Optimizing outcomes in heart failure: 2022 and beyond.

Although the development of therapies and tools for the improved management of heart failure (HF) continues apace, day-to-day management in clinical practice is often far from ideal. A Cardiovascular Round Table workshop was convened by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to identify barriers to the optimal implementation of therapies and guidelines and to consider mitigation strategies to improve patient outcomes in the future. Key challenges identified included the complexity of HF itself and its treatment, financial constraints and the perception of HF treatments as costly, failure to meet the needs of patients, suboptimal outpatient management, and the fragmented nature of healthcare systems. It was discussed that ongoing initiatives may help to address some of these barriers, such as changes incorporated into the 2021 ESC HF guideline, ESC Heart Failure Association quality indicators, quality improvement registries (e.g. EuroHeart), new ESC guidelines for patients, and the universal definition of HF. Additional priority action points discussed to promote further improvements included revised definitions of HF 'phenotypes' based on trial data, the development of implementation strategies, improved affordability, greater regulator/payer involvement, increased patient education, further development of patient-reported outcomes, better incorporation of guidelines into primary care systems, and targeted education for primary care practitioners. Finally, it was concluded that overarching changes are needed to improve current HF care models, such as the development of a standardized pathway, with a common adaptable digital backbone, decision-making support, and data integration, to ensure that the model 'learns' as the management of HF continues to evolve.

Non-invasive imaging as the cornerstone of cardiovascular precision medicine.

AIMS: To provide an overview of the role of cardiovascular (CV) imaging in facilitating and advancing the field of precision medicine in CV disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Non-invasive CV imaging is essential to accurately and efficiently phenotype patients with heart disease, including coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure (HF). Various modalities, such as echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, cardiac computed tomography (CT), cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), and invasive coronary angiography, and in some cases a combination, can be required to provide sufficient information for diagnosis and management. Taking CAD as an example, imaging is essential for the detection and functional assessment of coronary stenoses, as well as for the quantification of cardiac function and ischaemic myocardial damage. Furthermore, imaging may detect and quantify coronary atherosclerosis, potentially identify plaques at increased risk of rupture, and guide coronary interventions. In patients with HF, imaging helps identify specific aetiologies, quantify damage, and assess its impact on cardiac function. Imaging plays a central role in individualizing diagnosis and management and to determine the optimal treatment for each patient to increase the likelihood of response and improve patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Advances in all imaging techniques continue to improve accuracy, sensitivity, and standardization of functional and prognostic assessments, and identify established and novel therapeutic targets. Combining imaging with artificial intelligence, machine learning and computer algorithms, as well as with genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches, will become state of the art in the future to understand pathologies of CAD and HF, and in the development of new, targeted therapies.

Regional thermoablation of local or metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

The objective of the study was to elucidate thermal based ablation techniques for local tumor control. Seven lesions of renal cell carcinoma (2 renal, 1 adrenal, 2 muscle, 1 hepatic, 1 bone) were treated under local (n=2) or general (n=6) anaesthesia with percutaneous cryoablation (CRA): CryoHit device or radiofrequency (RF) ablation (RFA): RF 3000). Treatment was palliative in 4 patients with progression after systemic therapies, and with curative intention in one organ confined tumor (patient with active HCV and HIV infection). Mean power for RFA was 165 watts. Duration of treatments was 10-91 min. No bleeding or urinary leakage was observed; no drainage or indwelling catheters necessary. Pain relief was sufficiently achieved by tramadol and novaminesulfon. Inpatient period on average was 4.25 days. CRA led to complete tumor destruction (CTD) of an adrenal mass (time to progression, 15+ months) and partial tumor destruction (PTD) of a lumbar lesion (19 months); RFA resulted in CTD of 3 lesions (liver, 9+ months; kidney, 1+, 13+ months) and PTD in 2 lesions (muscle and bone, 3 months). In conclusion, it was found that CRA and RFA are safe and effective methods to destroy metastatic RCC. Such minimal invasive techniques are favorable for palliative treatment (low performance status, surgical preconditions) and in conjunction with immunochemotherapy; A decreased risk of bleeding, the shorter duration of hospitalization and a faster recovery of the patient encourage minimal invasive percutaneous thermal based therapies due to life-quality and economic aspects. Treatment of primary renal cell carcinoma is currently under investigation.