The new statins? Millions of us already take pills that reduce cholesterol and cut our heart attack risk. Now experts say we should be on a drug to target another potential killer in the blood...

Eight cardinal Britons return statins to cut their cholesterin levels and protect them from a bosom onslaught aliases stroke, and 9 cardinal are connected narcotics to trim humor pressure.

Could galore soon beryllium offered much medications to further trim their risks?

That was nan proposal past week astatine nan American College of Cardiology convention successful Atlanta, Georgia.

Over nan past decade, bosom researchers person been focused connected tackling a type of cholesterin called LDL – low-density lipoprotein – nan shape astir intimately linked pinch bosom disease. Statins were nan first and astir successful curen to tackle this fatty constituent successful nan blood. And successful caller years a number of different narcotics person been developed to do nan aforesaid thing.

But now there's a caller target of interest – different benignant of fat that is recovered successful nan blood, called triglyceride.

Our triglyceride level features connected each cholesterin test. However, until recently, it has been mostly ignored, chiefly because it was believed it was harmless, if not beneficial, arsenic triglyceride is utilized by nan assemblage for energy.

But much caller investigation shows an excessive magnitude successful nan humor tin artifact arteries and trigger life-threatening complications specified arsenic bosom attacks and strokes. Raised triglycerides tin besides origin pancreatitis – a life-threatening complication wherever nan pancreas, a gland successful nan abdomen, becomes inflamed.

Surprisingly, astir a 5th of UK adults person worryingly precocious triglyceride levels. The problem is astir communal among over-60s – though galore group are unaware they are astatine risk.

In astir cases, a raised level is triggered by obesity and a deficiency of exercise, arsenic good arsenic different wellness conditions specified arsenic glucosuria and kidney disease. These patients thin to besides person precocious levels of LDL.

However, astir a tenth of adults person familial abnormalities that mean their triglycerides are elevated, contempt having a comparatively patient manner and debased LDL levels.

And location are 2 caller drugs, unveiled past week, aimed astatine tackling nan problem.

One, a jab called plozasiran, was capable to trim triglycerides successful patients pinch highly precocious levels by three-quarters successful six months. The curen is fixed via an injection erstwhile each 3 months, and nan findings were described by nan lead researcher, Professor Daniel Gaudet, a cardiologist astatine nan University of Montreal, arsenic 'extraordinary'.

The different medicine, olezarsen, was fixed to patients pinch moderately raised triglycerides. Given arsenic a once-a-month injection for astir a year, it reduced triglyceride levels by astir half – backmost to a safe amount.

Both treatments artifact nan assemblage from creating a macromolecule called apoC3, which helps nan liver move carbohydrates into triglycerides.

Experts opportunity much investigation is needed to reason really galore deaths and hospitalisations plozasiran and olezarsen will thief prevent, but they expect them to make a large difference.

'We've known for galore years that precocious triglycerides are linked to cardiovascular disease, but successful nan past location weren't immoderate circumstantial treatments,' says Professor Derek Connolly, advisor cardiologist astatine Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.

'Statins and food lipid person immoderate effect, but not much. These caller narcotics will beryllium phenomenally useful, particularly because they will protect patients against pancreatitis, which tin beryllium a really superior condition.'

The bully news didn't extremity there, pinch different announcements astatine nan convention that are group to amended nan bosom wellness of patients crossed nan UK. Read connected to find retired more...

Keyhole is safest for valve replacement

NHS chiefs were urged past nighttime to connection thousands of patients pinch worn retired bosom valves a keyhole operation, aft investigation proved it was much effective than unfastened bosom surgery.

More than 300,000 group successful nan UK suffer from aortic valve stenosis – erstwhile 1 of nan important valves narrows and reduces humor flow, causing thorax pain, fatigue and expanding nan consequence of bosom failure. The mostly of patients person to acquisition unfastened bosom room to person nan valve changed. While often effective, it's a awesome process pinch a agelong recovery.

There is, now, a little invasive replacement called transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). It involves threading an artificial valve into nan bosom via a catheter inserted into a vein successful nan groin.

While speedier than unfastened bosom surgery, TAVI is much costly – each process costs astir £10,000 – truthful has been rationed for only nan patients who request it nan most. But experts dream this will change, acknowledgment to nan findings.

The German trial, which progressive astir 1,400 patients, recovered they are importantly little apt to dice aliases autumn severely sick than those pinch unfastened bosom surgery. Currently, only astir 7,000 TAVIs return spot connected nan NHS each twelvemonth – reserved for aged patients deemed improbable to past surgery. Last year, nan NHS pledged to summation this number by 1,500, but doctors opportunity a overmuch larger description is needed.

'There is nary mobility that TAVI is simply a overmuch little invasive procedure, which causes less injuries,' says Dr Daniel Blackman, a cardiologist astatine Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. 'But these are really striking results which bring location nan benefits. Patients, sloppy of their age, would overmuch alternatively person a TAVI immoderate time of nan week, and nan NHS should let much of them to get one.'

Angina implant that slows humor flow

Patients pinch terrible angina thorax pains could soon beryllium offered a pioneering British-developed implant that tin easiness symptom and amended value of life.

Around 2 cardinal group successful nan UK suffer from nan condition, which is caused by reduced humor travel to nan bosom muscles.

The mostly of patients get medicines to combat nan debilitating symptoms, and each twelvemonth astir 35,000 of nan worst affected acquisition room to get a stent – a mini mesh conduit that holds nan artery unfastened to let much humor to travel into nan heart. But studies show that, for arsenic galore arsenic 4 successful 10 patients, this op is ineffective.

Now researchers person created an replacement process which – counterintuitively – involves blocking a mini vein successful nan heart. Called a coronary sinus reducer, nan 1in implant slows down nan travel of blood.

This increases nan magnitude of oxygen that nan muscles of nan bosom tin sorb – reducing angina symptoms.

The bosom requires a changeless proviso of oxygen absorbed done nan blood. When this is reduced, nan organ becomes deprived of oxygen, triggering angina. The symptom usually comes connected successful little episodes, often caused by workout aliases stress.

It is simply a superior condition, and sufferers are much astatine consequence of a bosom onslaught aliases changeable arsenic nan humor vessels are narrowed.

People who are overweight, fume aliases portion excessive amounts of intoxicant are much apt to create angina.

It is usually treated pinch narcotics specified arsenic calcium transmission blockers aliases beta blockers, though nan effectiveness tin beryllium limited. Many sufferers will yet create unstable angina, wherever nan episodes go much predominant and hap astatine random.

More than 150,000 group are hospitalised successful nan UK each twelvemonth pinch nan unstable condition.

In nan caller study, which progressive 51 patients pinch terrible angina who had not responded to accepted treatments, half were fixed a coronary sinus reducer.

The mesh hourglass-shaped instrumentality is fitted into nan coronary sinus vein – which is wherever humor accumulates aft it has been pumped astir nan heart.

It is designed to make nan vein smaller, reducing nan magnitude of humor which tin walk done it. This unit pushes humor backmost up into nan heart, giving nan muscles much clip to return successful oxygen.

The participants were asked to complete a regular study wherever they reported really often they knowledgeable an angina section – and those who received nan coronary sinus reducer knowledgeable 40 per cent less attacks.

'We were rather shocked by really good nan instrumentality worked,' says Dr Rasha Al-Lamee, a advisor cardiologist astatine Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

'After 10 weeks, patients noticed a important quality and it really improved their value of life. These are group who suffer up to 10 angina episodes a day, truthful this is simply a large woody for them.I expect that our findings mean that patients who person grounded to respond to different options will beryllium capable to person nan instrumentality connected nan NHS soon.'

NHS vindicated complete bosom pump rollout

There was besides bully news for patients near severely unwell pursuing a bosom attack, aft a study recovered that a arguable bosom pump already offered connected nan NHS saves lives.

The instrumentality is simply a bladed conduit fitted wrong nan organ, and contains a centrifugal which helps pumps humor from 1 broadside to nan other.

It is designed to thief patients who create cardiogenic daze – a deadly bosom onslaught complication which occurs erstwhile nan organ becomes excessively anemic to pump capable humor to meet needs.

The information occurs successful astir 1 successful 10 bosom attacks.

In 2016 nan NHS made nan determination to o.k. nan rollout of nan £15,000 Impella – which is surgically implanted aft a bosom onslaught – earlier studies showed it was effective. Since then, it has been linked to 49 deaths successful nan US and, past month, nan country's Food and Drug Administration warned location was a consequence it could puncture nan wall of nan heart.

But a caller study, presented successful Atlanta past week, recovered that Impella patients were 13 per cent little apt to dice wrong six months of a bosom onslaught compared pinch those who did not acquisition nan procedure.

However, Danish researchers opportunity nan trial, which progressive 360 participants from nan UK, Denmark and Germany, did find that Impella patients were much apt to acquisition complications specified arsenic soul bleeding.

None of nan proceedings subordinate knowledgeable a bosom puncture.

'This is nan first clip successful a very agelong clip that we person a affirmative study for managing cardiogenic shock,' says Professor Jacob Moller, cardiologist astatine nan Odense University Hospital successful Denmark and study author.

'I deliberation this will beryllium a regular instrumentality that will beryllium utilized successful these desperately sick patients.'

Questions complete beta blockers 

A landmark study has raised superior doubts astir nan usage of beta blockers to tackle a number of communal bosom conditions.

Last week nan Mail was first to study findings that nan communal curen does not use half of patients recovering from a bosom attack.

The tablets slow nan beat and little humor pressure, and person been offered to nan mostly of patients recovering from a bosom onslaught since nan 1960s. However, broadside effects see fatigue, nausea and erectile dysfunction. And for astir 50 per cent of patients, taking beta blockers does not trim nan consequence of different attack, according to nan data.

Now experts reason that doctors should reconsider prescribing beta blockers to patients pinch different bosom problems they are commonly offered for, specified arsenic angina thorax symptom and atrial fibrillation – a problem pinch nan heart's rhythm.

In caller years, a number of caller and much effective drugs, included medicines called calcium transmission blockers, which besides little humor pressure, person been rolled retired connected nan NHS.

Patients who person not had a bosom onslaught and return beta blockers arsenic a measurement to power precocious humor unit unsocial should support taking them.

However Professor Tim Chico, advisor cardiologist astatine nan University of Sheffield, said: 'When doctors first began offering these drugs, they were 1 of nan only things disposable for bosom patients. However, location has been tremendous progress.'

Experts opportunity patients should talk to their expert if they do not wish to support taking beta blockers.