Immediate 14-day ambulatory ECG monitoring did not significantly reduce recurrent syncope at 1 year in the ASPIRED trial, but it more than doubled the detection of clinically significant arrhythmias and enabled earlier diagnosis and treatment. Following the presentation, Prof. Matthew Reed, from the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, and the Emergency Medicine Research Group Edinburgh, spoke about the origins of ASPIRED, the importance of earlier investigation for patients with syncope, and how this approach might be incorporated into routine care.

The PRESC1SE-MI trial found that a 0/1-hour pathway for assessing patients with suspected myocardial infarction was non-inferior to a more conservative 0/3-hour pathway for safety, but did not reduce the time patients spent in the emergency department.

Dr Jonathan Piccini discusses rhythm control in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, the growing role of catheter ablation, and the evidence still needed to define its impact on cardiovascular outcomes.

At ESC Congress 2026, Dr Rami Abu Fanne (Hillel Yaffe Medical Center and Hadassah Medical Center, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) presented an analysis exploring whether baseline vitamin D levels were associated with metabolic response to semaglutide in people with type 2 diabetes. The study included 5,300 adults and found that higher baseline vitamin D levels were associated with greater improvements in glycemic control and BMI after 12 months of treatment, although no association was observed with lipid outcomes. Dr Abu Fanne spoke to touchCARDIO about the findings and the questions they raise for future research.

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has published its first dedicated clinical practice guidelines on cardiac rehabilitation, calling for rehabilitation to be considered a core component of care across a broader range of cardiovascular conditions. Published in the European Heart ...

Prof. Thomas Thum discusses Phase II findings from the HF-REVERT study, what they suggest about patient selection for RNA-based therapies, and how these approaches could offer new ways to treat heart failure.

Prof. Maria Bäck discusses the first dedicated ESC Guidelines on cardiac rehabilitation, why personalization and multidisciplinary care are central to their recommendations, and the importance of increasing referral to rehabilitation programs.

Professor Arnoud van ’t Hof discusses the CELEBRATE trial, the potential benefits of administering antiplatelet therapy before patients with STEMI reach the catheterization laboratory, and what would be needed to translate this approach into clinical practice.

Large language models, wearables and mobile health technologies are increasingly being explored across cardiovascular research and clinical care. At ESC Congress 2026, Dr Jazmin Aguado-Sierra discussed where these tools could add value, and where questions around reliability remain.