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In 2017, genetic research on cardiovascular disease (CVD) produced seemingly paradoxical findings. Thanks to the continuous upscaling of genotyping and sequencing data, researchers have discovered that whereas numerous genetic variants among the general population can increase CVD risk, an individual can tolerate most severe genetic alterations.
In 2017, a cluster of papers have provided strong evidence in favour of the inflammation hypothesis in cardiovascular disease. From fundamental observations on clonal haematopoiesis to clinical evidence indicating that blocking an inflammatory cytokine mitigates heart disease, 2017 has been a watershed year.
The past year provided strong evidence on the use of the instantaneous wave-free ratio to determine the severity of coronary artery disease, the improving outcomes of contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention, the increased risk of thrombosis with bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, and the benefits of a simple revascularization strategy in cardiogenic shock.