The Germans Trias Heart Institute (iCor) presented this Wednesday, November 19, the preliminary results achieved in the ATHENAS project , led by the Cardiology Service of the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital (HUGTiP) , and with the collaboration of the Endocrinology and Rehabilitation Service.
The ATHENAS project ( ATHErosclerosis loweriNg As Soon as possible ) aims to analyze the current situation on secondary cardiovascular prevention and optimize lipid control in the Northern Metropolitan Region as well as evaluate the results obtained during the first 12 months of action.
After suffering an Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), iCor patients begin a recovery process so that they can return to a normal life, although clinical monitoring is necessary and risk factors must be controlled in order to prevent the appearance of new cardiovascular complications.
For this reason, in February 2025 the ATHENAS project was launched, in which the objective is to control one of the main risk factors, LDL cholesterol. This is a causal factor of cardiovascular disease and in the Northern Metropolitan Area it has been estimated that only 1 in 4 patients have LDL<55 mg/dl, which is the optimal level set in clinical guidelines for people with very high cardiovascular risk.
The lipid control strategy that has begun to be worked on at the Heart Institute consists of a control circuit in which a group of actors intervene, all of whom have a cross-cutting participation and who integrate different profiles of the iCor: doctors, nurses, hospitalization and consultations.
In these first eight months of operation of the project (February-October 2025), 180 patients with very high cardiovascular risk and with extreme cardiovascular risk have been monitored , with excellent preliminary results.
The evolution of the lipid profile of post-AMI patients after including them in the ATHENAS project and applying the treatment, demonstrates the safety and guarantee of its operation. With an average LDL cholesterol of 100 mg/dl before treatment,
For a more global reference, it should be mentioned that in some recent European registries, only 30% of patients reach the LDL target < 55 mg/dl per year. At Germans Trias, this figure doubles after 6 months.
In addition to the clinical work and monitoring that is carried out on each patient, they also have the possibility of learning about their cardiovascular disease and having a more accurate knowledge of it through the eSalut application , as well as training from a point of view of healthy habits, diet and lifestyles to avoid or which are the most recommended.
