The American Heart Association annually reports the most up-to-date statistics related to heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular risk factors, including core health behaviors (smoking, physical activity, nutrition, sleep, and obesity) and health factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose control, and cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome) that contribute to cardiovascular health. The 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update presents the latest data on a range of major clinical heart and circulatory disease conditions (including stroke, brain health, complications of pregnancy, kidney disease, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, sudden cardiac arrest, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, valvular disease, venous thromboembolism, and peripheral artery disease) and the associated outcomes (including quality of care, procedures, and economic costs).

Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair is an established treatment for tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in nonoptimal surgical candidates. Two techniques have been described: zipping (or bicuspidization) and clover (or triple-orifice). This study aimed to compare the echocardiographic and clinical outcomes of these 2 techniques.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for 70% of global mortality and are responsible for over 38 million deaths annually, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) constituting most of these fatalities. While traditional risk factors for CVD have long been recognized, there is growing evidence that a rising prevalence of ubiquitous environmental risk factors (ERFs) may play an increasingly significant role in the genesis and rising prevalence of NCDs. ERFs include many interconnected anthropogenic exposures with cumulative compound health impacts, including air pollution, noise exposure, artificial light at night, plastic pollution, chemical pollution and the various effects of climate change, such as heat extremes, desert storms, floods and wildfires. Urbanization has intensified the impact of many ERFs and created intense exposure environments, highlighting the urgency and the opportunity to address these for maximum public health benefit. Impactful intervention often requires regulatory and policy-driven efforts addressing the genesis of exposures and minimizes their health impact, particularly in vulnerable populations who may contribute the least but may be impacted the most. Solutions must involve the development of resiliency and adaptation measures to a changing world, where the probability of sudden catastrophic and cascading events is much more likely. Political will and international cooperation are essential in establishing and enforcing regulations that promote cleaner air and water, quieter and natural biodiverse environments, and sustainable infrastructure in urban, and rural medical facilities. Integration of planetary and environmental health into cardiovascular care will be vital in reducing the burden of NCDs globally. By addressing the root causes of environmental stressors, it is possible to reduce the incidence of CVDs and promote healthier, just and sustainable societies.

The prognostic implications of bolus thermodilution-derived resting coronary blood flow in all-comer patients with chronic coronary syndrome are not known. We investigated the association of thermodilution-derived indices characterizing coronary flow with outcomes.

The obesity epidemic continues largely unabated, affecting more than one-third of the US population and disproportionately burdening individuals from socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Numerous factors contribute to the high prevalence of obesity, including socioeconomic and structural barriers impeding primordial and primary prevention efforts. Despite broad recognition that social determinants of health are key drivers of obesity, the importance of socioeconomic and structural factors as contemporary barriers to individual-, community-, and population-level obesity prevention and intervention efforts remains underappreciated. This scientific statement highlights multilevel barriers to obesity prevention and management, with an emphasis on social determinants of health, societal culture, and shared biases that may interfere with the success of healthy weight management programs. The assessment includes a comprehensive review of policy and community-level strategies used to address the obesity epidemic and identifies key areas for future research.