Chieh-Ju Chao, Sushil Allen Luis, Reza Arsanjani, Jae K Oh
{"title":"Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Constrictive Pericarditis: A Short Literature Review.","authors":"Chieh-Ju Chao, Sushil Allen Luis, Reza Arsanjani, Jae K Oh","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02222-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-025-02222-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Constrictive pericarditis (CP) is a potentially curable condition characterized by the thickening, scarring, and calcification of the pericardium. A comprehensive approach, including clinical evaluations and imaging techniques such as echocardiography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, is essential for timely diagnosis and intervention to prevent chronic complications and enhance patient outcomes. However, the rarity of CP and the specialized expertise required present challenges in diagnosis.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Emerging artificial intelligence applications show promise in enhancing clinical decision-making and improving outcomes. Studies utilizing cognitive machine learning and deep learning algorithms (ResNet50) achieved an AUC above 0.95 in distinguishing CP from restrictive cardiomyopathy. However, generalization and interpretability issues remain, and the development of AI applications for CP is still nascent due to challenges in obtaining large, high-quality echocardiographic datasets. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of these models in diverse clinical scenarios, employing comprehensive echocardiography, point-of-care ultrasound, and other modalities to improve CP detection, individualized risk assessment, and treatment planning, ultimately enhancing patient prognosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"70"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143604056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mary Heine, Ankit Agrawal, Emma Wensink, Tom Kai Ming Wang, Allan Klein
{"title":"The Role of the Advanced Practice Provider in a Pericardial Center of Excellence.","authors":"Mary Heine, Ankit Agrawal, Emma Wensink, Tom Kai Ming Wang, Allan Klein","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02205-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02205-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Pericarditis can be a chronic and complex disease requiring years of treatment. These patients require close monitoring of labs, medications and their side effects, as well as virtual and inpatient follow up. Due to the complexity of this disease, many of these patients are treated for months and sometimes years. Our review highlights the role Advanced practice providers (APP) play in managing the complexity of these patients by providing efficient and quality care.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Multi-modality cardiac imaging is the cornerstone to the evaluation and treatment of pericardial diseases. The addition of Interleukin (IL-1) blockers or biologics (Rilonacept, Anakinra) in the last few years provides targeted therapy for these patients. Using imaging guided therapy (IGT) these complex patients require close, continuous follow up and monitoring as well as frequent medication titration. The outcomes for these pericardial patients are improved with these centers due to the specialized medical and surgical care. Advanced Practice Providers play a vital role in a pericardial center with ordering the appropriate imaging and labs, handling medication titration, and providing patient education and continuity of care for these patients. They have been shown to decrease mortality, increase quality of care, and increase medication adherence.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"69"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143596581","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Coronary Inflammation and Cardiovascular Events in Patients Without Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease.","authors":"Jia Ling Diau, Richard A Lange","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02221-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02221-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>This review evaluates the role of vascular inflammation in patients who develop myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA). It also introduces pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) as possible biomarkers for risk prediction in patients with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD).</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>PCAT and EAT contribute to the development and progression of coronary artery inflammation and plaque vulnerability. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) can detect localized areas of inflammation through changes in the attenuation values of PCAT and EAT. Attenuation values can be further integrated with traditional risk factors using artificial intelligence to generate risk scores that significantly enhance prognostic accuracy in patients with and without obstructive coronary artery disease. Assessing PCAT and EAT inflammation via CCTA and AI-driven risk algorithms enable precise risk prediction of MINOCA and major adverse coronary events (MACE) in patients with non-obstructive CAD.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"68"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11889004/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143572419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abdullah Khan, Ahmed A Sorour, George E Anton, Sean P Lyden, Lee Kirksey
{"title":"Venous Insufficiency: Endovascular and Surgical Treatment.","authors":"Abdullah Khan, Ahmed A Sorour, George E Anton, Sean P Lyden, Lee Kirksey","doi":"10.1007/s11886-024-02155-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-024-02155-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Venous insufficiency (VI) is a is a common and debilitating disease that can present with a wide range of manifestations ranging from telangiectasias to venous ulceration. The chapter explores various endovascular and open-surgical modalities used for VI, their technique, patient selection, outcomes, complications, and comparison with other modalities.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>The use of non-thermal and non-tumescent ablation techniques are found to have a better quality of life scores; however, the primary closure rates are inferior to thermal ablation techniques. A wide range of treatment modalities are available, ranging from conservative management, endovascular techniques and open-surgical options. Each intervention has its unique benefits, limitations, and potential complications. The management approach for VI is not one-fits-all, and must be meticulously tailored to each patient, carefully considering their disease severity, anatomy, quality of life, and expectations, for an effective treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"67"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11885322/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143566439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gracia Fahed, Briana N Collins, Nixuan Cai, John Isaiah Jimenez, Hiroki Kitakata, Jesus E Pino Moreno, Kevin M Alexander
{"title":"Race, Genetics, and Social Determinants of Health in Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Literature Review and Call to Action.","authors":"Gracia Fahed, Briana N Collins, Nixuan Cai, John Isaiah Jimenez, Hiroki Kitakata, Jesus E Pino Moreno, Kevin M Alexander","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02220-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-025-02220-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Recent evidence suggests that transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CM) is significantly more common than once believed, yet it remains frequently under- and mis-diagnosed. With effective treatments now available, early and accurate diagnosis has become critical for better patient outcomes. Understanding the interplay between genetics, race, and social determinants of health (SDOH) in influencing both ATTR-CM diagnosis and management is essential for bridging the current gaps.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Our analysis reveals multiple barriers affecting ATTR-CM care. Specifically, we discuss how clinician awareness, regional differences in clinical practice, and limited access to health care and specialty centers contribute to diagnostic delays. Additionally, we identify several management obstacles, such as inadequate diversity in clinical trials, high cost of available treatments, and limited ancillary resources. We examine these challenges in detail and provide practical solutions to address them. While disparities in heart failure outcomes have been well-documented, those specific to ATTR-CM remain underrepresented in the literature. This review establishes a structured approach to understanding how biological, structural and SDOH-related disparities impact ATTR-CM diagnosis and management while offering concrete strategies to overcome these challenges. We emphasize the need for enhanced SDOH identification and advocate for coordinated, multidisciplinary efforts to improve ATTR-CM patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"66"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143556194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shubh Desai, Moez Karim Aziz, Konstantinos Marmagkiolis, Mehmet Cilingiroglu, Cezar Iliescu, Leslie A Ynalvez
{"title":"Management of Stable Coronary Artery Disease and Acute Coronary Syndrome in Patients with Cancer.","authors":"Shubh Desai, Moez Karim Aziz, Konstantinos Marmagkiolis, Mehmet Cilingiroglu, Cezar Iliescu, Leslie A Ynalvez","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02214-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02214-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>This review examines the current evidence and management strategies for stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with cancer. We outline the unique challenges, optimal treatment approaches, and outcomes in this growing population.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>First-line medications for CAD management are consistently underutilized in cancer patients despite serving as standard of care. As a corollary, medical optimization in CAD management in general is less likely to occur in patients with cancer. Early invasive strategies in ACS show improved survival, yet cancer patients receive percutaneous coronary intervention less frequently than non-cancer patients. Optimization of medical management should be prioritized in stable CAD; revascularization with PCI is first line for most patients presenting with ACS. Modification of risk factors contributing to both CAD and cancer is of utmost importance. Cancer survivors should receive vigilant, long-term monitoring for the development of signs of CAD.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"65"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143540350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ashley Pender, Jessica Lewis-Owona, Abdulmojeed Ekiyoyo, Marcus Stoddard
{"title":"Echocardiography and Heart Failure: An Echocardiographic Decision Aid for the Diagnosis and Management of Cardiomyopathies.","authors":"Ashley Pender, Jessica Lewis-Owona, Abdulmojeed Ekiyoyo, Marcus Stoddard","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02194-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02194-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>The purpose of this review is to highlight the utility of echocardiography in the diagnosis and management of cardiomyopathies.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Echocardiographic parameters function synergistically to guide decision-making ranging from early detection of disease and screening to risk stratification of complex disease. The collective wealth of information available from 2D/3D assessment, Doppler, diastology and strain makes echocardiography an invaluable decision aid.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"64"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11870920/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143522878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ololade Akingbade, Elizabeth Cabrera, Varun Subashchandran, Ryan Yang, Neal Shah, Hena Patel, Jeremy A Slivnick
{"title":"Sociodemographic Disparities in Obtaining Cardiac MRI: Black, White, and Shades of Gray.","authors":"Ololade Akingbade, Elizabeth Cabrera, Varun Subashchandran, Ryan Yang, Neal Shah, Hena Patel, Jeremy A Slivnick","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02219-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-025-02219-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Despite growing recommendations for CMR utilization in heart disease evaluation, access remains limited by geography and socioeconomic status. In this review we discuss the role of CMR in addressing health disparities, review barriers to CMR access, and finally propose solutions to increasing CMR testing globally and in the U.S.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>CMR testing is higher prevalence in academic and urban centers in the Northeast and Midwest and remains sparser in Southern and rural areas which face a high burden of cardiovascular mortality. Globally, CMR is also limited in low- and middle-income countries. Barriers to CMR access include bias in physician referrals based on race, patient income, insurance status, language barriers, health literacy, and disparities in the multimodal cardiovascular imaging workforce. A multimodal approach involving policy makers, hospital systems, cardiologists, and health care personnel is essential to improving national and global barriers to accessing CMR.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"62"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143514995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aris Karatasakis, Omid Kiamanesh, Richard K Cheng, James N Kirkpatrick, David M Dudzinski
{"title":"Echocardiographic Evaluation of the Post-Heart Transplant Patient.","authors":"Aris Karatasakis, Omid Kiamanesh, Richard K Cheng, James N Kirkpatrick, David M Dudzinski","doi":"10.1007/s11886-024-02169-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-024-02169-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Significant practice variability exists with respect to the role and frequency of echocardiography after heart transplantation. We sought to illustrate key studies relating to the utility and diagnostic accuracy of echocardiography for the post-heart transplant patient.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Several echocardiographic parameters correlate with acute heart transplant rejection, but there is enough heterogeneity between study results or in diagnostic accuracy, such that it precludes parameter use in isolation to rule out rejection. Newer techniques such as strain echocardiography may have better sensitivity. Similarly, resting and stress echocardiography can be combined with modern techniques such as myocardial contrast echocardiography to diagnose and prognosticate cardiac allograft vasculopathy, but studies have again demonstrated variable accuracy. Echocardiography remains an accessible tool in the evaluation and management of patients after heart transplantation. This modality can guide clinical judgment with real-time data and several fairly sensitive parameters for the detection of rejection, cardiac allograft vasculopathy, and other abnormalities. Often, auxiliary diagnostic modalities need to be combined to optimize diagnostic accuracy.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"63"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143514994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fatema Tuj Zohora, Matthew A Nazari, Albert J Sinusas
{"title":"Novel F-18-labeled Tracers of Sympathetic Function for Improved Risk Stratification and Clinical Outcomes.","authors":"Fatema Tuj Zohora, Matthew A Nazari, Albert J Sinusas","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02197-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11886-025-02197-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>This review summarizes the role of the novel <sup>18</sup>F-labeled positron emission tomography (PET) sympathetic radiotracers for risk stratification in patients with ischemic heart disease. PET tracers have demonstrated prognostic value by characterizing myocardial sympathetic nerve density and by extension the extent of myocardial sympathetic denervation. The unique features of these PET radiotracers are discussed in relation to clinical application.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Absolute quantification of sympathetic denervation has been possible with <sup>18</sup>F-labeled PET tracers which outperform low ejection fraction (<35%) in predicting sudden cardiac death (SCD) and allow for more optimal risk stratification in patients with heart failure. This underscores their utility in selecting patients for preventable strategies with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). Appropriate candidate selection for ICD placement is a major priority as at present 80% of patients that die from SCD do not receive an ICD (potentially preventable mortality) while only 1 in 8 patients with an ICD receive a life-saving shock. Furthermore, 1 in 3 patients with ICDs receive inappropriate shocks. Thus, there is a pressing need to more appropriately select and exclude patients who will and will not benefit from ICD placement, respectively, as both suffer poor outcomes. Despite the clear prognostic benefit offered by prior PET sympathetic radiotracers in imaging myocardial sympathetic denervation, their short half-lives necessitated costly onsite cyclotron synthesis obviating their pragmatic clinical use. <sup>18</sup>F-labeled radiotracers have a longer half-life allowing centralized synthesis and transport to their point of use. As such, <sup>18</sup>F-labeled sympathetic radiotracers define an innovation and may offer a more affordable and clinically practical approach for evaluation of risk in patients with cardiovascular disease. <sup>18</sup>F-labeled sympathetic radiotracers are currently available for evaluation and risk stratification of patients with ischemic heart disease and heart failure. These radiotracers may offer a more practical approach for selection of ICD placement and consequent prevention of SCD; a major, yet unmet need, in heart failure patients and those that suffer SCD at large. However, further development and clinical testing of these <sup>18</sup>F-labeled sympathetic radiotracers is required.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"61"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143499573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}