The ACC and AHA sponsor the guidelines without commercial support, and members volunteer their time. The
Task Force zealously avoids actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest that might arise through
relationships with industry or other entities (RWI). All GWC members and reviewers are required to disclose
current industry relationships or personal interests from 12 months before initiation of the writing effort.
Management of RWI involves selecting a balanced GWC and assuring that the chair and a majority of
committee members have no relevant RWI (Appendix 1). Members are restricted with regard to writing or
voting on sections to which their RWI apply. For transparency, members’ comprehensive disclosure information
is available online