Incorporating New Guidelines to Lower LDL-C and Reduce ASCVD Risk

In late 2018, two new blood cholesterol guidelines were published. To increase the use of risk-assessment tools to identify patients at increased risk for ASCVD, the ACC released a guide to decision-making for primary prevention of ASCVD. The second, jointly published by a large number of societies including the AHA and ACC, updated the recommendations for managing blood cholesterol. This document provided strategies for primary prevention and secondary prevention of ASCVD and approaches for modifying therapy for patients not achieving LDL-C goals.

To achieve the AHA’s 2020 impact goals of improving the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20%, while reducing deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20%, clinicians need to incorporate these new guidelines into clinical practice. This activity will provide a review of these recent evidence-based recommendations, as well as information about non-statin agents recommended for use when patients are not at LDL-C goal.