Anthony M Hachem, Aditya Desai, Noah Beinart, Keila C Ostos-Mendoza, Ana Sofia Lopez Rodriguez, Regina Diaz de Leon Derby, Sara Ebrahimi, Nicolas L Palaskas
{"title":"Updates in Diagnosis and Treatment of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis.","authors":"Anthony M Hachem, Aditya Desai, Noah Beinart, Keila C Ostos-Mendoza, Ana Sofia Lopez Rodriguez, Regina Diaz de Leon Derby, Sara Ebrahimi, Nicolas L Palaskas","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02232-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02232-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>To provide an update on the literature regarding diagnosis and management of immune checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>The diagnosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis has evolved to include more reliance on performing endomyocardial biopsy to clarify the diagnosis in selected cases. Additionally, there is recognition of a spectrum of disease both clinically and on endomyocardial biopsy suggesting that there is a range of severity from mild to fulminant. The treatment of immune checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis is shifting towards increased use of additional immunosuppressive medications as steroid sparing agents. There are increased studies including two randomized controlled trials evaluating abatacept in the treatment of immune checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis. This review summarizes the latest literature regarding diagnosis and management of immune checkpoint inhibitor myocarditis and provides our experience and approach to this rare but potentially fatal condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"78"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143771690","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}
Samuel F Sears, Elizabeth W Jordan, Zeba Hashmath, Maeve M Sargeant, John Catanzaro, Rajasekhar Nekkanti, Ghanshyam Shantha
{"title":"Leadless Pacemakers: The \"Leading Edge\" of Quality of Life in Cardic Electrophysiology.","authors":"Samuel F Sears, Elizabeth W Jordan, Zeba Hashmath, Maeve M Sargeant, John Catanzaro, Rajasekhar Nekkanti, Ghanshyam Shantha","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02228-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02228-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of the review: </strong>Permanent pacemakers (PPMs) are common cardiac implantable devices indicated for patients with bradycardia or tachycardia. Currently, PPMs include both transvenous pacemakers (TV-PM) and leadless pacemakers (L-PM). This paper reviews the existing data on L-PM technology including: a) medical aspects and indications, b) patient experience and quality of life (QOL) outcome studies, and c) recommendations for optimizing patient QOL through enhanced knowledge and shared decision-making.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>This review includes the seven papers that report on patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in leadless pacemakers and indicate that QOL is as good, if not better, than TV-PM. Existing evidence from descriptive statistics suggests that patients with L-PM report high levels of patient acceptance and satisfaction with esthetic appearance (96%), recovery (91%), and level of physical activity (74%). Leadless pacemakers provide an attractive alternative for the indicated potential patient. The evidence demonstrates the benefits of L-PM such as a minimal implant and lack of leads. Recommendations for future research indicate that electrophysiology-specific metrics are essential and control for the common co-morbidities in the PM population are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"77"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11958420/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143751405","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}
Mohammed Ayyad, Maram Albandak, Dhir Gala, Basel Alqeeq, Muath Baniowda, Johann Pally, Joseph Allencherril
{"title":"Reevaluating STEMI: The Utility of the Occlusive Myocardial Infarction Classification to Enhance Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes.","authors":"Mohammed Ayyad, Maram Albandak, Dhir Gala, Basel Alqeeq, Muath Baniowda, Johann Pally, Joseph Allencherril","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02217-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02217-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The current classification of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) into ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) has limitations in identifying patients with acute coronary occlusion (ACO) who do not exhibit classic ST-elevation. Emerging evidence suggests that a reclassification to \"Occlusive Myocardial Infarction\" (OMI) may enhance diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic interventions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted, focusing on the pathophysiology, electrocardiographic (EKG) patterns, and management of ACO. The utility of the OMI paradigm was evaluated against the traditional STEMI/NSTEMI framework, with a particular emphasis on atypical EKG findings and their role in guiding early intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Traditional STEMI criteria fail to identify ACO in approximately 30% of NSTEMI patients, leading to delayed reperfusion and increased mortality. The OMI framework demonstrates improved sensitivity (78.1% vs. 43.6% for STEMI criteria) for detecting ACO by incorporating subtle EKG changes, including hyperacute T-waves, de Winter T-waves, and posterior infarction patterns. OMI-guided management facilitates timely diagnosis and intervention, potentially reducing adverse outcomes. Emerging artificial intelligence (AI) tools further enhance EKG interpretation and clinical decision-making.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Transitioning to the OMI paradigm addresses critical gaps in the STEMI/NSTEMI framework by emphasizing the identification of ACO irrespective of ST-segment elevation. This approach could significantly improve patient outcomes by reducing delays in reperfusion therapy. Future randomized trials are needed to validate the OMI paradigm and optimize its implementation in clinical practice.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"75"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11950105/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143718244","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}
{"title":"Viral Infection and Connexin Dysfunction in the Heart.","authors":"Chelsea M Phillips, James W Smyth","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02227-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02227-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Gap junctions, comprising connexin proteins, enable the direct intercellular electrical coupling of cardiomyocytes, and disruption of this process is arrhythmogenic. In addition, gap junctions effect metabolic coupling and of relevance to this review, propagate host antiviral immune responses. Accordingly, connexins have emerged as viral targets during infection. This review summarizes current knowledge regarding contributions of inflammation vs virally encoded factors in driving alterations to cardiac gap junction function.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>In addition to host immune-mediated effects on cardiac electrophysiology and gap junctions in myocarditis, there is now increasing appreciation for virally encoded factors targeting connexin function in acute/active infection. We now know diverse viral species have independently evolved to directly target connexin function during infection. Understanding both the direct and indirect effects of viral infection on cardiac gap junctions is critical to inform treatment strategies and development of novel therapeutics for acute infection as a distinct disease process from chronic myocarditis.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"76"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11950093/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143718176","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}
John F Mulvey, Emily L Meyer, Mikkel Skjoldan Svenningsen, Alicia Lundby
{"title":"Integrating -Omic Technologies across Modality, Space, and Time to Decipher Remodeling in Cardiac Disease.","authors":"John F Mulvey, Emily L Meyer, Mikkel Skjoldan Svenningsen, Alicia Lundby","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02226-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02226-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Despite significant efforts to understand pathophysiological processes underlying cardiac diseases, the molecular causes for the most part remain unresolved. Rapid advancements in -omics technologies, and their application in cardiac research, offer new insight into cardiac remodeling in disease states. This review aims to provide an accessible overview of recent advances in omics approaches for studying cardiac remodeling, catering to readers without extensive prior expertise.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>We provide a methodologically focused overview of current methods for performing transcriptomics and proteomics, including their extensions for single-cell and spatial measurements. We discuss approaches to integrate data across modalities, resolutions and time. Key recent applications within the cardiac field are highlighted. Each -omics modality can provide insight, yet each existing experimental method has technical or conceptual limitations. Integrating data across multiple modalities can leverage strengths and mitigate weaknesses, ultimately enhancing our understanding of cardiac pathophysiology.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"74"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11928419/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143673554","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}
Jacqueline Levene, Alyssa Chang, Anisha Reddy, Alisse Hauspurg, Esa M Davis, Malamo Countouris
{"title":"The Role of Race in Pregnancy, Hypertension, and Long-Term Outcomes.","authors":"Jacqueline Levene, Alyssa Chang, Anisha Reddy, Alisse Hauspurg, Esa M Davis, Malamo Countouris","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02224-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02224-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>This review aims to discuss racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), disparities in peripartum and postpartum outcomes, and strategies to improve health equity.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Racial disparities in HDP are significant contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of preeclampsia has increased over the last 20 years, with the highest prevalence among non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native individuals. Black birthing individuals are at increased risk for cardiovascular-related morbidity and mortality, particularly from complications of HDP. Factors such as social determinants of health and systemic racism have a significant impact on disparities in maternal and fetal outcomes related to HDP. System changes and provider implicit bias training can help address systemic racism. Interventions aimed at improving access to care, such as telehealth and home blood pressure monitoring, as well as incorporating health system navigators that provide peripartum and postpartum support can improve outcomes and promote health equity.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"71"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669335","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}
Elena McMullan, Darukeshwara Joladarashi, Raj Kishore
{"title":"Unpacking Exosomes: A Therapeutic Frontier for Cardiac Repair.","authors":"Elena McMullan, Darukeshwara Joladarashi, Raj Kishore","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02225-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02225-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>The rising global prevalence of cardiovascular disease is driving the need for innovative biotherapeutics. Recently, exosomes-extracellular vesicles involved in paracrine signaling have shown promise in aiding heart repair associated with cardiovascular conditions. Their therapeutic potential encompasses several beneficial mechanisms, including anti-fibrosis, anti-inflammation, pro-angiogenesis, anti-oxidation, and anti-apoptosis, all contributing to improved cardiac function. This review provides a comprehensive overview of exosomes and highlights the latest research on their effectiveness in addressing current challenges in regenerative cardiac medicine.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Current approaches revolve around elucidating and enhancing how different cell types, cargo, and delivery methods impact healing in a pathological cardiovascular environment. The emerging field of therapeutic exosome research is promising for cardiac regeneration due to the beneficial effects of exosomal cargo. The expansion of mechanistic knowledge and the optimization of techniques are required before standard clinical application.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"73"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11925971/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669338","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}
Linqi Jin, Boeun Hwang, Sarah Rezapourdamanab, Vani Sridhar, Roshni Nandwani, Mehdi Salar Amoli, Vahid Serpooshan
{"title":"Bioengineering Approaches to In Vitro Modeling of Genetic and Acquired Cardiac Diseases.","authors":"Linqi Jin, Boeun Hwang, Sarah Rezapourdamanab, Vani Sridhar, Roshni Nandwani, Mehdi Salar Amoli, Vahid Serpooshan","doi":"10.1007/s11886-025-02218-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11886-025-02218-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>This review aims to explore recent advancements in bioengineering approaches used in developing and testing in vitro cardiac disease models. It seeks to find out how these tools can address the limitations of traditional in vitro models and be applied to improve our understanding of cardiac disease mechanisms, facilitate preclinical drug screening, and equip the development of personalized therapeutics.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Human induced pluripotent stem cells have enabled the generation of diverse cardiac cell types and patient-specific models. Techniques like 3D tissue engineering, heart-on-a-chip platforms, biomechanical conditioning, and CRISPR-based gene editing have enabled faithful recreation of complex cardiac microenvironments and disease conditions. These models have advanced the study of both genetic and acquired cardiac disorders. Bioengineered in vitro models are transforming the basic science and clinical research in cardiovascular disease by improving the biomimicry and complexity of tissue analogues, increasing throughput and reproducibility of screening platforms, as well as offering patient and disease specificity. Despite challenges in scalability and functional maturity, integrating multiple bioengineering techniques with advanced analytical tools in in vitro modeling platforms holds promise for future precision and personalized medicine and therapeutic innovations.</p>","PeriodicalId":10829,"journal":{"name":"Current Cardiology Reports","volume":"27 1","pages":"72"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11926001/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669330","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}
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":"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":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11893689/pdf/","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":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}