Abstract
A S EMPHASIZED BY THE BIPARTISAN POLICY CENTER, healthcareexpendituresareanticipatedtoreach20% of US gross domestic product by 2020 and are a major threat to the sustainability of the health care system and to the economic productivity and stability of the country.Althoughdeathratesattributabletocardiovasculardisease(CVD)havedeclinedbyalmostone-thirdover the last11⁄2 decades, CVD remains the leading cause of death and the burden of CVD remains unacceptably high, especially considering the aging of the population. The economic effects of the burden of CVD are profound because managing CVD constitutes 16% of overall national health care expenditures. Given thesesoberingstatistics, it is “missioncritical” toexaminehow progress has been made in addressing CVD and to determine what steps need to be taken to further improve individual and societal cardiovascular health and economic well-being. This is a highly relevant week for such reflection, given the current themeissueof JAMAonCVDandtheoccurrenceof the 2012 Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association(AHA),whereattendeesfromaroundtheglobewillgather in Los Angeles to discuss the latest findings in cardiovascular science.Thismeetingwill includemore than4400original abstracts, 376 invited scientific sessions, and the first public presentation of 27 late-breaking clinical trials. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) is dedicated to catalyzing innovative methods and technologies to enhance the development, testing, and implementation of diagnostics and therapeutics across a wide range ofhumandiseasesandconditions.Randomizedcontrolledtrials (RCTs)areacornerstoneofmodernclinical scienceandacritical tool for theclinical/translational investigator toevaluate the benefits and risks of promising scientific advances.
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