Percutaneous Coronary Intervention In Women Research Articles

TCT-800 Outcomes of Guideline-Recommended Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Women With Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease

TCT-800 Outcomes of Guideline-Recommended Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Women With Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease

Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Women.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women globally. Numerous studies show ongoing disparities in diagnosis, management, and outcomes of ischemic heart disease in women compared to men. We aim to review the factors contributing to sex-based differential outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions in women. Hormonal influence on coronary arteries and progression of atherosclerosis in women results in distinct coronary plaque characteristics and unique pathological process such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection and myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries. During the presentation of acute coronary syndromes, women are older and have higher burden of comorbidities, with higher short- and long-term mortality. Awareness of differences in vascular biology and unique risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women is essential for sustained improvement in cardiovascular mortality. Better representation of women in trials is crucial to address the gaps in knowledge and allow for individualized treatment approaches in women.

Abstract 11439: Predictors of Long-Term Heart Failure Readmissions Following PCI in Women

Introduction: Heart failure (CHF) is a common cause of readmission following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), particularly within the first 30 days. Female sex has been shown to be an independent predictor of 30-day readmission following PCI, with higher rates of readmission secondary to CHF observed in women. Whether the increased risk for CHF readmission persists beyond this early period has not been well studied. Methods: In this multicenter, retrospective observational study clinical outcomes were analyzed after PCI among patients included in the Indiana University Health Multicenter Cath Registry Study. Hospital readmission for acute CHF was the primary endpoint and analyzed through use of the Indiana network for patient care. Results: Among 13,871 patients included in this study, 14.5% were readmitted for CHF after the index PCI during mean follow up of 2.8 years. Women (n=4,411) were more likely to be readmitted for CHF than men (n=9,460) [HR 1.37,95% CI: 1.26-1.5; p<0.001). Women were older than men (66.1 vs. 63.8 years, p<0.001) and more likely to have diabetes (49% vs. 41%, p<0.001). Female sex persisted as independent predictor of CHF readmission after multivariate adjustment (p=0.004). The higher rate of CHF readmission in women continued to accrue beyond 30 days and event curves continued to diverge over the duration of follow up (Fig.).] Major predictors of CHF readmission included end stage renal disease, cardiogenic shock during index PCI, mechanical ventricular support at time of PCI, diabetes mellitus, and history of COPD, whereas discharge with ACEI or ARB was protective. Conclusions: Heart failure readmission remains a major cause of morbidity for women after undergoing PCI. The excess risk of CHF readmission in women extends beyond the early 30-day post PCI period.

Abstract 14158: Impact of Gender Differences on Changes in Myocardial Perfusion Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention of Chronic Total Coronary Occlusions

Introduction. Data on gender differences in chronic total coronary occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are scarce. Prior studies have demonstrated CTO PCI to reduce ischemia, however female patients are less likely to undergo revascularization. This study sought to investigate the impact of gender on myocardial perfusion changes following CTO PCI as measured by [ 15 O]H 2 O positon-emission tomography (PET) perfusion imaging. Methods. A total of 212 patients were prospectively enrolled in a single-center CTO registry and underwent single-vessel CTO PCI, combined with [ 15 O]H 2 O PET imaging at baseline and three months follow-up. Baseline and follow-up resting myocardial blood flow (MBF), hyperemic MBF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) allocated to the CTO territory were quantitatively assessed. The presence of residual ischemia was defined as hMBF ≤2.3 mL·min -1 ·g -1 in the CTO area at follow-up. Results. This study comprised 34 (16%) females and (84%) males. Mean age in females was higher compared to males (68 ± 9 vs. 61 ± 10 years, p<0.01). In women, resting MBF at baseline was more elevated than in men (1.02 ± 0.24 vs. 0.84 ± 0.21 mL·min -1 ·g -1 , p<0.01). Similarly, baseline hMBF was found to be higher in females (1.81 ± 0.53 vs. 1.64 ± 0.53 mL·min -1 ·g -1 , p=0.03), and showed a higher increase after CTO PCI (Δ1.06 ± 0.71 vs. Δ0.71 ± 0.66 mL·min -1 ·g -1 , p=0.01). Improvement in CFR after CTO PCI was more evident in female patients (Δ1.17 ± 1.04 vs. Δ0.82 ± 0.89, p=0.04). At three months follow-up, the proportion of patients with residual ischemia was lower in women versus men (9 (27%) vs. 91 (51%), p=0.01). Conclusions. We found a higher increase in hyperemic MBF and CFR following CTO PCI in women compared to men, as measured by serial [ 15 O]H 2 O PET imaging. In addition, lower rates of residual ischemia were observed in women. This study suggests the potential benefit of a lower threshold for CTO PCI in female patients.

Coronary Artery Restenosis in Women by History of Preeclampsia.

Background A history of preeclampsia is associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease and experimental evidence suggests that a history of preeclampsia also increases the risk of restenosis. However, the extent to which a history of preeclampsia is associated with risk of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in women is unknown. Methods and Results We included 6065 parous women aged ≤65 years with first percutaneous coronary intervention on 9452 segments 2006 to 2017, linking nationwide data on percutaneous coronary intervention and delivery history in Sweden. Main outcomes were clinical restenosis and target lesion revascularization within 2 years. We accounted for segment-, procedure-, and patient-related potential predictors of restenosis in proportional hazards regression models. Restenosis occurred in 345 segments (3.7%) and target lesion revascularization was performed on 383 patients (6.3%). A history of preeclampsia was neither significantly associated with risk of restenosis (predictor-accounted hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.41-1.23]) nor target lesion revascularization (0.74 [95% CI, 0.51-1.07]) compared with a normotensive pregnancy history. When term and preterm preeclampsia were investigated separately, segments in women with a history of term preeclampsia had a lower risk of restenosis (predictor-accounted HR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.21-0.94]). A history of preeclampsia was not significantly associated with death by any cause within 2 years of the index procedure (predictor-accounted HR 1.06, [95% CI, 0.62-1.80]). Conclusions A history of preeclampsia was not associated with increased risk of restenosis but instead some evidence pointed to a decreased risk. To facilitate future studies and allow for replication, concomitant collection of data on pregnancy complication history and percutaneous coronary intervention outcomes in women is warranted.

The Impact of Smoking on Clinical Outcomes after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Women Compared to Men.

Background For decades, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have been known as men's disease. However, recent research studies showed that they have become more common in women. Smoking is a strong risk factor for CVD especially that of coronary artery disease (CAD). Several studies reported that women are more susceptible to drastic sequels of smoking than men. There is limited data regarding the impact of smoking on post-revascularization clinical events stratified by gender. This study aimed to investigate if gender significantly changes the incidence of adverse clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) among those with history of smoking. Methods Participants were selected from two hospitals from 2003 to 2019. Among patients who had PCI (index PCI), those with stable CAD who underwent elective PCI were included. Exclusion criteria were defined as primary PCI and those with multiple prior revascularizations. Participants were followed up seeking for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including revascularization (PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting), myocardial infarction, and coronary death in three time intervals according to the time of index PCI (short term: up to 24 hours, mid-term: 24 hours to less than 6 months, and long term: more than 6 months). Results Of the 1799 patients, 61% were men and 47.08% had history of smoking (75% of the smokers were men). At the time of index PCI, smokers were significantly younger than nonsmokers. Also, MACE were significantly higher in smokers than nonsmokers, which was particularly pronounced at the long-term interval. In the nonsmokers group, there was no difference in MACE occurrence between men and women. However, of the smokers, women showed significantly higher MACE rate compared with men peers. Conclusion Smoking makes women more prone to MACE in comparison to men among patients with stable CAD after PCI with drug-eluting stent.

Sex difference in long-term clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention: A propensity-matched analysis of National Health Insurance data in Republic of Korea.

We investigated the gender difference in the 5-year outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using an unselected population data. Sex-specific outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is not consistent among studies. A total of 48,783 patients were enrolled from a Korean nationwide cohort of PCI in year 2011. Outcomes adjusted with age and propensity for clinical characteristics were compared. Primary outcome was 5-year cumulative incidence of all-cause death. Nonfatal major adverse clinical event (MACE) consisting of revascularization, shock, or stroke was also assessed. In unadjusted analysis, women were older and had higher frequency of comorbidities including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes compared to men (p < .001, all). Women had higher 5-year death risk than men (21.8 vs. 17.3%; hazard ratio [HR] 1.29, 95% confidential interval [CI] 1.23-1.34). In propensity score-matched analysis (N=28,924), women had lower 5-year death risk (20.2 vs. 26.1%, HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.71-0.78). This lower death risk in women was consistent in subgroup analyses of age, risk factors, and clinical diagnosis including angina or acute myocardial infarction (p < .05, all). Older age and more common comorbidities in women contributed to the apparent worse outcome after PCI in women. After adjusting these disadvantages, women had better outcome after PCI than men.

Percutaneous coronary intervention in women: is sex still an issue?

Coronary artery disease among women presents differences in terms of clinical presentation and pathophysiology. To date, women present worse prognoses with more events and higher mortality rate. One the one hand, they are less likely addressed for invasive therapy. One the other hand, revascularization procedures, whether by bypass or by percutaneous coronary intervention, are associated with higher rates of complications and poorer prognosis. Despite higher risk factor burden and comorbidity, women are less affected by obstructive disease and plaque characteristics are more favorable than among men. Abnormalities of endothelial function and micro vascular flow reserve could explain part of the high prevalence of symptoms of angina observed among women. Due to the worse prognosis of microvascular dysfunction, particularly in women, proper diagnosis is mandatory and deserve invasive management. Outcome following ST elevation myocardial infarction is still more severe among women with higher in-hospital mortality, but sex discrepancies are observed even in elective percutaneous coronary intervention. However, improvement of techniques, drugs and devices benefited to both men and women and tend to decrease gender gap. Especially, changes in the design of newer-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) may be particularly important for women. Female sex remains a potent predictor of higher risk of bleeding and vascular complication; thus important efforts should be promoted to develop bleeding avoidance strategies. Sex-based differences still deserve dedicated investigations in terms of physiopathology, particular hormonal impacts, and specific responses to drugs and devices.

Impact of Diabetes Mellitus in Women Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Drug-Eluting Stents.

Data examining the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on ischemic risk after percutaneous coronary intervention in women are limited as most clinical trial participants are male. We evaluated (1) the impact of DM on ischemic outcomes in women undergoing drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation and (2) whether the outcomes of new- versus early-generation DES vary by DM status. We pooled patient-level data of 10 448 women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with DES from 26 randomized trials. Baseline characteristics and 3-year clinical outcomes were stratified according to DM status (noninsulin-dependent and insulin-dependent) and DES generation. The primary end point was the composite of all-cause death or myocardial infarction. Secondary end points were definite or probable stent thrombosis and target lesion revascularization. Compared with women without DM (n=7154, 68.5%), adjusted risks (adjusted hazard ratios [95% CI]) for death or myocardial infarction among women with noninsulin-dependent DM (n=2241, 21.4%) and insulin-dependent DM (n=1053, 10.1%) were 1.30 (1.11-1.53) and 1.71 (1.41-2.07), respectively ( Ptrend<0.001). Similar trends were observed for def/prob stent thrombosis and target lesion revascularization. Compared with early-generation DES, use of newer-generation DES was associated with significant reductions in death or myocardial infarction in the absence of DM whereas differences were nonsignificant in the presence of DM, with similar findings for def/prob stent thrombosis and target lesion revascularization. The presence of DM is associated with substantial, graded, and durable risks for ischemic events among women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with DES. The safety and efficacy profile of newer-generation DES is preserved among women without DM, while benefits are nonsignificant among women with DM.

Is sex associated with adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention for CTO?

BackgroundConflicting results have been reported regarding sex differences in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but their potential influence on clinical outcomes after chronic total coronary occlusion (CTO) PCI remains unknown. We aimed to identify sex-related differences in long-term clinical outcomes after CTO PCI. Methods and resultsAll consecutive patients undergoing CTO PCI between 2004 and 2012 were included in a prospective registry. Baseline, procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes were compared according to sex. Out of 1343 patients, 194 were female (14.4%). Women were older (68.5 ± 9.9 vs 62.3 ± 10.8 years, p < 0.001), more frequently diabetic (33.5% vs 26.4%, p = 0.026) and hypertensive (70.1% vs 57.4%, p < 0,001), whereas males were more frequently smokers (28.5% vs 15.5%, p < 0.001). J-CTO score was similar between both sexes (1.59 ± 0.91 vs 1.51 ± 0.88). The procedural success rate was also similar in men and women (74.0% vs 77.3%, respectively). At 8 years' follow-up, successful CTO PCI was associated with reduced mortality in women (14.8% vs 36.2%, p = 0.003) and men (18.5% vs 29.1%, p < 0.001). In successful CTO PCI cases, no sex-related differences were observed in terms of major adverse cardiac events. ConclusionsOur study suggests an equal benefit of CTO interventions with a marked reduction in mortality after successful CTO PCI in women and men alike.

Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Women: Are There Differences When Compared with Men?

Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease, there remains evidence of a disparity in the outcomes for women when compared with men. This article provides a review of the evidence for this discrepancy and discusses some of the potential contributing factors.

Impact of coronary artery disease and percutaneous coronary intervention in women undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: From the WIN-TAVI registry.

To evaluate the impact of coronary artery disease (CAD) with or without recent (≤ 30 days) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in women undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Although women display a specific risk-profile for both PCI and TAVR, the impact of CAD and PCI in the setting of TAVR in women is unclear. The multinational Women's International Transcatheter Aortic Valve implantation registry enrolled consecutive female patients undergoing contemporary TAVR in 19 centers between 2013 and 2015. Patients with available coronary angiography or CT scan in the pre-operative assessment of TAVR were categorized as without CAD, with CAD but no recent PCI and CAD and recent PCI (≤30 days). All events were adjudicated according to the VARC-2 criteria. A total of 787 patients were included in this analysis, among whom 459 (58.3%) had no CAD, 247 (31.4%) had CAD without recent PCI and 81 (10.3%) underwent recent PCI (≤ 30 days before TAVR). After multivariable adjustment, both groups of CAD patients, without and with recent PCI, presented with higher risk of death, myocardial infarction or stroke, compared with patients without CAD (adj HR 1.56, 95%CI 1.03-2.39, P = 0.038 and adj HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.1-3.5, P = .021, respectively). Patients with recent PCI had increased risk of all-cause death (adj HR 1.89, 95% CI 1.0-3.5, P = 0.04) and stroke (adj HR 3.7, 95% CI 1.0-13.5, P = 0.046) compared with patients without CAD. The presence of CAD in women undergoing TAVR, with or without recent PCI, was associated with long-term poorer outcomes.

Clinical and angiographic profile and in hospital outcomes of elective percutaneous coronary intervention in women in a tertiary care center

Clinical and angiographic profile and in hospital outcomes of elective percutaneous coronary intervention in women in a tertiary care center

Impact of Diabetes Mellitus on Ischemic Events in Men and Women After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Studies have shown worse outcome for women compared with men after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), especially in the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM). We aimed to investigate the risk of ischemic events after PCI in women versus men stratified by the presence or absence of DM. A total of 17,154 consecutive patients from a single-center PCI registry enrolled from January 2009 to December 2014 were categorized accordingly: female/non-DM, female/DM, male/non-DM, and male/DM. End points included death and myocardial infarction (MI) at 1year. Of the overall population, 15% (n= 2,631) were female/non-DM, 17% (n= 2,891) were female/DM, 38% (n= 6,483) were male/non-DM, and 30% (n= 5,149) were male/DM. Within the 4 study groups, female/DM had the highest risk, whereas female/non-DM and male/DM showed similar risks and male/non-DM showed lowest risk for death (4.64% vs 3.08% vs 2.93% vs 2.31%; p-trend <0.0001 over allgroups and p= 0.69 between female/non-DM and male/DM, respectively) and MI (4.15% vs 3.99% vs 3.71% vs 2.55%; p trend <0.0001 over all groups and p= 0.97 between female/non-DM and male/DM, respectively). After multivariate adjustment findings were largely unchanged suggesting highest risk for adverse events in diabetic women compared with other groups and comparable risks for death and MI in nondiabetic women compared with diabetic men. In conclusion, these findings highlight the combined influence of DM and female gender as strong determinants of post-PCI risk while also illustrating "risk equivalence" between nondiabetic women versus diabetic men.

Optimal medical therapy with or without percutaneous coronary intervention in women with stable coronary disease: A pre-specified subset analysis of the Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive druG Evaluation (COURAGE) trial

To determine whether sex-based differences exist in clinical effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) when added to optimal medical therapy (OMT) in patients with stable coronary artery disease. A prior pre-specified unadjusted analysis from COURAGE showed that women randomized to PCI had a lower rate of death or myocardial infarction during a median 4.6-year follow-up with a trend for interaction with respect to sex. We analyzed outcomes in 338 women (15%) and 1949 men (85%) randomized to PCI plus OMT versus OMT alone after adjustment for relevant baseline characteristics. There was no difference in treatment effect by sex for the primary end point (death or myocardial infarction; HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.77-1.03 for women and HR, 1.02, 95% CI 0.96-1.10 for men; P for interaction = .07). Although the event rate was low, a trend for interaction by sex was nonetheless noted for hospitalization for heart failure, with only women, but not men, assigned to PCI experiencing significantly fewer events as compared to their counterparts receiving OMT alone (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.40-0.84, P < .001 for women and HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.74-1.01, P = .47 for men; P for interaction = .02). Both sexes randomized to PCI experienced significantly reduced need for subsequent revascularization (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.62-0.83, P < .001 for women; HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.79-0.89, P < .001 for men; P for interaction = .02) with evidence of a sex-based differential treatment effect. In this adjusted analysis of the COURAGE trial, there were no significant differences in treatment effect on major outcomes between men and women. However, women assigned to PCI demonstrated a greater benefit as compared to men, with a reduction in heart failure hospitalization and need for future revascularization. These exploratory observations require further prospective study.

Sex-related differences after contemporary primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Whether outcomes differ for women and men after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains controversial. To compare 1-year outcomes after primary PCI in women and men with STEMI, matched for age and diabetes. Consecutive women with STEMI of<24 hours' duration referred (August 2007 to January 2011) for primary PCI were compared with men matched for age and diabetes. Rates of all-cause mortality, target vessel revascularization (TVR) and major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (death/myocardial infarction/stroke) were assessed at 1 year. Among 775 consecutive patients, 182 (23.5%) women were compared with 182 matched men. Mean age was 69±15 years, 18% had diabetes. Patient characteristics were similar, except for lower creatinine clearance (73±41 vs 82±38 μmol/L; P=0.041), more cardiogenic shock (14.8% vs 6.6%; P=0.017) and less radial PCI (81.3% vs 90.1%; P=0.024) in women. Rates of 1-year death (22.7% vs 18.1%), TVR (8.3% vs 6.0%) and MACCE (24.3% vs 20.9%) were not statistically different in women (P>0.05 for all). After exclusion of patients with shock (10.7%) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (6.6%), death rates were even more similar (11.3% vs 11.8%; P=0.10). Female sex was not independently associated with death (odds ratio 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.55-1.87; P=0.97). In our consecutive unselected patient population, women had similar 1-year outcomes to men matched for age and diabetes, after contemporary primary PCI for STEMI, despite having a higher risk profile at baseline.

Percutaneous coronary intervention in women: should management be different?

Women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have poorer unadjusted outcomes as they are older and have greater comorbidity compared with men, but uncertainty remains whether gender affects outcome after these differences in clinical characteristics are taken into account. In this paper, we review recent published evidence comparing outcomes between men and women undergoing PCI. We focus on both acute coronary syndrome and nonacute coronary syndrome presentation, and the risk of bleeding and vascular access complication. We also review how gender is taken into account in recent guidelines and offer a common clinical scenario to illustrate the contemporary management strategies an interventional cardiologist should consider when performing PCI on a female patient.

TCT-87 Frequency And Impact Of Intraprocedural Thrombotic Events During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention In Women Compared To Men: Pooled Analysis From The ACUITY And HORIZONS-AMI Trials

TCT-87 Frequency And Impact Of Intraprocedural Thrombotic Events During Percutaneous Coronary Intervention In Women Compared To Men: Pooled Analysis From The ACUITY And HORIZONS-AMI Trials

Bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention in women and men matched for age, body mass index, and type of antithrombotic therapy

Factors underlying the increased risk of bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in women compared with men remain incompletely understood. The study included 3,351 women and 3,351 men matched for age, body mass index, and type of antithrombotic therapy. Bleeding within the 30 days after PCI was defined using the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria. The main outcome was 1-year mortality. Bleeding occurred in 518 women and 354 men (15.5% vs 10.6%, odds ratio [OR] 1.55, 95% CI 1.34-1.79, P < .001). Severe (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium class ≥2) bleeds (9.4% vs 6.5%, P < .001) and access site bleeds (10.1% vs 5.4%, P < .001) were more common in women. After adjustment, female sex remained an independent correlate of any bleeding (adjusted OR 1.61 [1.35-1.92], P < .001) and access site (adjusted OR 2.00 [1.59-2.50], P < .001) but not of nonaccess site (adjusted OR 1.18 [0.91-1.54], P = .205) bleeding. There were 248 deaths: 32 deaths among men with bleeding versus 107 deaths among men with no bleeding (9.1% vs 3.6%, OR 2.68 [1.78-4.05], P < .001) and 40 deaths among women with bleeding vs 69 deaths among women with no bleeding (7.8% vs 2.5%, OR 3.35 [2.24-5.01], P < .001). No difference in mortality was observed among women and men who bled (P = .487). Bleeding was independently associated 1-year mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.18 [1.68-2.84], P < .001) with no bleeding-by-sex interaction (P = .439). Despite matching for age, body mass index, and type of antithrombotic therapy, bleeding risk after PCI remained significantly higher in women than in men. Bleeding was associated with increased risk of 1-year mortality with no bleeding-by-sex interaction.

Most Important Outcomes Research Papers on Cardiovascular Disease in Women

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women has been historically understudied. For many years, heart disease had been thought to be primarily a “man’s disease.” Consequently, women have been significantly under-represented in longitudinal studies of disease history and in clinical trials. High-quality data from women at the extremes of age, with multiple co-morbidities, and from racial and ethnic minorities have been particularly rare. In order to increase awareness of cardiovascular prevention among women, in 1999 the American Heart Association (AHA) published its first women-specific clinical recommendations for the prevention of CVD.1 In 2004, the AHA and multiple other collaborating organizations subsequently sponsored “Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women,” which underwent updates in 2007 and 2011. As a result of these and other related initiatives, the rate of public awareness of CVD as the leading cause of death among US women has increased from 30% in 1997 to 54% in 2009.2 CVD-associated death among US women has declined significantly over this time period.3,4 Yet substantial work still needs to be done to improve women’s cardiovascular health. CVD remains the number one killer among women.4 As the obesity epidemic continues, we are actually finding increases in coronary heart disease (CHD) death among young women 35 to 54 years of age.2 Morbidity and mortality from stroke and hypertension remain high.4 In addition, substantial outcomes disparities continue for women from racial and ethnic minorities.4 We have therefore dedicated our topic summaries in this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes to CVD in women. We have included only those studies where authors provided a convincing a priori reason to study a particular disease process or clinical intervention in women and reported primary endpoints that were sex-specific. We have included articles on the representation of women …