Major trial questions how doctors decide who needs statins
Heart scans led to far fewer statin recommendations than standard risk tools, with similar rates of major heart and stroke events.
A large clinical trial presented at ESC Congress 2026 examined whether heart scans could guide decisions about statin treatment. Researchers found that scan-guided care produced the same observed rate of major cardiovascular events as traditional risk assessment, even though the scans led to far fewer recommendations to start statins.
The trial also found a notable difference in adherence. Patients advised to use statins based on calcium buildup in their coronary arteries were substantially more likely to follow their treatment recommendations.
The study did not show that the scan approach works as well as conventional risk assessment, and researchers say more studies are needed to tell whether it is a better strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease.
Key points
- Scan-guided care matched conventional risk assessment on observed major cardiovascular events.
- Scans led to far fewer statin recommendations.
- Patients advised by calcium scores were substantially more likely to keep taking their medication.
- Researchers say more studies are needed before changing practice.
Read the original reporting
Summarized with AI from the sources above and reviewed before publishing.
