HerzPub Date : 2026-06-01Epub Date: 2026-05-05DOI: 10.1007/s00059-026-05377-7
Tobias Friedrich Ruf, Theresa Ann-Marie Gößler, Philipp Lurz
{"title":"Transcatheter mitral valve replacement.","authors":"Tobias Friedrich Ruf, Theresa Ann-Marie Gößler, Philipp Lurz","doi":"10.1007/s00059-026-05377-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-026-05377-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Transcatheter mitral valve interventions have seen a tremendous and constant increase in use over the past decade. Treatment is mainly aimed at mitral regurgitation (MR), the most common valve disease in industrialized countries. While transcatheter edge-to-edge repair has been established as the main therapy for this pathology, it is not a one-for-all option, and some types of MR would be better addressed using mitral valve replacement. Furthermore, non-rheumatic mitral valve stenosis and mitral annular calcification can only be treated using mitral valve replacement. Yet, although numerous devices have been developed, with some still under investigation in clinical trials, only three devices have received CE marking in the European Union and FDA approval in the United States. This review aims at providing an overview of current dedicated transcatheter mitral valve replacement therapies and those under investigation, while highlighting the indications as well as the potential and limitations of the devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":"171-183"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147837073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
HerzPub Date : 2026-04-28DOI: 10.1007/s00059-026-05378-6
Nizamettin Selçuk Yelgeç, Can Baba Arın, Ayşegül Aygün, Musa Çağrı Bolca, Kadir Gürkan
{"title":"Advanced interatrial block independently predicts appropriate and inappropriate ICD therapies in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.","authors":"Nizamettin Selçuk Yelgeç, Can Baba Arın, Ayşegül Aygün, Musa Çağrı Bolca, Kadir Gürkan","doi":"10.1007/s00059-026-05378-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-026-05378-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM); however, both appropriate and inappropriate shocks carry important clinical implications. Advanced interatrial block (IAB) is an electrocardiographic marker of atrial conduction disease, but its prognostic impact on ICD shocks in HCM remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with HCM who underwent ICD implantation between 2014 and 2024. Advanced IAB was defined as a P-wave duration of ≥ 120 ms with biphasic morphology in the inferior leads. Appropriate ICD shocks were delivered for sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, whereas inappropriate shocks resulted from supraventricular arrhythmias or device-related causes. Time to first ICD shock was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 184 patients were included (median follow-up: 68.5 months). Patients with advanced IAB exhibited significantly lower shock-free survival for both appropriate and inappropriate ICD shocks. Advanced IAB independently predicted appropriate ICD shocks (hazard ratio [HR]: 6.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.68-13.57; p < 0.001), together with non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (HR: 7.98; p < 0.001). Advanced IAB was also an independent predictor of inappropriate ICD shocks (HR: 3.50, 95% CI: 1.78-6.86; p < 0.001), along with left atrial diameter, atrial fibrillation, and age.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Advanced interatrial block is independently associated with an increased risk of both appropriate and inappropriate ICD shocks in patients with HCM. This simple ECG marker may enhance risk stratification and help optimize ICD follow-up and programming strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147769912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
HerzPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1007/s00059-026-05368-8
Anna Hohneck, Oliver Weingärtner
{"title":"[Response to the letter to the editor from K. Toussaint].","authors":"Anna Hohneck, Oliver Weingärtner","doi":"10.1007/s00059-026-05368-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-026-05368-8","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":"146-148"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146156814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
HerzPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1007/s00059-025-05360-8
A Büscher, L Plagwitz, J Blaschke, D Heider, L Eckardt
{"title":"[Artificial intelligence in risk stratification of acute coronary syndrome : Future vision or already reality?]","authors":"A Büscher, L Plagwitz, J Blaschke, D Heider, L Eckardt","doi":"10.1007/s00059-025-05360-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-025-05360-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) in cardiology has evolved from rule-based expert systems to data-driven, learning models that can support diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making in acute coronary syndrome (ACS). At their core, these are statistical prediction models that infer conditional probabilities for clinical events from data and are therefore, in principle, ideally suited for risk-based decision making. This review article focuses on risk stratification in ACS, with particular emphasis on the detection of type 1 or occlusive myocardial infarction (MI). Models based on clinical variables and high-sensitivity troponin measurements use continuous troponin values in combination with patient characteristics to estimate individual probabilities of MI instead of relying on fixed troponin thresholds. In retrospective studies, they reduce the \"observe zone\", enable faster and safer rule-out decisions, and have the potential to relieve pressure on emergency departments. However, they remain dependent on laboratory assays and currently lack prospective evidence of improvements in patient relevant outcomes. Electrocardiogram (ECG)-based approaches promise greater clinical impact: classical machine learning (ML) on preselected ECG features already yields interpretable models that quantify ischemic patterns and can detect occlusive MI even in the absence of ST-segment elevation. Deep learning models applied directly to raw ECG signals additionally exploit subtle spatiotemporal changes and have outperformed conventional ECG interpretation in early studies. Prospective data on the detection of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) indicate that this can shorten the time to reperfusion.</p>","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":"92-99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145965888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
HerzPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1007/s00059-026-05364-y
Simon Glück, Oliver Przibille, Friedrich Köhler, Ralph Bosch, Eimo Martens
{"title":"[Telemedicine in heart failure : Evidence, benefits and future perspectives].","authors":"Simon Glück, Oliver Przibille, Friedrich Köhler, Ralph Bosch, Eimo Martens","doi":"10.1007/s00059-026-05364-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-026-05364-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recent years telemonitoring for heart failure (TmHi) has transitioned from project-based pilot applications to a structured and fully reimbursed component of routine outpatient care in Germany. This development is supported by robust evidence from randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses demonstrating consistent reductions in mortality and hospitalizations, improved treatment adherence and enhanced continuity of care. Both noninvasive and implant-based monitoring strategies enable early detection of pathophysiological deterioration and facilitate proactive therapeutic adjustments through telemedicine centers (TMZ) in close collaboration with primary physicians. The implementation of TmHi in Germany relies on clear legal, technical and organizational standards, although current practice across centers remains heterogeneous and reveals potential for improvement in workflow standardization, interoperability, staffing and reimbursement management. In addition to the proven clinical benefits, in the context of the demographic changes TmHi is gaining in importance economically and in the healthcare system. Telemonitoring is thus poised to evolve from a specialized adjunct service into a cornerstone of predictive, digitally integrated care of heart failure.</p>","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":"108-115"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146018241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
HerzPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1007/s00059-026-05366-w
Julia Vogler, Joachim R Ehrlich, Henning Jansen, Oliver Przibille, Roland R Tilz, Christoph Stellbrink, Arian Sultan, Stephan Willems
{"title":"[Same-day discharge in electrophysiology : Overview for the practice].","authors":"Julia Vogler, Joachim R Ehrlich, Henning Jansen, Oliver Przibille, Roland R Tilz, Christoph Stellbrink, Arian Sultan, Stephan Willems","doi":"10.1007/s00059-026-05366-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-026-05366-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Electrophysiological procedures in Germany have traditionally required inpatient admission with overnight stay. However, technological advances have led to increased success rates, shorter procedure times and lower complication rates, making same-day discharge (SDD) feasible for most electrophysiological and cardiac implantable electronic device procedures. Implementing safe outpatient electrophysiological procedures requires careful patient selection and standardized workflows addressing pre-, intra- and post-procedural care. Current evidence from European and American studies demonstrate that outpatient procedures achieve complication rates comparable to impatient care while improving patient satisfaction. This paradigm shift ist becoming essential, particularly with the upcoming implementation of the hybrid diagnosis-related groups (DRG) reimbursement system.</p>","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":"126-132"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146085511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
HerzPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-02-11DOI: 10.1007/s00059-025-05363-5
Kai Toussaint
{"title":"[Commentary on \"ESC Guidelines Update 2025 on Dyslipidemia: New Recommendations for Practice\"].","authors":"Kai Toussaint","doi":"10.1007/s00059-025-05363-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-025-05363-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":"143-145"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146156786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tetrandrine has protective role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury via the TRPV2/Ca<sup>2+</sup>/calcineurin/NFAT axis.","authors":"Wenbing Jiang, Lelin Jiang, Yiying Liu, Xiaoli Zhao, Shu'e Huang, Ying Liu, Huanghui Sun, Fanlu Guan","doi":"10.1007/s00059-025-05334-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-025-05334-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The protective function of the tetrandrine (TET)-mediated transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 (TRPV2) channel in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI) has been established in numerous investigations. The objective of the current study was to explain how TRPV2 further modulates downstream factors to influence the progression of MI/RI.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To this end, an MI/RI model in rats and a hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) cell model in H9c2 cells were constructed. Based on western blotting analyses, the effects of TRPV2 on the levels of apoptosis-related proteins as well as calcineurin and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) were ascertained. Evans blue/triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) double staining and H&E staining were, respectively, used to examine the pathological changes and infarction size of myocardial tissues in rats. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis was assessed with TUNEL assays and flow cytometry. Ca<sup>2+</sup> concentration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were determined using a calcium assay kit and dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining, respectively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Downregulated TRPV2 showed a significant ameliorative effect on cardiomyocyte histopathology and infarction area. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis, Ca<sup>2+</sup> concentration, and ROS amounts were also inhibited when TRPV2 was silenced. Furthermore, results indicated that TET could significantly decrease TRPV2, while knocking down TRPV2 markedly suppressed the expression of calcineurin and NFAT.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings shed light on the possible mechanisms behind the TET-mediated TRPV2 channel in MI/RI, indicating that TET has protective functions through downregulation of TRPV2 expression and suppression of the Ca<sup>2+</sup>/calcineurin/NFAT pathway.</p>","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":"133-142"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12982206/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145029717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
HerzPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1007/s00059-026-05367-9
Nora Wainstejn, Alireza Sepehri Shamloo, Verena Tscholl, Gerhard Hindricks, Wilhelm Haverkamp, Nicolaos Dagres
{"title":"[Sudden cardiac death in structural heart disease : Update on prevention].","authors":"Nora Wainstejn, Alireza Sepehri Shamloo, Verena Tscholl, Gerhard Hindricks, Wilhelm Haverkamp, Nicolaos Dagres","doi":"10.1007/s00059-026-05367-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00059-026-05367-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains one of the leading causes of death despite major advances in cardiovascular diagnostics and treatment. Evidence supporting primary prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation is still derived from trials conducted more than two decades ago and no longer reflects contemporary clinical practice. Modern heart failure treatment, improved coronary artery disease (CAD) management and refined prevention strategies have substantially reduced the risk of SCD and question the role of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) as the primary selection criterion. Recent studies further demonstrated that a universal survival benefit due to an ICD is absent in several patient groups previously considered to have a high risk. Current developments emphasize individualized risk stratification incorporating the overall risk, imaging-based markers such as scar architecture on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), genetic variants, modifiable therapeutic factors and electrocardiographic parameters. In addition, artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches offer new opportunities for risk prediction in both high-risk populations and the general population. Ongoing trials, such as PROFID-EHRA and CONTEMP-ICD are expected to fundamentally reshape the risk stratification and guideline recommendations. Until then, decisions regarding ICD implantation remain an interdisciplinary challenge.</p>","PeriodicalId":12863,"journal":{"name":"Herz","volume":" ","pages":"100-107"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146164993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}