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Clinical guidelines (GLs) are crafted by professional medical societies with the primary goal of supporting healthcare providers in making informed decisions during routine clinical practice. These GLs serve as practical tools, offering evidence-based recommendations that help clinicians navigate complex scenarios in ...

Acute myocarditis (AM) is an inflammatory condition of the myocardium that may lead to severe complications, including acute heart failure and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). In-hospital VAs are estimated to affect 2.5% of adult patients with AM. Recent insights suggest a genetic predisposition to develop ...

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a life-threatening condition defined by the heart's inability to adequately pump blood to meet metabolic demands, leading to systemic hypoperfusion and insufficient tissue oxygenation. Despite treatment advancements, CS continues to carry high morbidity and mortality rates, especially when it ...

Excess or dysfunctional adipose tissue is a key pathophysiological factor in cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic syndrome. However, until very recently, there was no evidence that pharmacological treatments for obesity could significantly impact major cardiovascular outcomes. Recently, the SELECT study represented the first, ...

Despite major improvements in primary and secondary prevention, a flattening in the improvement of survival curves of patients with or at risk of acute myocardial infarction has been reached in recent years. Pharmacological therapies that reduce LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) levels have shown incremental clinical and vascular ...

Fulminant myocarditis (FM) is a progressive and severe form of acute myocarditis, complicated by cardiogenic shock. The clinical presentation and aetiologies of FM are often heterogeneous, making it difficult to diagnose. Irrespective of how FM presents, it rapidly evolves to haemodynamic deterioration and requires prompt ...

The 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of chronic coronary syndromes expand the concept of CCS (chronic coronary syndrome), adopting a broader vision that includes structural and functional alterations throughout the coronary tree. A significant update concerns the stratification of coronary artery disease risk, with a ...

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) affects the myocardium, vessels, valves, and epi-pericardium. Guidelines and expert consensus documents provide recommendations for the diagnostic work-up, which has the dual purpose of confirming the presence of amyloid deposits and characterizing the amyloidogenic protein. Amyloid typing is ...

For a long time, a prognostic and therapeutic fatalism accompanied even the most motivated clinicians when they had to deal with a progressive decline in renal function; the modest successes were nullified by an increasingly aggressive syndrome whose therapy had remained the same for more than 30 years. In the meantime, ...

Electrocardiogram may play a crucial role in the diagnostic workup of different cardiomyopathies. Electrocardiogram abnormalities in impulse generation and transmission may be an early marker of these insidious pathologies. Some findings are suggestive of definite disorders, and other findings are less sensitive and/or ...

Cardiac pacemakers have revolutionized the management of heart rhythm disorders since their introduction in the mid-20th century. They have played a crucial role in the management of several clinical conditions, from symptomatic bradyarrhythmia to electrical and/or mechanical dyssynchrony. Conventional cardiac pacemakers ...

Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, is a well-established agent in managing patients with high cardiovascular risk. Initially, a formulation was introduced for weekly subcutaneous administration that demonstrated good tolerability and excellent efficacy in controlling glycaemia in patients with type 2 ...

E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have been marketed as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes, leading consumers to believe that they will reduce health risks. However, the scientific evidence collected so far calls this hypothesis into question. Their use as a means of smoking cessation has not only not led ...

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been shown to reduce cardiovascular (CV) mortality and heart failure (HF) hospitalizations, independently from left ventricular ejection fraction (EF). Their efficacy has been assessed both in patients with reduced and preserved EF, with notable benefits in renal ...

Cardiac arrest is a critical emergency in cardiovascular medicine, requiring rapid, multidisciplinary interventions to enhance patient survival and neurological outcomes. This review explores the unique challenges of managing out-of-hospital (OHCA) and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), with a focus on mechanical ...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia associated with a high risk of thrombo-embolic events, such as ischaemic stroke and systemic embolism, which require anticoagulant treatment. Vitamin K antagonists and direct oral anticoagulants represent the current therapeutic standards, but they are limited by the ...

Mineralcorticoid receptor (MR) blockade is a mainstay of treatment for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); however, the benefit is less well established in heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The TOPCAT study failed to demonstrate a ...

Systemic inflammation, which contributes to atherosclerosis development and progression, plays a significant role in addressing the residual cardiovascular risk. Several studies have highlighted a linear correlation between high levels of the inflammation marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and ...

Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) has been recognized as a clinical entity complicating radiofrequency or cryoenergy ablation for atrial fibrillation. Although reduced by technical and procedural advancements, this complication portends remarkable morbidity and presents insidiously with non-specific symptoms causing frequent ...

Transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis is a progressive and fatal disease caused by the deposition of TTR amyloid fibrils in multiple organs and tissues. The HELIOS-B trial (a phase three, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study) tested the safety and efficacy of vutrisiran, a subcutaneous gene silencer, ...