Mortality due to ischemic heart disease (IHD) has declined in countries with high socioeconomic development. Whether these declines extend to other settings, and whether socioeconomic development influences IHD mortality among men and women differently, is unknown.

Disparities between metro and nonmetro areas exist in health outcomes. The effect of residing areas on mortality for patients with congenital heart disease remains unclear. We evaluated the relationship of residing areas with survival outcomes after congenital heart surgery (CHS).

Exercise intolerance is a hallmark of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and is characterized by skeletal muscle (SkM) dysfunction with impaired oxidative capacity. To maintain oxidative capacity, the SkM secretes myokines such as musclin, which has been shown to potentiate NP (natriuretic peptide) signaling and induce PGC-1α (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1 alpha) signaling. We sought to investigate the role of musclin in SkM dysfunction in HFpEF. For this study, we selected the oxidative-predominant SkM soleus in HFpEF mice and vastus lateralis from patients with HFpEF.

The left atrium (LA) maintains a dynamic interaction with the left ventricular (LV). LA forward and reverse remodeling affect prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure. We examined LA reverse remodeling in patients supported with LV assist devices (LVADs) and investigated a potential impact on clinical outcomes.

Microvascular injury in the course of acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been identified as determinant of adverse outcomes and manifests as microvascular obstruction (MVO). MVO has long been regarded as a transient finding, vanishing within a few weeks after infarction. However, recent studies have shown that it may persist beyond the early phase, resulting in adverse remodeling. However, its clinical implications remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate the association of MVO persistence and major adverse cardiac events after STEMI.

Computed tomography (CT) attenuation correction scans are an intrinsic part of positron emission tomography (PET) myocardial perfusion imaging using PET/CT, but anatomic information is rarely derived from these ultralow-dose CT scans. We aimed to assess the association between deep learning-derived cardiac chamber volumes (right atrial, right ventricular, left ventricular, and left atrial) and mass (left ventricular) from these scans with myocardial flow reserve and heart failure hospitalization.

The "open vein hypothesis" postulates that early thrombus clearance and restoration of venous blood flow may prevent postthrombotic syndrome after proximal deep vein thrombosis. Since its proposal several decades ago, new insights from basic and clinical studies have motivated a re-evaluation and refinement of this hypothesis. According to data from these studies, susceptibility to postthrombotic syndrome occurs as a result of differences in genetic composition, thrombophilic conditions, predilection to inflammation and fibrosis, endogenous fibrinolytic capability, timing of symptom presentation and treatment initiation, and efficacy of antithrombotic therapy. Although initial restoration of an open vein appears to be beneficial for selected patient groups, freedom from postthrombotic syndrome is more likely in the setting of long-term venous patency, reduced recurrent thrombotic episodes, and reduced perithrombotic (eg, vein wall and valve) inflammation. These underlying biological mechanisms need further elucidation, with a long-term goal of personalizing treatment by mapping the individuals' clinical presentation with their underlying risk factors and assessing time-dependent biological processes that occur as a clinical venous thrombosis resolves. This scientific statement (1) highlights historical fundamentals of the open vein hypothesis and then showcases new research insights into the pathophysiological factors driving postthrombotic syndrome; (2) discusses advantages and disadvantages of imaging modalities for deep vein thrombosis used in clinical practice, including the potential to depict thrombus chronicity and status of vein wall injury; (3) proposes measures to develop integrated multidisciplinary care for deep vein thrombosis focused on the reduction of postthrombotic syndrome; and (4) identifies priority areas and questions for further research.

Exercise improves functional outcomes in patients with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DiaCM). The molecular mechanism underlying cardiac benefits of exercise in DiaCM remains incompletely understood. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common form of messenger RNA modification in eukaryotes and has been implicated in cardiac development and disease. However, the role of m6A in DiaCM and in the mitigating effects of exercise on this disease are unclear.

Hypothyroidism leads to multiple organ dysfunction, with the heart the most affected. However, the pathologic mechanism of hypothyroidism-induced heart failure remains to be completely elucidated. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy enhances myocardium systolic function but increases the occurrence of arrythmias. There is an urgent need to explore these mechanisms in detail and to discover and develop drugs that can target and manage heart failure in patients with hypothyroidism.

The clinical significance of elevated baseline natriuretic peptide level and prior heart failure hospitalization (HFH) within the prior year in mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair outcomes is unclear. This analysis examined the impact of BNP (B-type natriuretic peptide) or N-terminal prohormone BNP NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) and prior HFH on outcomes in patients with severe secondary mitral regurgitation.

Pressure-based physiological evaluation of coronary artery disease is well established, but its application is limited in left main coronary artery (LMCA) disease. Our aim was to investigate whether pressure-based indices are comparable in the left anterior descending (LAD) and left circumflex artery (LCx) branches of the LMCA, and if discordance is due to differences in microvascular function in these territories.

The Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure program was developed in 2005 with the goal of bringing evidence-based guidelines in heart failure management into widespread clinical practice. The program includes workshops, webinars, tool kits, chart abstraction, performance benchmarking, and achievement awards to drive quality improvement at participating hospitals. Two decades after its inception, the program has grown to include over 600 participating institutions across the United States. Linking registry data to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services claims has also allowed for the evaluation of longitudinal outcomes. Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure has helped improve the quality of care for patients and has contributed substantially to the understanding of clinical science and optimal management of heart failure. This narrative review provides an overview of the indelible impact of the Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure program on quality heart failure care over the past 20 years and highlights future challenges and directions.