Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV-TAVR) provides an alternative treatment for high-risk patients with failed surgical bioprosthetic aortic valves. However, limited data exist on ViV-TAVR outcomes in patients with small aortic annuli, particularly among the relatively small-statured Japanese population.

Previous studies have speculated that a viral infection may act as a trigger in the development of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) among individuals genetically at risk. This study aims to describe the frequency of patients with DCM who reported experiencing symptoms of flu-like illness before their DCM diagnosis and to examine if this experience modified the association between genetics and DCM.

Beyond pulmonary vein (PV) isolation, the optimal ablation strategy for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) remains poorly defined. The purpose of this study was to compare 2 ablation strategies in the treatment of patients with persistent AF: a comprehensive ablation strategy based on anatomic considerations versus PV isolation alone.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often linked to likely pathogenic and pathogenic variants in genes encoding myofilament proteins. The exact molecular mechanisms by which these lead to cardiac dysfunction and metabolic remodeling remain incompletely understood. Hence, here, we sought to determine whether likely pathogenic and pathogenic variants in thick (MYL2) and thin (TNNI3 or TNNT2) filament genes modulate the myosin super-relaxed state, a critical molecular regulator of heart energetics.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stenting is recommended in ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction. Immediate stenting may cause distal embolization, microvascular damage, and flow disturbances, leading to adverse outcomes. We report the 10-year clinical outcomes of deferred stenting versus conventional PCI in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction.

Six-month results from the SPYRAL HTN-ON MED trial demonstrated that renal denervation (RDN) reduced office blood pressure (BP), and not 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP, compared with sham control in hypertensive patients. In this prespecified analysis of the ON MED trial, long-term changes in BP, antihypertensive drug use, and safety outcomes through 24 months are compared between RDN and sham control groups.

We have previously reported a novel clinical risk score (risk prediction score for shockable sudden cardiac arrest [VFRisk]) for the prediction of shockable sudden cardiac arrest, discovered and validated in 2 US west coast communities. We hypothesized that VFRisk predicts sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk in the geographically distinct FHS (Framingham Heart Study).

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a genetic disease characterized by high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) present from birth, leading to early-onset and progressive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Early treatment initiation is crucial for cardiovascular risk reduction; however, many patients do not reach LDL-C treatment goals. Inclisiran, a small interfering RNA targeting hepatic PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9), is effective and well tolerated in adult patients with hyperlipidemia; however, it has not yet been studied in pediatric patients.

Stereotactic arrhythmia radiotherapy (STAR) has emerged as a potential therapy for treatment-refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT). However, the mechanisms underlying STAR efficacy, such as scar or other electromechanical changes, are still unclear. The goal of this study was to develop a translational porcine model of ischemic monomorphic VT treated with STAR to examine the physiological changes after a typical clinical STAR treatment.

Sarcoidosis is characterized by noncaseating granulomatous inflammation that involves the lungs or lymph nodes in 90% of cases. The prevalence of cardiac involvement in patients with sarcoidosis is thought to be between 5% and 25%. However, cardiac sarcoidosis can also present without extracardiac disease (known as clinically isolated cardiac sarcoidosis) or with previously unrecognized extracardiac disease. The principal manifestations of cardiac sarcoidosis are heart failure or left ventricular systolic dysfunction, high-grade atrioventricular nodal disease, or ventricular arrhythmia. Cardiovascular imaging plays a crucial role in making the diagnosis, partly due to the low yield of endomyocardial biopsy in cardiac sarcoidosis. Cardiovascular imaging is also used for risk stratification for ventricular arrhythmia, to identify patients who may benefit from immunosuppressive therapy, and for longitudinal follow-up on and off therapy. It can also be used to identify alternative diagnoses to cardiac sarcoidosis. This review will discuss how to use imaging in the diagnosis and management of patients with suspected or known cardiac sarcoidosis.

Background: The sex-related prognosis of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) undergoing veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) remains unclear. Our analyses aim to assess sex-specific outcomes in patients with CS receiving VA-ECMO and explored whether the effect of moderate hypothermia (MH) on clinical outcomes was modified by sex. Methods: In this post-hoc analysis of the HYPO-ECMO trial, clinical outcomes were compared by sex. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality (ACM). Key secondary outcomes included ACM and a composite outcome of ACM, heart transplant, escalation to left ventricular assist device implantation, or stroke at 30, 60 and 180 days. Results: Among the 334 patients enrolled in the trial, 81 (24%) were female. At 30 days, 45.7% of female and 46.6% of male patients experienced the primary outcome, with no sex differences (adjusted OR, 1.01 [0.57 - 1.78], p=0.98 and log-rank test, p=0.93). No significant sex differences were observed in all-cause mortality at 60 and 180 days (adjusted OR, 0.87 [0.49 - 1.52], p=0.61 and 0.83 [0.47 - 1.46], p=0.51, respectively) or in the composite outcome up to 180 days (p>0.2 for all). The effect of MH on the primary outcome (aOR, 0.73 [0.43 - 1.25], p=0.25 and 0.67 [0.26 - 1.76], p=0.41, in male and female respectively, interaction p-value = 0.88) and secondary outcomes (interaction p-value >0.3 for all) was not modified by sex. Conclusions: In this post-hoc analysis of the HYPO-ECMO trial, male and female experienced similar outcomes in CS treated with VA-ECMO. Sex did not significantly modify the effect of moderate hypothermia on outcomes. Registration: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov Unique Identifier: NCT02754193.

Heart valve replacement in children is fraught with long-term morbidity and mortality rates, largely because conventional implants lack the capacity to grow with the child. Partial heart transplantation presents a potential solution by transplanting only specific segments of a donor heart, thereby providing a living and growing heart valve implant. This approach harnesses the full spectrum of cardiac tissues, which, when freshly procured and supported by immunosuppression, can integrate as functional and potentially growth-capable tissue. This state-of-the-art review discusses the history and development of partial heart transplantation, its indications, recent clinical experiences, regulation, and future directions.