It was a busy and exciting American College of Cardiology 2013 conference. It’s great to see clinical experience validated with science presented in conjunction with the ACC.13 prevention track sessions.

It is encouraging that the evidence continues to build for emerging lipid risk factors in major population segments of the U.S. population. This includes technical inadequacies of Friedewald LDL calculation, which has been the mainstay of the basic lipid panel for more than 40 years. One thing is clear: there is a need for direct LDL measurement that also provides accurate non-HDL component measures and lipid subclasses for cardiovascular risk identification and prevention.

Highlights of ACC.13 presentations included:

• Two excellent ACC.13 posters presentations by Peter P. Toth, M.D., identified TG-rich remnant lipoproteins and HDL subclasses as significant, independent risk factors in heart disease, and highlighted the need for more research in this important area of preventive cardiology.
• In a cohort of the Intermountain Heart Study, Heidi T. May, Ph.D., of the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute provided further insight into LDL subclasses (LDL₃ and LDL₄) and apolipoprotein B as significant predictors of heart attack, death, and repeat revascularization (MACE).
• Researcher Mohamed B. Elshazly, M.D., and his team discovered significant disagreement (discordance) between key lipid calculations in the basic lipid panel and the direct measures in the VAP Lipid Panel, concluding that more research into better lipid risk assessment and the exploration of multiple lipid parameters in treatment decisions must be undertaken.
• Wrapping up the science involving the VAP Lipid Panel was a very well-researched oral presentation Sunday morning in front of a large audience on the impact of TG-rich remnant lipoproteins presented by Dr. Arif Khokhar of Northwest London Hospitals in the United Kingdom.

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Grab a Men’s Journal issue on newsstands and turn to page 50!

Reporter Daniel Duane got his VAP Test last year and we had a good talk about his results. He wrote about VAP last year and now the May 2012 issue features the test in the article: “Healthy Aging: Live Longer, Perform Better.” The story is a decade-by-decade guide to getting stronger, faster, fitter, and healthier as you age.

“Today advanced new blood tests like the Vertical Auto Profile — not even on most doctors’ radar — provide a vastly more precise picture of actual heart health.”

Read more online: www.mensjournal.com/livelonger.

I went to the doctors last Thursday — the nationally broadcast TV show, that is. Dr. Travis Stork, co-host of the Emmy Award-winning TV show “The Doctors”, interviewed me about the VAP Cholesterol Test. Watch my segment below, or click and share this link: http://bit.ly/VAPonTV.

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Atherotech is getting national publicity this week! The VAP Cholesterol Test, and yours truly, are scheduled to be featured on the Emmy Award-winning television show “The Doctors.” The physicians who host the show are (shown above): plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Drew Ordon; OB/GYN Dr. Lisa Masterson; from “Biggest Loser” fame, health and wellness expert Jillian Michaels; ER doc Dr. Travis Stork; pediatrician Dr. Jim Sears,and doctor of psychology Wendy Walsh, Ph.D.

The spotlight on the VAP Test and my interview are part the Ten Ways to Live a Longer Life! episode that airs this Thursday, December 8. On the show they’ll share one patient’s actual VAP Test results. Here’s the show teaser:

The Doctors brings you 10 ways to live longer. A new test may predict your life expectancy. Would you want to know? And, learn how pets can save lives. Plus, foods that increase your lifespan and more!

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Case #352: The Vascular Soufflé is a Recipe for Risk

“Sam,” a 40-year-old apparently healthy male came to see me in late 2010 worried about his family history of cardiovascular disease.

Sam is a non-smoker and non-drinker and says that he maintains a healthy diet and gets regular exercise. However, he’s still worried about his heart health because so many of his family members have experienced heart disease-related problems, including heart attack, stroke and bypass surgery. Sam’s father suffered a heart attack in his early 60s and underwent five-vessel CABG surgery. His three siblings underwent, respectively: four-vessel CABG; stent; and six-vessel CABG surgery.

The family history of heart disease extends to Sam’s paternal grandfather and aunts/uncles and includes: fatal MI at 49; fatal MI at 70; diagnosis of hypertensive heart disease at 57; congestive heart failure at age 60 (fatal) following an earlier heart attack. Heart disease history is also present in his paternal grandmother’s family.

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