Putting the 2026 CKM Guidelines Into Practice: A Pharmacist's Perspective

In this episode of The Tell-Tale Heart, host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, BCPS-AQ Cardiology, CACP, welcomes back Lavinia Salama, PharmD, BCACP, BCGP, BC-ADM, CDCES, for an in-depth look at the new cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) guidelines and how they translate into everyday practice. Salama says she's encouraged that CKM recommendations have evolved from a conceptual framework into a formal, multisociety guideline, with new emphasis on albuminuria, the PREVENT risk equation, and routine screening for obstructive sleep apnea, MASLD/MASH, and social determinants of health. The two discuss prioritizing patients using CKM staging and PREVENT thresholds; sequencing therapies such as ACE inhibitors/ARBs, SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and finerenone; and unresolved care gaps, including resistant hypertension management, interdisciplinary care coordination, and medication access. Salama closes by emphasizing that pharmacists are well positioned to serve as CKM care coordinators, given their medication expertise and ability to manage polypharmacy across specialties.