A primary challenge in the development of clinical practice

guidelines is keeping pace with the stream of new data upon

which recommendations are based. In an effort to respond

more quickly to new evidence, the American College of

Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Task

Force on Practice Guidelines has created a new “focused

update” process to revise the existing guideline recommendations

that are affected by evolving data or opinion. Before the

initiation of this focused approach, periodic updates and

revisions of existing guidelines required up to 3 years to

complete. Now, however, new evidence will be reviewed in an

ongoing fashion to more efficiently respond to important

science and treatment trends that could have a major impact on

patient outcomes and quality of care. Evidence will be reviewed

at least twice a year, and updates will be initiated on an as

needed basis as quickly as possible while maintaining the

rigorous methodology that the ACC and AHA have developed

during their more than 20 years of partnership.