ACCEL Lite: Featured ACCEL Interviews on Exciting CV Research

The 2025 High Blood Pressure Guideline introduces key updates to the 2017 recommendations, reflecting the evolving understanding of hypertension and its long‑term impact on patient health. This update emphasizes evidence‑based strategies for diagnosis and management, highlighting the importance of standardized guidelines in improving outcomes. Key takeaways include refined treatment thresholds, enhanced risk‑stratification approaches, and clearer direction for individualized patient care. Looking ahead, the guideline underscores a forward‑thinking approach that integrates emerging research to support more proactive hypertension management. 

 In this interview, Clyde W. Yancy MD, MACC and Daniel W. Jones, MD discuss the 2025 AHA/ACC High Blood Pressure Guideline.

Heart and kidney disease are closely linked, as individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) face a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events and heart failure. Because this cardiometabolic connection is so strong, identifying high‑risk individuals early is essential to preventing progression of both conditions. A holistic approach—including guideline‑directed therapies that target blood pressure, glucose, and inflammation—can simultaneously lower the risk of heart disease and slow kidney decline. Newer treatments now allow clinicians to address both organs together, improving long‑term health outcomes. 

In this interview, Allen J. Taylor, MD, FACC and Janani Rangaswami, MD examine "Cardiovascular-Kidney Therapies in CKD".

The findings from the TUXEDO‑2 trial provide important clinical insights for managing high‑risk patients with diabetes and multivessel coronary disease undergoing stenting. By directly comparing ticagrelor and prasugrel within a dual antiplatelet therapy regimen, the trial helps clarify whether one agent offers superior protection in this complex population. These results may influence clinical decision‑making, particularly if meaningful differences in outcomes are demonstrated. 

In this interview, Sidney C. Smith Jr., MD, MACC and Sripal Bangalore, MD, MHA discuss the TUXEDO-2 Trial.

The GOFRESH trial showed that providing DASH‑patterned groceries through a structured grocery‑ordering strategy meaningfully lowered systolic blood pressure and LDL cholesterol among Black families living in a Boston‑area food desert. These results highlight the powerful role of nutrition by showing that accessible, culturally relevant food‑as‑medicine strategies can deliver measurable cardiovascular benefits while helping reduce disparities and equipping patients with practical tools for healthier living. 
In this interview, Cindy L. Grines MD, FACC and Stephen Juraschek, MD, PhD discuss how findings from the GOFRESH trial may be used to improve hypertension management and overall patient care.  

 
Turkson-Ocran RN, Cluett JL, Fitzpatrick SL, et al. Rationale and Design of the Groceries for Black Residents of Boston to Stop Hypertension Among Adults Without Treated Hypertension (GoFresh) Trial. Am J Hypertens. 2023;36(5):256-263. doi:10.1093/ajh/hpad008 


Ferro KM, Seager R, McManus K, et al. Nutrition Intervention of Groceries for Black Residents of Boston to Stop Hypertension (GoFresh) Among Adults With or Without Treated Hypertension Trial: Rationale, Design, and Evidence to Promote Implementation. Preprint. Res Sq. 2025;rs.3.rs-6222158. Published 2025 Jul 7. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-6222158/v1

The OCEAN Trial found that rivaroxaban did not significantly reduce the incidence of stroke, systemic embolism, or new covert embolic events compared with aspirin in patients at high risk for stroke who had undergone catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AFib) at least one year earlier. The central question—whether patients with a successful AFib ablation can safely discontinue anticoagulation—remains unresolved. Overall, the trial reinforces the importance of individualized risk assessment rather than routine discontinuation of anticoagulation after ablation. 

In this interview, Thomas F. Deering MD, FACC and Atul Verma, MD FACC discuss the "OCEAN Trial: Antithrombotic Therapy after Successful Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation".