CARDIOPROGRESS
Foundation for the advancement of cardiology

Prolactin Tied to Poorer Diastolic Function in Men With Type 2 Diabetes Higher prolactin levels were associated with poorer diastolic function and worse New York Heart Association functional class, a marker of heart failure severity, in men with type 2 diabetes but not in women. However, prolactin showed no association with systolic function, lipid levels, or A1c levels in either sex.

Ovarian Reserve Decline Patterns Linked to Cardiovascular Risk After Menopause According to a new study, patterns of decreased ovarian reserve during the transition to menopause may be associated with cardiovascular risk after menopause.

Bipolar Disorder Linked to Higher Risk for Cardiovascular Disease A meta-analysis has shown that adults with bipolar disorder (BPD) have a significant number of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Controlled observational studies have shown a higher incidence of cardiovascular complications among people with BPD than among people without BPD.

Healthy Diet May Curb Heart Disease Risk in Cancer Survivors Cancer survivors who adhered to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and other healthy eating patterns showed as much as a one-third lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease over 12 years vs their peers who did not follow those dietary patterns.

Timeless therapeutics: cardiac indications for vitamin K antagonists in clinical practice Anticoagulation is a critical component in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Large randomised controlled trials have demonstrated that direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are effective and safe for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and treatment or prevention of venous thromboembolism.

Prolonged QT interval and risk of recurrent stroke in the Atrial Cardiopathy and Antithrombotic Drugs in Prevention After Cryptogenic Stroke (ARCADIA) trial Background QT interval prolongation is associated with incident stroke in the general population. Whether QT prolongation predicts recurrent stroke is unknown.

Blood Pressure Variability Linked to Mortality in Patients With ANCA-Associated Vasculitis Among patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis undergoing maintenance therapy, greater visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV) was independently associated with an increased risk for all-cause mortality.

Morphine Underused for End-of-Life Dyspnea in the Emergency Department Compared with Inpatient Care Among 250 patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with dyspnea at the end of life, 15.2% received morphine in the ED, whereas 68% received it during subsequent inpatient care. Patients with lung cancer or a do-not-resuscitate order were more likely to receive morphine in the ED, but its use was not associated with reduced survival.

Present state and future of screening for atrial fibrillation: a state-of-the-art review Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia and is a leading cause of stroke and heart failure yet often remains undiagnosed. Screening has been proposed to identify asymptomatic AF and initiate preventive treatment, but evidence for reduction in hard clinical endpoints such as stroke and heart failure remains inconclusive.

Levosimendan versus dobutamine in acute decompensated heart failure: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials Acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction often requires inotropic support. While dobutamine is commonly used, its safety and efficacy remain debated. Levosimendan has emerged as a potential alternative, with distinct pharmacological properties.

Largest medical organizations are calling for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in girls in childhood Four leading US medical organizations have developed a common concept for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in women. The three-part guidance, published in Circulation, brings together the American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. It includes clinical guidance organized around women’s life stages, a scientific advisory explaining the framework, and a proposal for Comprehensive Centers of Excellence for Women’s Cardiovascular Care.

The new International Guidelines On Hypertension Recommend Two Main Treatment Groups New global guidelines for hypertension recommend using two layers of treatment to account for areas around the world working with fewer resources. The International Society of Hypertension (ISH) guidelines, last updated in 2020, are organized around the concept of “essential” and “optimal” levels of care.

Europe Builds a Network to Bring AI Into Heart Care The European Cardiovascular Health Data and AI Network (CHAIN), supported by the European Society of Cardiology, aims to harness health data and AI to improve cardiovascular care. In this context, a new initiative funded through EU4Health — the EU’s 2021-2027 program supporting health systems and health-related projects — aims to harness health data and AI across the cardiovascular care pathway.

Scotland Accepts New RNAi Therapy for Cardiac Amyloidosis The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted vutrisiran sodium (Amvuttra, Alnylam UK Ltd) for restricted use in NHS Scotland as monotherapy in adults with wild-type or hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM).

European experts have proposed new criteria for the diagnosis of cardiogenic shock The European Society of Cardiology has presented new criteria for the diagnosis of cardiogenic shock, which should help to identify the condition faster and unify approaches to its diagnosis. Experts suggest assessing at the same time the signs of impaired blood supply to organs, hemodynamic disorders and severe cardiac dysfunction.

Heart Failure Rewritten: What the 2026 ESC Guidelines Mean for Primary Care At the 2026 Congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), updates to the guidelines on heart failure (HF) were presented.

A new global definition of myocardial infarction A new global definition of myocardial infarction has been devised by a task force of four major cardiology societies, with the goal of enabling cardiologists and other healthcare professionals to better diagnose and treat patients with the condition.

Most important clinical trials presented at the HOT LINE sessions of the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2026 The next Congress of the European Society of Cardiology was held in Munich (Germany) from August 28 to 31, 2026. The motto of this year's event is "Research. Innovation. Inspiration." The Congress participants reviewed 4 new texts of clinical recommendations in various fields of cardiology and other fields of medicine.

ACC and AHA updated their recommendations on statins in 2026 Cardiologists have revised the 2018 statin recommendations. After just under 10 years, during which the target indicators were based solely on percentage reduction, clear numerical target levels for low‑density lipoproteins have been re‑established.

New Tool to Guide Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement A new German trigger tool identified adverse events in pediatric cardiology admissions, with most events causing temporary harm. The tool demonstrated good interrater reliability and was feasible for systematic detection of patient harm in hospitalized children.