CKM Screening and Staging

In the first video of this series, PA Viet Le introduces Cardio-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome as a clinical framework for earlier risk identification, integrated prevention, and coordinated management across the cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic domains. With CKM risk factors present in approximately 90% of US adults, he explains why moving away from managing heart, kidney, and metabolic dysfunction separately is essential to intervening before disease becomes irreversible.

Grounded in the 2026 clinical practice guidelines, PA Le walks through the identifiable stages of CKM and how screening recommendations expand at each stage, giving PAs practical tools to recognize CKM earlier and build staging into everyday clinical assessments.

Key Takeaways:

Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome (CKM) is a progressive condition spanning identifiable stages, from metabolic risk to subclinical and clinical cardiovascular disease.
As CKM stage advances, the intensity and scope of screening expand to support more precise risk estimation and to inform interventions that can preserve cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health.

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Speaker

Click on the photo below to learn more about the speaker.

Viet Le, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C, FACC, FAHA, HF-Cert

References and Additional Resources:

Aggarwal R, Ostrominski JW, Vaduganathan M. Prevalence of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome stages in US adults, 2011-2020. JAMA. 2024;331:1858. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38717747/

Gunnarsson S, Vito O, Unwin RJ. Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: prevalence, risks, disease trajectories, and early-stage management. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2026;330:C1-C8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41269265/

Khan SS, Bhave N, Blumenthal RS, et al. Use of Predicted Risk and Expected Benefit to Guide Decision-Making in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, Circulation. Circulation. Published online June 9, 2026. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001447. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42263147/

Ndumele CE, Neeland IJ, Tuttle KR, et al. A synopsis of the evidence for the science and clinical management of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2023;148:1636-1664. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001186

Writing Committee Members, Ndumele CE, Rodriguez F, et al. 2026 AHA/ACC/ADA/ASN Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. Published online June 9, 2026. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001453 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001453

Supported by

Viet Le, DMSc, MPAS, PA-C, FACC, FAHA, HF-Cert

Viet is an Associate Professor of Research and Preventive Cardiology PA at Intermountain Medical Center and co-directs the Preventive Cardiology Clinic. He has a bachelor’s in exercise science/athletic training, trained as a physician assistant at the University of Utah School of Medicine, and obtained his doctorate in Health Professions Education. He is Principal/Sub-Investigator on clinical trials and has authored/co-authored over 80 abstracts and 50 publications. He is past president of the Academy of PAs in Cardiology, past co-chair of the American College of Cardiology PA Work Group, and serves as the President of the Utah Academy of PAs.