Articles
ACC Initiatives
In this new regular series, we will feature digital initiatives and innovations by the ACC that are aligned towards meeting the educational and clinical needs of members. Developed through member engagement and feedback, featured initiatives are geared towards CV professionals at all stages of their career. These resources have made the ACC a trusted source of consumable knowledge that is integrated with the daily activities of the CV team and fully accessible when needed.
Featured Initiatives: Clinical decision-making support apps
The ACC has developed in collaboration with experts, several clinical decision-making support applications that are available to download for free on the Apple app store and Google play. These apps address key clinical areas where medical care often individualized to patient characteristics.
AnticoagEvaluator
Make well-informed decisions on anti-thrombotic therapy for your non-valvular AF patients with the updated AnticoagEvaluator.
Use the app to:
- Calculate a patient's renal function and risk of ischemic stroke, thromboembolism, and bleed
- Review ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline-driven therapy guidance for stroke prevention
- Generate individualized risk for anti-thrombotic therapy options based on individual clinical trials.
- Improve accurate use of DOACs with adjusted dosage based on prescribing information, fine-tuned for renal and other patient characteristics.
ASCVD Risk Estimator Plus
This clinical decision support app builds a prevention plan by monitoring 10-year ASCVD risk, supporting both clinical decision-making and primary prevention care strategies. The updated ASCVD Risk Estimator Plus uses up to date science and user feedback to help a clinician and patient build a customized risk lowering plan by estimating and monitoring change in 10-year ASCVD risk.
Use the app to:
- Estimate a patient’s initial 10-year ASCVD risk using the pooled cohort equation.
- Receive an individualized, risk-based, intervention approach.
- Project the impact of specific interventions on a patient’s risk.
- Guide clinician-patient discussion around customizing an intervention plan.
- Update risk at follow-up based on a patient’s response to therapy using the Million Hearts Longitudinal model.
ManageAnticoag
ManageAnticoag helps clinicians navigate periprocedural planning and bleed management scenarios.
A clinician can:
- Enter patient details regarding bleed and stroke risk factors
- View individualized guidance for that patient on the advice screen
- Email a summary of the advice
The app is derived from ACC’s Expert Consensus Decision Pathways and does not replace clinical judgement. The healthcare provider is in control of all diagnoses and other clinical decisions.
Lipid Manager
The ACC Lipid Manager app (formerly LDL-C Manager) provides 4-tools-in-1 to help clinicians manage a patient’s triglycerides and LDL-C from therapy initiation through treatment calibration with the goal of lowering ASCVD risk:
- ASCVD Risk Estimator: Calculate pretreatment ASCVD risk and determine the appropriateness of statin therapy for the patient
- LDL-C Lowering Therapy tool: Assess response to a statin, and determine if other therapies should be considered and in what order
- Statin Intolerance tool: Evaluate the patient for possible statin intolerance, and determine appropriate next steps
- Hypertriglyceridemia tool: Use the app to see tailored consensus recommendations for both lifestyle intervention and pharmacological management of high-risk patients with persistent hypertriglyceridemia
The information and recommendations in this App are not meant to represent the only or best course of care nor replace clinical judgement. Therapeutic options should be determined after discussion between the patient and their care provider.
- Statin Intolerance tool: Evaluate the patient for possible statin intolerance, and determine appropriate next steps
TreatHF
TreatHF helps clinicians confirm which therapies are suggested for their symptomatic heart failure patients and provides guidance on the use of each therapy.
- Enter patient indications
- Review individualized next steps for medical therapy
- Email or print a summary of the next steps
- Reference detailed information for
- Initiation, titration, and monitoring of each medication
- Guidance for optimizing your overall medication strategy
ManageMR
ManageMR provides clinicians with personalized referral and treatment advice for diagnosed mitral regurgitation patients by verifying the severity and etiology of the MR.
- Enter patient parameters from an echo assessment.
- Review customized advice on
- Probable severity and etiology of a patient’s MR
- Need for referral
- Feasibility of mitral valve repair vs. replacement for the patient
Content in this app is derived from the 2017 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on the Management of Mitral Regurgitation. The information and advice in this app are meant to support clinical decision making. They are not meant to represent the only or best course of care, or replace clinical judgment. Therapeutic options should be determined after discussion between the patient and their care provider. ManageMR is part of the ManageMR Toolkit supported by Founding Sponsor Abbott Vascular.
