The cardiology profession is "a family and a team " and will respond strongly to the novel coronavirus pandemic, American College of Cardiology immediate past president Dr. Richard Kovacs told the ACC.20 Together With World Congress of Cardiology Virtual. Kovacs said the ACC will withstand the coronavirus challenge because it is made up of a "group of committed individuals united by a shared vision where a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes."

The US registry for transcatheter aortic valve replacement cases, run by the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, will begin using a new five-item metric to measure 30-day patient outcomes and determine TAVR program quality. Dr. Nimesh Desai told the ACC.20 Together With World Congress of Cardiology Virtual that initially the programs will receive the data, but in 2021 the registry will start making its TAVR ratings public.

One in 5 US health care facilities have no respirators, while 28% are nearly out of the air-filtering masks, according to a survey sponsored by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. The online poll of 1,140 infection prevention specialists also found many health care facilities are experiencing shortages in personal protective equipment such as face shields and masks, safety goggles and hospital gowns.

More than $100 billion for health care organizations is included in the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act signed into law Friday, but PYA's consulting practice said health care providers should look into three specific programs first. The Paycheck Protection Program, the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, and Medicare provisions can have an immediate financial effect.

An Insights survey showed 57% of health care professionals are already taking part in value-based reimbursement models and 55% believe that these models will have a positive impact on the financial health of their organizations, but only 22% expect to participate in downside financial risk arrangements within the next year. This discrepancy underlines the need for improved value-based care collaboration between clinicians and insurers to ensure their efforts to deliver low-cost, high-quality care to patients will succeed.

The American College of Cardiology's 2019 Burnout Study found 35.4% of US cardiologists had feelings of burnout and 43.9% said they felt stressed. The survey, presented at the ACC.20 Together With World Congress of Cardiology Virtual, found burnout was most common among mid-career cardiologists.

Apple launched a new website and COVID-19 symptom screening app in partnership with the CDC, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House's Coronavirus Task Force. The screening tools ask users questions about recent exposure, symptoms and risk factors; recommends next steps, including testing if warranted; and does not require an Apple account.

A patient's lifetime risk for cardiovascular disease will vary depending on exposure to elevated low-density lipoprotein and systolic blood pressure, regardless of polygenic risk scores, according to a study presented at the ACC.20 Together With World Congress of Cardiology Virtual. "Therefore, maintaining low levels of LDL and systolic blood pressure throughout life should be the primary focus to reduce the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease for all persons at all levels of the polygenic score for coronary disease," said researcher Dr. Brian Ference.

Extreme high temperatures may more than double the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes, according to a research letter in the journal Circulation. The relative risk was greater for men than for women, and for people ages 15 to 64 compared with those ages 65 and older.

The ACC provided coverage of the hottest trials - including research from the STS/ACC TVT Registry and LAAO Registry - that came out of ACC.20 Together With World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC) from March 28 - 30. For regular updates, trial summaries, news coverage, video interviews and more, visit ACC's Meeting Coverage page. Tune into Virtual.ACC.org to access free on-demand content for at least 90 days.

The ACC joined with the American Heart Association and 11 other cardiovascular and health care society leaders on March 30 expressing concern "over the critical shortages of medical equipment, including ventilators, test kits and all types of personal protective equipment such as masks, face shields and gowns, to adequately address the COVID-19 public health crisis." The letter urges redeployment of PPE to areas in most critical need at a given time, using data from organizations like the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. It also encourages continued promotion of telehealth as a means of protecting both providers and patients. Read more.