HEART INTERNATIONAL – VOLUME 16, ISSUE 2 – 2022

Welcome to the latest issue of Heart International. Cardiovascular science continues to evolve at an impressive rate, and the range of articles presented here highlights cutting-edge technology and innovation within cardiology. We begin with a commentary by Divaka Perera on the REVIVED study, which evaluated whether percutaneous coronary intervention could improve outcomes in patients with […]

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has evolved considerably in both technique and technology since Andreas Grüntzig first intervened on a focal, proximal lesion in the left anterior descending artery in 1977.1 While this has resulted in increasingly complex anatomical subsets being treated, contemporary trials of PCI in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) have continued to […]

Atrial fibrillation (AF), one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias, is considered to be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke and mortality. The prevalence of AF increases with age, and patients with AF are at risk of atrial thrombosis and its consequences.1 The pathogenesis of AF consists of inflammatory activity, structural remodelling and endothelial […]

Catheter ablation has emerged as an effective strategy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), even becoming a first-line option for selected patients.1 Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the cornerstone of this procedure. Ablation beyond PVI is often practised, but scientific evidence from randomized clinical trials is still controversial.2–8 Point-by-point radiofrequency (RF) ablation has been, by […]

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), along with its more common subgroup, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM), is the most common monogenic cardiovascular disorder, with a prevalence of about 1 in 500,1 and a dominant inheritance pattern, thus clustering in affected families. Patients with HCM often have significant limitations to their exercise capacity, and while there are several underlying pathomechanisms for […]

Nearly half of patients who present with angina have non-obstructed coronary arteries (ANOCA).1 A significant proportion of these patients have a coronary vasomotor dysfunction, such as coronary microvascular disease and/or coronary artery spasm.2,3 Vasospastic angina (VSA) refers to a dysfunctional state where there is sudden coronary flow attenuation as a result of either epicardial or microvascular spasm, […]

In recent years, patients undergoing non-emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures have become increasingly older, with a more significant comorbidity burden and complex coronary disease.1 Many of the patients who undergo elective or urgent PCI are surgical turndown patients, for whom PCI is the only revascularization option.2 For these high-risk patients, more interventionalists are opting for […]

Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome caused by a variety of cardiac and non-cardiac diseases, and is associated with high mortality and hospitalization rates.1 Treatment has been traditionally based on a detailed history and physical examination. However, since cardiac biomarkers reflect the pathophysiology of HF, they add information to the clinical findings.1 The most widely used […]

In this article, we review prior and recent landmark studies that have directed the treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT), discuss specific factors that influence anticoagulant choice, and explore ongoing trials that may impact treatment in the future. Older data estimated less than 1% of patients with malignancy developed venous thromboembolism (VTE), but more recent data […]