CMO Perspectives

  “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin Across healthcare today, clinicians have been handed a priority list so long as to border on the implausible.  Clinically, patient partnerships1 are needed to improve outcomes. Economically, better care must be delivered without waste2.  Societally, health equity3 is a continuous focus.  Technologically, advancements4 must be evaluated and, as appropriate, incorporated.  And all of this is required whilst the structures in which we work are rapidly transforming5, for better or worse.  Given the task at hand, even

  All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. – Galileo Galilei Discovery drives clinical research. Whether we are testing a potential breakthrough therapy or the impact of a long-standing care practice, the chance to chart a path toward better heart health is why substantial effort and resources are regularly invested in cardiovascular trials. The search for a better path is what motivated the PRECISE trial, presented at AHA 2022. This randomized trial delivered strong evidence that a diagnostic pathway centered on coronary CTA + FFRCT, which was recommended in the 2021 AHA/ACC Chest Pain

The ADVANCE-DK study reminds us that what we think we understand may still be a work in progress.

Powerful insights will result as we combine plaque and coronary physiology to guide patient care.