Emanuele Bobbio, Christian L Polte, Entela Bollano, Carsten Tschöpe
{"title":"Giant cell myocarditis or sarcoidosis? Time to develop clinically driven non-invasive decision algorithms in inflammatory myocardial diseases: integrating clinical features, biomarkers and multimodality imaging.","authors":"Emanuele Bobbio, Christian L Polte, Entela Bollano, Carsten Tschöpe","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2692679","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2692679","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"563-568"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148271051","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abdul Qadeer, Diann Gaalema, Mohanad Albayyaa, Areeba Fareed, Ibrahim Mortada, Brian Katz, Matthew L Mendoza, Afaq Motiwala, Thomas Blackwell, Hani Jneid
{"title":"Life's Essential 8 and its role in cardiovascular health: evolution, evidence, and future directions.","authors":"Abdul Qadeer, Diann Gaalema, Mohanad Albayyaa, Areeba Fareed, Ibrahim Mortada, Brian Katz, Matthew L Mendoza, Afaq Motiwala, Thomas Blackwell, Hani Jneid","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2699875","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2699875","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading global cause of mortality. To improve prevention, the American Heart Association introduced Life's Simple 7 (LS7) in 2010 and updated it to Life's Essential 8 (LE8) in 2022. This review summarizes the development, scientific rationale, predictive validity, and clinical applications of LE8 across diverse populations.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>A comprehensive search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus through December 2025 identified studies evaluating LS7 and LE8 in U.S. and international cohorts. Evidence from prospective studies, registries, and validation analyses was synthesized to assess prognostic performance. LE8 includes diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, sleep health, body mass index, blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure, each scored on a 0-100 scale. Higher LE8 scores consistently correlate with lower risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart failure, cognitive decline, chronic kidney disease, and all-cause mortality. Findings from NHANES, ARIC, CARDIA, and REGARDS demonstrate strong prognostic validity, while international studies support reproducibility.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>LE8 provides a practical framework for cardiovascular health assessment, risk communication, and prevention. Broader implementation may improve population health, although challenges remain, including reliance on self-reported measures and limited integration of psychosocial and environmental determinants of health.</p>","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"641-662"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148381789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prosthetic valve thrombosis: contemporary concepts in diagnosis and management.","authors":"Mohsin Raj Mantoo, Nayani Makkar, Gautam Sharma","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2700450","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2700450","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) is a serious, potentially life-threatening complication of mechanical heart valves. Its management remains challenging, with persistent debate regarding the optimal roles of surgery and thrombolytic therapy.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review summarizes contemporary approaches to the diagnosis and management of PVT, based on evidence from observational studies, randomized trials, and major guideline documents. Literature was identified through a PubMed search from inception to March 2026, supplemented by manual review of relevant references. We discuss the role of echocardiography and multimodality imaging in diagnosis, thrombus characterization, and therapeutic decision-making. Evidence comparing surgery and thrombolysis is reviewed, including historical outcomes with conventional thrombolytic regimens and contemporary data using low-dose, slow- or ultraslow-infusion protocols. Recent randomized evidence, including SAFE-PVT and TENET, is considered in the context of current practice.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Management of PVT has shifted from a surgery-dominant paradigm toward individualized, imaging-guided decision-making. In selected patients, standardized fibrinolytic protocols now offer high success rates with acceptable safety, particularly where surgical risk or access is limiting. Surgery remains essential for patients with contraindications to thrombolysis, large thrombus burden, recurrent thrombosis, or failed fibrinolysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"609-624"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148396408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vasiliki Androutsopoulou, Andrew Xanthopoulos, Prokopis-Andreas Zotos, Thanos Athanasiou, Vanesa Brecher, Dimitrios E Magouliotis
{"title":"Approaches to transcatheter aortic valve replacement failure: is more focus on prevention required?","authors":"Vasiliki Androutsopoulou, Andrew Xanthopoulos, Prokopis-Andreas Zotos, Thanos Athanasiou, Vanesa Brecher, Dimitrios E Magouliotis","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2698021","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2698021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has transformed the management of severe aortic stenosis across all surgical risk strata. As its use expands to younger, lower-risk patients, the durability of transcatheter heart valves and the clinical consequences of prosthetic failure have become critically important. Despite a growing literature on reintervention strategies, systematic prevention of TAVR failure remains comparatively underemphasized.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Library (2000-2026, English language) for studies on TAVR failure and its prevention. This review examines the mechanisms of TAVR failure, including structural valve deterioration, paravalvular leak, prosthesis-patient mismatch, subclinical leaflet thrombosis, valve endocarditis, and device migration; appraises current management, including valve-in-valve TAVR, redo surgical aortic valve replacement, and medical therapy; and reviews prevention strategies spanning patient selection, procedural optimization, antithrombotic management, structural surveillance, coronary access preservation, and lifetime planning.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>The evidence base has focused disproportionately on reintervention rather than prevention. Greater emphasis on structured lifetime management planning at index TAVR, individualized antithrombotic strategies, and evidence-based surveillance is needed. Several proposed measures, however, including routine anticoagulation for subclinical leaflet thrombosis and routine CT or artificial-intelligence-based surveillance, are not yet supported by outcome data and require prospective validation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"593-607"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148351380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Efficacy and safety of clopidogrel and aspirin initiated within 72 hours after mild ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA by sex: a prespecified subgroup analysis of the INSPIRES trial.","authors":"Xiaodong Li, Ying Gao, Hongyi Yan, Yongjun Wang, Yuesong Pan, Ling Guan, Yilong Wang","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2696285","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2696285","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Sex differences may influence outcomes of dual antiplatelet therapy after acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). We evaluated whether treatment effects of clopidogrel plus aspirin differ by sex in patients with mild ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA. .</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>This prespecified subgroup analysis used data from the INSPIRES trial, a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial conducted in China. Patients aged 35-80 years enrolled within 72 hours of symptom onset were randomized to clopidogrel plus aspirin or aspirin alone. The primary efficacy outcome was new stroke within 90 days, and the primary safety outcome was moderate-to-severe bleeding. Sex-by-treatment interaction was assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 6,100 patients (female 35.8%), new stroke occurred in 7.9% of females and 6.95% of males in the clopidogrel plus aspirin group, compared with 9.9% and 8.71% in the aspirin group, respectively. No significant sex-by-treatment interaction was observed for stroke prevention. Rates of moderate-to-severe bleeding were low and similar between females and males, with no evidence of interaction.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this prespecified subgroup analysis, clopidogrel plus aspirin showed no sex-based differences in efficacy or safety. These findings do not support sex-specific treatment effects. .</p><p><strong>Trial registration: </strong>ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03635749).</p>","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"663-673"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148367362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marcio J Concepcion-Zavaleta, Jenyfer M Fuentes-Mendoza, Luis Concepción-Urteaga, Selina A Castillo-Balderas, Juan Carlos Morón Siguas, José Paz-Ibarra, Juan Eduardo Quiroz Aldave
{"title":"Early autonomic neuropathy in prediabetes: an overlooked driver of cardiometabolic risk.","authors":"Marcio J Concepcion-Zavaleta, Jenyfer M Fuentes-Mendoza, Luis Concepción-Urteaga, Selina A Castillo-Balderas, Juan Carlos Morón Siguas, José Paz-Ibarra, Juan Eduardo Quiroz Aldave","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2696292","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2696292","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Autonomic neuropathy is increasingly recognized as an early consequence of glucose dysregulation that may precede type 2 diabetes and contribute to cardiovascular risk.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This narrative review summarizes current evidence on autonomic dysfunction in prediabetes, including its epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical significance, and therapeutic implications. A literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies published between 2010 and 2026. Evidence indicates that alterations in heart rate variability, impaired baroreflex sensitivity, endothelial dysfunction, and chronic low-grade inflammation contribute to autonomic imbalance and increased cardiovascular risk in individuals with impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Autonomic dysfunction should be considered an early manifestation of cardiometabolic disease rather than a late complication of diabetes. Although accumulating evidence supports its prognostic relevance, routine screening remains limited by the absence of standardized diagnostic criteria and clear guideline recommendations. Incorporating autonomic assessment into risk stratification may facilitate earlier identification of high-risk individuals and support targeted preventive strategies. Future studies should focus on validating diagnostic thresholds and determining whether early intervention improves long-term cardiovascular outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"625-640"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148338318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contemporary approach and key considerations to asymptomatic aortic stenosis treatment.","authors":"Marko Banovic, Bernard Iung","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2696295","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2696295","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common and the deadliest valvular disease. The treatment of asymptomatic patients with severe AS remains a subject of investigation. Recently, ESC/EACTS guidelines for valvular diseases introduced a new indication for the treatment of asymptomatic low-risk patients with isolated high-gradient severe AS, as an alternative to clinical surveillance.</p><p><strong>Area covered: </strong>This paper attempts to provide a rational, clinically oriented and evidence-based approach to the treatment of asymptomatic patients with high-gradient severe AS without additional adverse factors such as decrease in left ventricular systolic function or increase in natriuretic peptides. We searched for original and review papers through the PubMed database using the keywords: aortic stenosis, asymptomatic, risk stratification and intervention, without limiting the time period of the analyzed papers.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>The latest ESC/EACTS recommendations for the treatment of asymptomatic AS should be considered adequate. Considering differences in patient characteristics and heterogeneous treatment modalities, as well as differences in institutional-level outcomes, the optimal intervention strategy still needs clarification. Ongoing trials in asymptomatic patients with severe AS should provide significant new evidence. The diverse array of therapeutic options emphasizes the need for TAVI vs. SAVR randomized trial in middle-aged asymptomatic patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"569-576"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148338340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Vericiguat for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a perspective from approval to real-world clinical treatment.","authors":"Junlong Chen, Jian Liu, Dongying Zhang, Justin Ezekowitz","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2697037","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2697037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Despite foundational quadruple guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) face substantial residual risk. Vericiguat, a novel soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, provides a crucial therapeutic option by directly targeting the impaired NO-sGC-cGMP signaling pathway to mitigate this risk.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review synthesizes current literature tracking vericiguat's trajectory from pivotal clinical trials (VICTORIA, VELOCITY, and VICTOR) to its emerging real-world implementation. We examine its efficacy, hemodynamic and renal tolerability, and safety profile across the HFrEF spectrum. Additionally, we provide a framework for clinical decision-making, addressing optimal patient selection, initiation timing, and the navigation of polypharmacy.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>Current evidence suggests that vericiguat may represent a valuable adjunctive therapy for selected high-risk patients with HFrEF, with a generally favorable hemodynamic and renal tolerability profile that appears not to substantially exacerbate hypotension or hyperkalemia when integrated with contemporary guideline-directed medical therapy. To maximize its real-world implementation, clinicians must overcome clinical inertia and embrace the purposeful deprescribing of non-essential symptomatic medications. Future research should prioritize advanced renal disease cohorts and biomarker-guided phenotyping, ultimately shifting vericiguat from a reactive post-decompensation therapy to an earlier, proactive intervention within a personalized treatment strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"577-592"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148351240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimization strategies for percutaneous coronary intervention in calcified coronary lesions: current evidence and future directions.","authors":"Naoya Yabumoto, Yu Kataoka, Masashi Fujino, Kensuke Takagi, Shuichi Yoneda, Kazuhiro Nakao, Yasuhide Asaumi, Kenichi Tsujita, Teruo Noguchi","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2686828","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2686828","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>PCI for severely calcified lesions is still challenging. Calcified lesions are associated with suboptimal results and increased risks of adverse cardiovascular events after PCI. Therefore, optimized strategies for the treatment of calcified lesions are clinically needed.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review summarizes the current evidence on PCI for calcified lesions. It covers pathological features of calcified lesions, the role of intravascular imaging, and the applicability of a variety of lesion preparation devices. In addition, this review discusses the efficacy and limitations of pharmacological therapies for calcified lesions.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>A broad range of calcified plaque modification devices is currently available, and high-resolution intravascular imaging has enabled detailed assessment of calcified plaque morphology <i>in vivo</i>. The combination of appropriate devices and intravascular imaging will further improve not only acute procedural success but clinical outcomes after PCI for calcified lesions. However, important challenges remain, including limited calcified lesion-specific evidence, the lack of universally validated optimization criteria, and the absence of a standardized treatment algorithm. Further investigation is warranted to establish practical and evidence-based therapeutic approaches for calcified lesions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"533-548"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148204526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Targeted statin and antiplatelet therapy in women with high-risk cardiovascular disease: how can we overcome sex-based differences?","authors":"Sebastián Garcia-Zamora, M Cecilia Bahit","doi":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2686147","DOIUrl":"10.1080/14779072.2026.2686147","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12098,"journal":{"name":"Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy","volume":" ","pages":"503-505"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148162275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}