5 Minutes With….Geoffrey D. Barnes, MD
Welcome back to MedscapeLIVE! Cardiology E-News. This month we are joined by Dr. Geoffrey D. Barnes, who is Associate Professor of Cardiovascular and Vascular Medicine at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and who also serves as Advisory Chair of the upcoming Going Back to Heart of Cardiology Conference. Dr. Barnes is a well-known thought leader who also devotes time to serving as Program Director of the Michigan Anticoagulation Quality Improvement Initiative (MAQI2), a multi-center collaborative of anticoagulation clinics across the state of Michigan.
We took some time to speak with Dr. Barnes about:
- The MAQI2 and the Anticoagulation Toolkit
- What’s new in in his research on new targets for antithrombotic medications
- The impact of decision aids in stroke prevention
- Effect of the 2024 ACC/AHA PAD guidelines
- Debates at the upcoming Heart of Cardiology meeting…Think AI, biomarkers, risk scores… and more!
Make sure to also check out this issue’s Pulse, with several heart failure-related articles from the Journal of the American Heart Association, Circulation, European Heart Journal, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Cardiology News, and New England Journal of Medicine.
CME—20% off if you register now:
Going Back to the Heart of Cardiology Medscape Conference (6th Annual)
- Location and dates:
- January 30-February 1, 2026
- Miami, Florida –Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel
- Sign up for updates— click here!
- View Agenda: https://www.heartofcardio.com/agenda
- Use code HOC20 to register for 20% OFF, click here!
Thank you to Dr. Barnes for sharing his time and expertise! Please contact me at colleen@cmhadvisors.com with any comments and/or suggestions! –Colleen Hutchinson
5 Minutes With….Geoffrey D. Barnes, MD
Dr. Barnes is Associate Professor of Cardiovascular and Vascular Medicine at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, University of Michigan.
Will there be any debate-style format or activity on the HOC 2026 agenda? What are some legitimate debates you currently see evolving in cardiology?
Dr. Barnes: Debates are a great way to learn about important clinical topics for which there isn’t a “right answer.” We are excited to introduce several debates into the 2026 Heart of Cardiology meeting covering a range of topics. These include debates about how and when to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into clinical practice, selecting drugs or devices for management of atrial fibrillation, and the utility of biomarkers, imaging tests, and risk scores for cardiovascular risk prediction.
In 2024 you said one big step forward for patients with cardiovascular disease are the new 2024 ACC/AHA PAD guidelines. “Importantly, they now provide a level 1 recommendation in favor of dual pathway inhibition (rivaroxaban 2.5mg twice daily plus aspirin) for many patients with PAD, including those undergoing revascularization,” you remarked. How has this impacted your practice and overall patient care, and have they had a significant impact globally?
Dr. Barnes: I’ve seen increased utilization of dual pathway inhibition with rivaroxaban 2.5mg twice daily and low-dose aspirin for patients with PAD. This is especially true for patients undergoing revascularization for their PAD. Increased awareness of the evidence supporting dual pathway inhibition and the encouragement of a strong guideline recommendation are helping clinicians implement this important therapy that can save lives and limbs!
What are you focusing on this year for the HOC 2026 agenda?
Dr. Barnes: I’m looking forward to two aspects of the 2026 Heart of Cardiology meeting. First, I’m looking forward to refreshing myself of some key fundamentals of cardiovascular care – things like use of guideline-directed medical therapy in heart failure and updates in antiplatelet therapy for CAD and PAD. But I’m also really excited about the sessions focused on cutting edge clinical topics – things like the role of Lp(a) and emerging therapeutics, when to use genetic testing, and how I should be integrating AI into my clinical practice. Plus, there are going to be some new ways in which we’ve designed the course to better engage our attendees – so it should be a very exciting meeting!
What is the main message in your recent Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (JTH) article, New targets for antithrombotic medications: seeking to decouple thrombosis from hemostasis?
Dr. Barnes: We’re at a very exciting time in the care of patients with thrombotic disorders. In the past 15 years, we have witnessed a paradigm shift in the management of common thromboembolic conditions like atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolis thanks to the direct oral anticoagulants. But we still have patients who cannot realize their benefit, largely due to the risk of bleeding. That’s why I’m very excited to see the results of several phase 3 clinical trials exploring the efficacy of factor XI/XIa inhibitor agents. If they can demonstrate efficacy alongside an incredibly attractive safety profile, we just might see another paradigm shift like we have witnessed since 2010.
In a recent BMJ publication, what did you find is the role or impact of decision aids in stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation?
Dr. Barnes: Atrial fibrillation is a particularly tough condition for patients to understand, especially when they are presented with several options for stroke prevention. Our multi-site clinical trial aimed to understand how best to facilitate this shared-decision making conversation between patients with AFib and their clinicians. Specifically, we compared usual care with a patient-facing decision aid, a provider-facing decision aid, and both. Not surprisingly, when patients and their clinicians used a decision aid, the patients had better understanding and lower conflict about their anticoagulant medical decision than when no aid was used. Importantly, use of these aids did not increase the length of the visit. This provides some of the highest quality evidence for why we should be using decision aids when discussing stroke prevention options for our patients with atrial fibrillation.
You serve as Program Director of the Michigan Anticoagulation Quality Improvement Initiative (MAQI2), a multi-center collaborative of anticoagulation clinics across the state of Michigan. Do enough people know about the Anticoagulation Toolkit, both providers and patients?
Dr. Barnes: Over the years, we have been blown away by how many people continue to access the Anticoagulation Toolkit on a monthly basis. This document, created by a multi-disciplinary team of thrombosis and anticoagulation experts, has a wealth of information for clinicians in any field. I’m constantly directing my trainees and colleagues to this document any time they ask me about medication selection, dosing, drug-drug interactions, or how to manage antithrombotic agents before/after a surgery. It’s a great resource!! Check it out at www.anticoagulationtoolkit.org.
MEET THE 2026 GOING BACK TO THE HEART OF CARDIOLOGY CO-CHAIRS
We’re excited to have Dr. Fatima Rodriguez, Associate Professor of Medicine, Section Chief of Preventive Cardiology at Stanford University and Dr. Manesh R. Patel, Richard Sean Stack, MD Distinguished Professor at Duke University School of Medicine serve as our 2026 conference co-chairs.
Dr. Rodriguez is excited to be heading back to Miami for the 2026 conference. Watch now to learn more.
We're thrilled to welcome Dr. Patel as our new co-chair. Watch now to hear more from Dr. Patel.
The Pulse
JAMA Cardiology Original Investigation: Aortic Valve Intervention for Asymptomatic Aortic Stenosis
Medscape Medical News MedBrief: Does Treating Iron Deficiency in Heart Failure Help?
JACC Editorial: The Evolving Therapeutic Paradigm for Cardiac Amyloidosis
Medical Intelligence Quiz: Genetic versus modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease
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