Secondary Prevention

Elderly patients with cardiovascular disease face a high risk of both thrombotic and bleeding events when receiving antithrombotic therapy. The optimal dose of aspirin for secondary prevention in this population remains uncertain, particularly in Chinese elderly individuals. This multicenter, prospective cohort study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a lower dose of aspirin (50 mg daily) compared with the standard dose (100 mg daily) for secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in Chinese patients aged 60 years and older. The study is an extension of the existing LAPIS cohort (ChiCTR1900021980), which has enrolled 5,448 participants receiving long-term aspirin for secondary prevention. Participants will be followed for an additional 2 years (total follow-up up to approximately 6 years) through telephone, clinic visits, and electronic medical records. The primary effectiveness outcome is the first occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including non-fatal myocardial infarction, unstable angina, need for revascularization, non-fatal stroke, transient ischemic attack, and cardiovascular death (excluding intracranial bleeding). The primary safety outcome is the first occurrence of bleeding events (classified by BARC criteria). A secondary aim is to develop and validate a risk prediction model (nomogram) for thrombotic and bleeding events specifically for elderly Chinese patients receiving antithrombotic therapy, using LASSO regression and Cox proportional hazards models. The study will provide real-world evidence to guide individualized antithrombotic management in the aging Chinese population.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether simple electronic information letters can increase patient activation and improve risk-factor monitoring in adults in Denmark with ischemic heart disease (IHD) who have LDL cholesterol above the recommended treatment target. A subgroup of participants with elevated lipoprotein(a) \[Lp(a)\] will also be randomized to receive an additional information letter. The main questions the study aims to answer are: * Does sending an electronic letter about elevated LDL cholesterol increase the proportion of patients who have at least one LDL-cholesterol test within 6 months? * Among patients with ischemic heart disease and elevated Lp(a), does receiving an information letter about Lp(a) increase patient activation, reflected by cardiometabolic risk-factor monitoring? Because this is a randomized trial, researchers will compare people who receive the electronic letter(s) with people who do not receive any letter to determine whether the letters encourage patients to take action, such as obtaining laboratory tests or contacting their doctor. Participants will: * Receive an electronic letter through Denmark's national digital mailbox system (Digital Post) or receive no letter, depending on random assignment. * Continue their usual health care, with no additional visits, treatments, or procedures required for the study. * Have all study information collected from existing Danish nationwide health registries.

Early and intensive LDL-cholesterol (LDL-c) reduction is associated with improved short-term and long-term outcomes. Bempedoic acid is an oral ATP citrate lyase inhibitor that lowers LDL-c upstream of HMG-CoA reductase. When added to maximally tolerated statins, it has demonstrated significant LDL-c reduction and cardiovascular benefit, particularly in statin-intolerant or high-risk patients. However, evidence on early initiation of bempedoic acid during the index ACS hospitalization is currently lacking. The investigators therefore would like to see whether early (pre-discharge) initiation of an oral triple lipid-lowering therapy including bempedoic acid, high-intensity statin (HIS), and ezetimibe is superior to usual care in reducing LDL-c levels at 8 weeks after randomization in patients hospitalized for ACS.

This study evaluates whether a procedure using a new wireless heart sensor patch is equal to or better than the standard hospital procedures and equipment at detecting an irregular heartbeat called Atrial Fibrillation (AF) after an ischemic stroke. Atrial fibrillation is a major cause of stroke, but it can be difficult to catch because it often comes and goes. The study will include approximately 450 adults who have had a stroke or a transient "mini-stroke" (TIA) within the last two weeks. Participants will be assigned by chance (randomized) to one of two groups: * Group 1 (Intervention): Participants wear the "ECG247 Smart Heart Sensor." This is a small patch that sticks to the chest and connects to a smartphone. It is worn continuously for up to 14 days, even after leaving the hospital. * Group 2 (Standard Care): Participants receive the standard hospital check-up. This typically involves using a "Holter monitor" (a device with wires and electrodes) for a period of about 24 to 48 hours some time after leaving the hospital. The main goal is to see if the procedure using the patch is equal to the standard procedure in detecting atrial fibrillation in participants. The study will also measure how quickly doctors can start the correct medication and how easy the patients find the devices to use.

Lipid-lowering therapy constitutes a cornerstone of secondary prevention in ischemic stroke; however, current stroke guidelines remain deficient in providing optimal target low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels tailored to the stroke subtypes. Most clinical trials on LDL-cholesterol management have not differentiated between stroke subtypes or have primarily focused on large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) stroke, leaving a gap in evidence for managing LDL-cholesterol in other stroke subtypes, e.g., small vessel occlusion (SVO) stroke. While hypertension is the leading risk factor for SVO strokes, the link between elevated LDL-cholesterol and SVO stroke is also recognized. Establishing optimal LDL-cholesterol targets for SVO stroke would significantly enhance secondary prevention strategies and improve patient outcome. Thus, the investigators aim to compare intensive versus standard lipid-lowering in patients with SVO stroke. SVO70 is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open, blinded-endpoint clinical trial. Adult participants with objectively confirmed SVO stroke within 180 days of randomization will be included. Exclusion criteria include those with predefined LDL-cholesterol targets for other conditions, statin contraindications, or women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy during the study period. Eligible participants will be randomized 1:1 to target LDL-cholesterol \<70 mg/dL (intensive group) or 90-110 mg/dL (standard group). The trial plans to enroll 4,016 participants, with the primary outcome being major adverse cardiovascular events-cardiovascular death, stroke, and acute coronary syndrome-during a follow-up period of at least 4 years. This study would provide valuable information for determining the optimal LDL-cholesterol target for patients with SVO stroke.

The goal of this open label randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention through health education based on the Chronic Care Model's implementation to increase therapeutic adherence in patients with secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Null hypothesis (H0): In patients in cardiovascular secondary prevention, an intervention based on the application of the Chronic Care Model does not improve therapeutic adherence to the 3 preventive drugs: Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/Angiotensin II receptor blockers, acetylsalicylic acid, and statins. * Alternative hypothesis (H1): In patients in cardiovascular secondary prevention, an intervention based on the application of the Chronic Care Model improves therapeutic adherence to the 3 preventive drugs: Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/Angiotensin II receptor blockers, acetylsalicylic acid, and statins. Researchers will compare intervention group (health education, use of mobile phones, personalized dosage system) to the control group (routine follow-up).

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about efficacy and safety of dual antiplatelet therapy in ischemic stroke with intracranial artery stenosis. The main question it aims to answer are: whether aspirin combined with clopidogrel for 3 month is better than 1 months for patients with non-cardiogenic cerebral infarction with intracranial artery stenosis. Participants will get dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin plus clopidogrel) for 1 month or 3 months within 7 days of the first stroke. Researchers will compare experimental group (3 months dual antiplatelet therapy) with comparison group (1 month dual antiplatelet therapy), to see if experimental group would reduce stroke recurrence or mortality, and increase bleeding and other adverse prognosis.