Cardiovascular care continues to evolve in response to increasingly complex clinical realities, where advances in intervention, electrophysiology and population health must be integrated with a more critical appraisal of long-held assumptions. Across disciplines, there is a growing recognition that improving ...

After decades of debate, patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is now a well-established strategy to reduce recurrent stroke in patients aged 18–60 years who have had a PFO-associated stroke.1 Patients who underwent PFO closure continue to have a higher stroke risk ...

Cardiovascular medicine stands at a pivotal crossroads—shaped by rapid advances in precision therapies, a deepening understanding of disease mechanisms, and an urgent imperative to address global health disparities. As the burden of cardiovascular disease continues to evolve, so too ...

The foramen ovale, an obligatory channel, allows placental oxygenated blood to directly reach the fetal arterial circulation and remains patent in 25% of the adult population.1 Patency provides a potential gateway for venous emboli to reach the arterial circulation, potentially resulting ...

touchCARDIO coverage of data presented at ESC 2024 touchCARDIO spoke with Professor Gilles Montalescot, Professor of Cardiology, Sorbonne University, Paris, France and Chairman of the ACTION study group to get the results from the AFLOAT randomised study, presented at ESC 2024. AFLOAT ...

Cryptogenic stroke (CS) is a brain infarction that cannot be clearly attributed to cardioembolism, large-vessel atherosclerosis or small artery disease, despite extensive clinical evaluation.1 It represents approximately one-third of all ischaemic strokes worldwide.2 Stroke represents a major public health crisis, ...

Globally, a high proportion (around 25%) of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and ischemic strokes are cryptogenic.1,2 The Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification defines a cryptogenic stroke as a brain infarction that is not caused by definite cardioembolism, ...