Daily Briefing for November 8, 2026

Stents or bypass for stable heart disease add no survival at 11 years

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Routine angiography and revascularization for stable coronary disease with moderate or severe ischemia did not extend survival over 11 years compared with medicines alone, according to ISCHEMIA follow-up data JAMA published Saturday.

The same day at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, full results showed that pelacarsen, which cut lipoprotein(a) by 78%, and the interleukin-6 antibody ziltivekimab, which lowered CRP, did not reduce major cardiovascular events. A randomized trial of AI-screened ECGs found a statistically fragile gain in atrial fibrillation detection, and a Stanford study using a language model found lipid therapy was left unchanged at 89% of visits where LDL was above goal.

Weill Cornell Medicine disclosed that patient imaging details were entered into AI tools without authorization for a radiology research study in June.

In this episode

• Routine stents or bypass for stable coronary disease add no survival over medicines alone at 11 years in 5,179-patient ISCHEMIA follow-up
• Two heart drugs fail in full results: pelacarsen cut lipoprotein(a) 78% and ziltivekimab cut CRP, but neither prevented heart attacks or strokes
• An AI-flagged ECG raised detection of atrial fibrillation or its precursors by a fragile margin in a 14,665-adult randomized trial
• A language model reading clinic notes found lipid therapy was not intensified at 89% of visits where LDL sat above goal
• Starting statin plus ezetimibe up front did not cut cardiovascular events at 3 years versus a statin alone in a 3,048-patient trial
• Weill Cornell says patient imaging details were fed into AI tools without authorization for a radiology research study