People with chronic limb-threatening ischemia lack Food and Drug Administration-approved therapies for wound healing, creating an unmet need for novel approaches. Prior studies of biologics in chronic limb-threatening ischemia have largely targeted end-stage patients with amputation-free survival as the primary outcome. This trial evaluated the efficacy of intramuscular administration of AMG0001, a plasmid encoding human HGF (hepatocyte growth factor), to promote ulcer healing in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia and neuroischemic ulcers.

Patients with intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism (PE) have an elevated right-to-left-ventricular (RV/LV) diameter ratio and are at risk of early clinical decompensation and mortality. Reperfusion therapy aims to rapidly relieve acute RV pressure overload and normalize hemodynamics. STORM-PE is the first reported randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy and evaluate the safety of mechanical thrombectomy (MT), specifically computer assisted vacuum thrombectomy (CAVT) with anticoagulation (AC) compared to AC alone.

Animal models are an essential part of preclinical research, serving to protect patients through safety and efficacy studies before human trials begin. Prior to the passage of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act 2.0 in 2022, animal studies were generally required by regulators in preclinical safety evaluations. This Act amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify that while animal testing had been the default standard, it is no longer a mandatory requirement for regulatory filings involving drugs and biological products1. Additionally, the Act explicitly specifies in vitro, in silico, and in chemico testing as alternatives to assess pre-clinical safety and efficacy. The FDA and others refer to these alternative platforms as New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) with an emphasis on the 3Rs of replacing, reducing and refining the use of animal testing2. This shift opens new pathways for developing and evaluating precision therapies in cardiovascular disease particularly if human-derived, genetically accurate models can outperform animal studies in predictive power and translatability.

Managing clinically significant primary mitral regurgitation is challenging. Right ventricular-pulmonary arterial coupling, assessed with tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) ratio, reflects right ventricular adaptability to afterload. This international multicenter cohort study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of rest TAPSE/sPAP and exercise TAPSE (exTAPSE)/sPAP in primary mitral regurgitation.

Patients with prior ischemic stroke are at high risk for recurrent stroke and other major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). The benefits of achieving very low levels of low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (LDL-C) in such patients is unclear.

There are currently no robust clinical markers for assessing prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF) with recovered left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This study sought to investigate whether NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) measured at the time of LVEF recovery is an independent predictor of prognosis among patients with HF with recovered LVEF.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes more than 50% of deaths in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Clinical studies suggest that kidney-derived factors contribute to CVD development in CKD, independently of co-morbidities. However, to date, no kidney-specific humoral risk factor that triggers direct cardiotoxicity has been identified. In this cross-sectional study, we investigate how, in CKD patients, circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) facilitate pathological kidney-heart communication, thereby causing cardiotoxicity, impairing cardiac function, and contributing to heart failure (HF) progression.

Randomized trials of venous thrombolysis to prevent postthrombotic syndrome have produced mixed results. A method to identify patients most likely to benefit from interventional treatment is needed. This study evaluated a contrast-free, magnetic resonance-based multisequence thrombus imaging (MSTI) technique to characterize deep venous thrombi and predict susceptibility to thrombolysis.

Patients with cardiovascular conditions like heart failure (HF) often exhibit significant heterogeneity of the risk of clinical events. In clinical trials, large risk heterogeneity can result in an underestimation of treatment effects derived from Cox proportional hazards models. This occurs due to selection bias when estimating the hazard ratio, stemming from a disproportionate reduction of event-free patients in the control group compared with an effective active group over time, ultimately reducing the statistical power. Therefore, it is important to explore alternative analysis methods for outcome trials that are robust with respect to risk heterogeneity.

The dissemination of novel procedures should attempt to strike a balance between access and procedure quality. This study aimed to evaluate the temporal trends and geographic dispersion of mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) sites and to examine the associations of site volume and site-to-population density with patient outcomes.