A survey of 97 clinical sites participating in the American Heart Association’s Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health Initiative found that while most sites routinely screen patients for heart, kidney and metabolic risk factors, fewer than one-third are using newer, guideline-recommended tools to assess overall cardiovascular risk. The preliminary findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2026 and highlight significant gaps in the adoption of comprehensive assessment methods for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome.
CKM syndrome is a multi-system health disorder driven by the connections between obesity, Type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease and heart disease. Nearly 90% of U.S. adults have at least one component of the syndrome, such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, high blood glucose, excess weight, reduced kidney function or related heart conditions. The American Heart Association launched the learning collaborative and quality improvement initiative in 2025 to promote a coordinated care model across about 150 clinical sites.
The baseline survey, conducted between August 2025 and June 2026, found that 75% of sites screened for CKM-related conditions, 73% systematically tested patient populations for CKM risk factors, and 75% conducted social drivers of health screenings. However, only 28% used the PREVENT equations to estimate cardiovascular disease risk, and only 22% used CKM syndrome staging. Just 22% of sites reported measuring patients’ waist circumference as standard practice.
“We found that most of the sites were actively screening patients for CKM risk factors and related conditions. Far fewer were using specifically recommended clinical assessment tools such as CKM syndrome staging and the PREVENT equations,” said lead author Chiadi Ndumele, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S., FAHA, director of the Penn Center for Cardiometabolic Health and Presidential Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. “However, that isn’t entirely surprising. These tools — and even CKM syndrome as a medical condition — embrace relatively new concepts just beginning to be adopted.”
The findings matter because CKM syndrome components often cluster together, meaning a person with one condition is more likely to develop others. The guideline-recommended CKM staging framework identifies four stages of disease progression, from excess fat accumulation to clinical heart disease, allowing for earlier detection and preventive care. The PREVENT equations, based on data from more than 6.5 million diverse U.S. adults, estimate 10-year and 30-year cardiovascular risk for people ages 30-79 without known heart disease.
The American Heart Association has previously issued a First-ever guideline on cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome issued and warned that Millions are unaware of heart risks that don’t start in the heart. The association also recently announced that 15 regions chosen for groundbreaking effort to reduce cardiovascular disease. The survey results, published as an abstract, are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. More information is available in the release link and the Online Program Planner for Scientific Sessions 2026.
