Heart Failure

Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump as much blood as the body requires. This ineffective pumping can lead to enlargement of the heart as the myocardium works harder pump the same amount of blood. Heart failure may be caused by defects in the myocardium, such as an a heart attack infarct, or due to structural issues such as severe heart valve regurgitation. Heart failure can be divided into HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The disease is further divided into four New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes. Stage IV heart failure is when the heart is completely failing and requires a heart transplant or hemodynamic support from a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

Dapagliflozin improves outcomes for elderly TAVR patients with heart failure
The positive data were presented as part of a late-breaking clinical trial at ACC.25 in Chicago. One cardiologist on stage for the presentation said these findings will impact the way he manages certain TAVR patients.
FDA approves vutrisiran to treat ATTR-CM
The subcutaneous drug, sold under the brand name Amvuttra, joins an ATTR-CM market that already includes Pfizer’s tafamidis (Vyndaqel, Vyndamax) and BridgeBio’s acoramidis (Attruby).
Direct marketing to cardiologists increases uptake of some, but not all, heart failure drugs
Researchers tracked three years of CMS data to explore how meal-based marketing may influence the habits of general and advanced heart failure cardiologists.
Cannabis use increases risk of heart attack, stroke in young adults
“Asking about cannabis use should be part of clinicians' workup to understand patients' overall cardiovascular risk, similar to asking about smoking cigarettes,” one researcher said. Additional details will be presented at ACC.25 in Chicago.
Patient discharged with total artificial heart for first time—goes 105 days while awaiting transplant
Total artificial heart recipients typically stay in the hospital. In this case, however, the patient was able to wait for a donated heart from the comfort of his own home.

A closer look at how weight loss drug semaglutide improves the cardiovascular health of obese patients without diabetes

Novo Nordisk shared initial results from the SELECT trial back in August, but now the full analysis—which includes data from more than 17,000 patients—has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

AI cardiology heart artificial intelligence deep learning

The future of cardiology: 5 potentially game-changing AI studies from AHA 2023

AI was one of the biggest stories at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2023 conference in Philadelphia. Researchers presented new data about heart attack care, voice recognition algorithms, digital stethoscopes and more.

CMS increases reimbursement for AI-powered heart failure platform

Ultromics thinks the significant payment increase will help ramp up utilization among U.S. healthcare providers.

CMS increases reimbursement for CVRx’s implantable Barostim device for heart failure

Implanting the Barostim device is now associated with an average payment amount of $45,000, up significantly from the previous average of $29,000.

Example of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) shown as part of the multimodality imaging capability on the Fujifilm CVIS.

IVUS-guided PCI boosts 2-year survival, reduces need for bypass surgery

IVUS was especially effective when treating patients with a complex coronary anatomy, researchers found.

Lawrence Faucette, the pig heart transplant patient who died after six weeks.

Second patient in history to receive a pig heart transplant dies after 6 weeks

Lawrence Faucette, the second patient to ever receive a genetically modified pig heart, died on Oct. 30. “He can never be forgotten," his wife said in a statement.

Cardiologist-founded virtual cardiology clinic raises $8M to expand heart failure offerings

The company hopes this new round of funding from private-equity investors will help its home-based care model flourish and reach more patients than ever before.

Dihydropyridines such as amlodipine have been the topic of some debate in recent months due to fears they lead to significant side effects.

Heart Failure

Dapagliflozin improves outcomes for elderly TAVR patients with heart failure

FDA approves vutrisiran to treat ATTR-CM

Direct marketing to cardiologists increases uptake of some, but not all, heart failure drugs

Cannabis use increases risk of heart attack, stroke in young adults

Patient discharged with total artificial heart for first time—goes 105 days while awaiting transplant