In patients with previous coronary artery bypass grafting, computed tomography cardiac angiography (CTCA) before invasive coronary angiography (ICA) was demonstrated in the BYPASS-CTCA trial (Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess Whether Computed Tomography Cardiac Angiography Can Improve Invasive Coronary Angiography in Bypass Surgery Patients) to reduce procedure time and incidence of contrast-associated acute kidney injury, with greater levels of patient satisfaction. Patient-related outcomes, utilization of further diagnostic imaging resources, and longer-term incidence of major adverse cardiac events were key secondary end points not yet reported.

Socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with greater risks of hospital readmission and mortality among patients with heart failure (HF). However, it is less clear whether socioeconomic disadvantage has an immediate and lasting impact on the risk of admissions after the diagnosis of HF.

The Fontan circuit is associated with chronically elevated systemic venous pressures and decreased cardiac output, often leading to circuit failure. Managing Fontan circuit failure is complex and requires multiple therapeutic options. Transcatheter interventions have emerged as a reliable approach. They can alleviate obstructions and improve cyanosis by enhancing pulmonary blood flow and oxygen saturation. These procedures can also increase cardiac output and reduce systemic venous pressure, contributing to patient stabilization. In addition, they help mitigate volume overload and decrease the risk of bleeding during heart or combined heart and liver transplants. In recent years, percutaneous interventions have rapidly evolved and become a key therapeutic option for addressing various aspects of Fontan circuit failure. These interventions should be considered integral to the management strategy for this specific patient population.

Spironolactone, a steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA), has been used to treat patients with heart failure (HF) for more than half a century. Spironolactone improved outcomes in patients with severely symptomatic HF with reduced ejection fraction, and later, eplerenone expanded the benefits to patients with mildly symptomatic HF with reduced ejection fraction and myocardial infarction complicated by HF. Spironolactone reduced HF events in some patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction, but the results were not generalizable to all patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction. More recently, the nonsteroidal MRA finerenone improved the HF outcomes of patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction, expanding the benefits previously seen among patients with diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease. The use of MRAs has been limited due to excessive concern about hyperkalemia. Education about the limited true risk associated with hyperkalemia, and about how to predict, prevent, and manage hyperkalemia, may lead to wider acceptability and use of these agents. Several ongoing trials are testing steroidal and nonsteroidal MRAs in HF populations. In this review, we perform a critical appraisal of MRA use in HF populations and point toward future directions.

Heart transplant recipients with donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) have an increased risk for antibody-mediated rejection. However, many patients with graft dysfunction and DSA do not have evidence of antibody-mediated rejection by endomyocardial biopsy (EMB).

While initial data for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in aortic stenosis patients with mitral stenosis (MS) suggested a poor short-term prognosis, outcomes for contemporary balloon-expandable valves remain unknown. The aim of this retrospective multicenter registry study was to compare the potential impact of MS on TAVR outcomes with balloon-expandable valves.

Cardiomyocytes in the adult human heart show a regenerative capacity, with an annual renewal rate of ≈0.5%. Whether this regenerative capacity of human cardiomyocytes is employed in heart failure has been controversial.

Regulatory approval of the first dual-chamber leadless pacemaker system provides patients an alternative to conventional transvenous pacemakers. The study objective was to quantify the preferences of patients for pacemaker features.

Coagulation factor XI (FXI) inhibitors are a promising and novel class of anticoagulants, but a recent animal study found that FXI inhibition exacerbated diastolic dysfunction and heart failure (HF). In the ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities), we investigated whether plasma FXI level was associated with cardiovascular events and cardiac function.