Functional coronary angiography significantly reduced cardiovascular events and improved safety compared with conventional angiography in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel disease. This was the main conclusion of the AIR-STEMI trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2026 and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

New research from Monash University, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented concurrently at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2026, found statins decrease the risk of a first major cardiovascular event by 30 per cent for adults aged over 70 living independently.

The Statins in Reducing Events in the Elderly (STAREE) Trial is the first randomised controlled trial of statin therapy to examine whether the cholesterol-lowering medication could help in older people who have historically been overlooked in clinical trials.

This landmark, ten-year trial analysed the cardiovascular outcomes of almost 10,000 participants.

Potent antiplatelet therapy increased bleeding without signs of benefit regarding cardiovascular events in patients with atrial fibrillation after a heart attack. This was the main finding of the EPIDAURUS trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2026 and published simultaneously in Nature Medicine.

Antiplatelet monotherapy reduced bleeding but dual therapy provided greater cardiovascular event protection in patients at high ischaemic risk who had undergone stent implantation 12 months earlier. These results, from the A-CLOSE trial, were presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2026 and were published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Prasugrel reduced major cardiovascular events to the same extent as ticagrelor but with lower major bleeding after coronary stenting in patients with acute coronary syndromes, according to results from the SWITCH SWEDEHEART trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2026 and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

Monotherapy using prasugrel failed to show noninferiority compared with potent antiplatelet therapy plus aspirin at the time of primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. This was the main finding of the PREMIUM trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2026 and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. 

Milvexian did not reduce major adverse cardiovascular events compared with placebo after a recent acute coronary syndrome and there was no increase in intracranial or fatal bleeding. These were the main findings from the LIBREXIA ACS trial presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 2026 and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results follow a decision to discontinue the trial in November 2025 due to futility at a preplanned interim analysis. 

Silent atherosclerosis was detectable from early adulthood and showed sex-specific patterns of growth with age, according to results from the REACT study presented in a Hot Line session today at ESC Congress 20261 and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.