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

In this mini news episode of the Tell-Tale Heart podcast, host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, CACP, highlights three major developments in cardiovascular and cardiometabolic medicine that pharmacists should have on their radar.

In this episode of The Tell-Tale Heart, host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, CACP, speaks with Rhonda Monroe, MBA, a heart failure survivor and lead advocate at HeartLife, about her lived experience with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and the systemic failures that nearly cost her life. Following the birth of her third child, Monroe experienced classic cardiac symptoms but was repeatedly misdiagnosed as having indigestion or "hysterical motherhood" despite an EKG confirming an acute myocardial infarction.

SPIRIT-HF  CHAMPION-AF  SMART-DECISION  VESALIUS-CV (sub-study)  CORAL REEF  Ez-PAVE

You can learn more about the 2026 dyslipidemia guidelines here: 2026 Dyslipidemia Guideline Hub | JACC

You can reach the guests on this episode here: Kristen Campbell, PharmD

Learn more about the HI-PEITHO trial here.You can reach the guest on this episode here:Allison Burnett, PharmD, PhC, CACP, on LinkedIn

Learn more about the OCEANIC-STROKE trial here.

In this Heart Month solo episode of the Tell-Tale Heart podcast, host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, CACP, examines the “hypertension control paradox” outlined in a recent New England Journal of Medicine perspective, exploring why blood pressure control in the United States remains suboptimal despite effective therapies and long-standing clinical guidelines. Beavers reviews national trends showing stalled progress in hypertension control and contrasts them with higher-performing systems that rely on protocol-driven, team-based care models.

Learn more about the POLY-HF trial here.You can reach the guests on this episode here:Nick Miller, PharmD, on LinkedInNick Miller can be reached at [email protected] Pandey, MD, on LinkedIn

Join us for a deep dive into hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) with Andrew Williford, PharmD, an assistant professor and cardiology specialist at UC San Diego Health. In this episode, we break down the genetics, diagnosis, and clinical impact of HCM, explore how management strategies have evolved, and discuss the emerging role of cardiac myosin inhibitors in treating obstructive disease. Dr. Williford also shares insights from his telehealth GDMT titration clinic and offers practical guidance for pharmacists encountering HCM across care settings.Show notes: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Guideline Hub Aficamten or Metoprolol Monotherapy for Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Mavacamten in Symptomatic Nonobstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Mavacamten for treatment of symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (EXPLORER-HCM): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

Happy New Year from The Tell-Tale Heart! We'll be back in 2 weeks with a new episode. In the meantime, check out the recent episode of Drugstore Dialogue with host Barry Newman, who spoke with Craig Beavers about cardiology pharmacy.Listen here: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/dr-craig-beavers--67706988 

In this episode, host Craig Beavers sits down with Marc Baines, cofounder and executive director of the HeartLife Foundation, to explore heart failure care through the lens of lived experience. Diagnosed with heart failure at just 23 years old, Baines shares his path from sudden diagnosis to heart transplant and the critical role pharmacists played as consistent, trusted members of his care team. From medication education and adherence to quality-of-life conversations and continuity across care settings, this discussion offers pharmacists practical insights into how their everyday interactions can profoundly shape patient outcomes, empowerment, and long-term cardiovascular care.Have feedback on this episode or ideas for future topics you’d like us to cover? Let us know—we’d love to hear what matters most to your practice. Email [email protected] with your feedback and ideas!Show notes:·       Learn more about the HeartLife Foundation

In this solo episode, Craig Beavers breaks down new data from the CELEBRATE STEMI trial and the POLY-HF polypill study. He highlights what these findings could mean for real-world practice, from early antiplatelet strategies to improving adherence and outcomes in heart failure. Show Notes: Patient Perspectives on a Polypill Strategy for Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Convergent-Parallel Mixed Methods Study Embedded in a Randomized Clinical Trial Zalunfiban at First Medical Contact for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

This week, host Craig Beavers spoke with Joe Sassine, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, CLS, about several key trials presented at the American Heart Association 2025 Scientific Sessions.Show notes: VESALIUS-CV trial: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2514428 CORAL REEF trial

Studies discussed in today's episode: POLY-HF Trial CELEBRATE Trial VESALIUS-CV Trial

The articles discussed in this episode: The Adipokine Hypothesis of Heart Failure With a Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Novel Framework to Explain Pathogenesis and Guide Treatment Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease: 2025 ACC Scientific Statement: A Report of the American College of Cardiology

KARDIA-3 Study KARDIA 3 Study Design KARDIA 2 Study BaxHTN Study Shelby Tungate Lopez, PharmD, CPP, BCACP, MPA is a clinical pharmacist practitioner at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy. He can be reached on Linkedin @ShelbyTungateLopez, and more information can be found about his interests and work at his faculty page.

Pooled Analysis From VICTOR and VICTORIA Trialsβ Blocker After Myocardial Infarction Meta Analysis

Host Craig Beavers sits down with Lorenz van der Linden, a Belgian pharmacist, to dive deep into 2 groundbreaking trials from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2025 Congress. They explore the ALONE-AF trial, which examined anticoagulation strategies for patients with atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation, and the AQUATIC trial, which investigated the role of aspirin in patients on oral anticoagulation. With their expert analysis, Craig and Lawrence break down the clinical implications, methodological nuances, and potential practice-changing insights from these important cardiovascular studies. Show notes: ALONE-AF findings AQUATIC findings

Following the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2025, experts sat down again with host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, BCPS (AQ-cards), CACP, to discuss key findings from the meeting. Kaitlin Hile, PharmD, BCCP; Robert Page, PharmD, MSPH, BCPS (AQ-cards), BCGP, FAHA, FHFSA, FCCP, FASHP; and Robert DiDomenico, PharmD, FCCP, FHFSA, FACC, reviewed new data from the meeting and parsed through their lingering questions. Show Notes: Beta-Blockers After Myocardial Infarction Without Reduced Ejection Fraction (REBOOT; NCT03596385) Beta-Blockers After Myocardial Infarction in Patients Without Heart Failure (BETAMI–DANBLOCK; NCT03646357, NCT03778554) Digitoxin in Patients With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction (DIGIT-HF) Vericiguat in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction (VICTOR): A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Phase 3 Trial (NCT05093933)

In this episode, host Craig Beavers sits down with Gary Owen, clinical pharmacist and manager of Population Health Pharmacy Services at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to discuss the newly updated ACC/AHA hypertension guidelines and what they mean for pharmacists. Gary shares how his team supports primary care providers across the state through collaborative practice agreements, innovative telephonic care models, and value-based care initiatives. The conversation explores how pharmacists can play a pivotal role in optimizing medication management, improving patient access, and driving better outcomes in chronic disease care.Read the guidelines here.

This week, host Craig Beavers tackles the upcoming European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025, taking place August 29 through September 1, 2025.  Key data to keep an eye on will include the following:  The VICTORION-Difference study of inclisiran in hyperlipidemia The Essence study of olezarsen in hypertriglyceridemia Multiple studies on early discontinuation of aspirin after percutaneous coronary intervention in high-risk acute coronary syndromes The DAPT-SHOCK-AMI trial of cangrelor in patients with cardiogenic shock related to acute myocardial infarction The ALONE-AF trial about stopping anticoagulation after successful atrial fibrillation ablation The ODYSSEY-HCM and MAPLE-HCM studies on mavacamten and aficamten in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Stay tuned on upcoming episodes for deeper dives into these data and other key takeaways from ESC!

In this episode, Kaitlin Hile, PharmD, BCCP; Robert Page, PharmD, MSPH, BCPS (AQ-cards), BCGP, FAHA, FHFSA, FCCP, FASHP; and Robert DiDomenico, PharmD, FCCP, FHFSA, FACC, sat down with host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, BCPS (AQ-cards), CACP, for an exciting discussion of several Hot Line trials at the upcoming European Society of Cardiology Congress 2025. Learn more about the ESC Congress 2025 Hot Line sessions here.

This week, host Craig Beavers sat down with Tara Lech, PharmD, CACP, director of anticoagulation services at Beth Israel Lahey Health, to discuss recent findings from the COBBRA trial, which compared bleeding risk with rivaroxaban versus apixaban.

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 Kido K, Beavers CJ, Dulnuan K, et al. Management of iron deficiency in heart failure: practical considerations and implementation of evidence-based iron supplementation. JACC Heart Fail. 2024;12(12):1961-1978. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2024.05.014 Scientific Statement on Diagnosis and Treatment of Iron Deficiency in Heart Failure Released by Heart Failure Society of America. News release. HFSA. May 2, 2023. Accessed June 27, 2025.  Antrim A. Enhancing Patient Care in Heart Failure-Related Anemia Through Improved Communication, Monitoring, and Education. Pharmacy Times. March 17, 2025. Accessed June 27, 2025. 

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 al. Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2023;389:2221-2232. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2307563 ZupMed.com 

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/Latest-in-Cardiology/Journal-Scans/2025/03/05/17/27/FINEARTS-HF-Analysis