strengths of the cardiovascular community "that have proved so critical to navigating the COVID-19 pandemic" in the past year, especially in digital transformation, medical innovation and global collaboration. "I urge all of us not to forget these strengths and become complacent, but rather hone them further so that when we emerge on the other side of this pandemic, we are stronger, more focused, and more united around our shared vision of a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes," she writes. Read more. Also, don't miss Itchhaporia and ACC Immediate Past President Athena Poppas, MD, MACC, as part of the ACC.21 virtual Convocation Ceremony on Monday, May 17.

The ACC TreatHF app helps clinicians confirm which therapies are suggested for their patients with symptomatic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and provides guidance on the use of each therapy. The app was recently updated for an improved user experience, providing an expanded reference section and new content from the 2021 Update to the 2017 ECDP for Optimization of Heart Failure Treatment, including information regarding use of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors as de novo therapy and SGLT2 inhibitors for heart failure. Download the app and check out ACC's mobile resources at ACC.org/Apps.