With Justyna Sokolska, Institute of Heart Diseases, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw - Poland, and Maja Cikes, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Head at the Unit for Heart Failure and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospital Center, Zagreb - Croatia.

In this episode of HFA CardioTalk, Justyna Sokolska interviews Maja Cikes on the challenges in management of long-term left ventricular assist device in patients with advanced heart failure. The discussion emphasizes the importance of selecting appropriate patients at the optimal time, examines the adverse events and highlights major ongoing clinical trials.

Recommended readings:

Aspirin and Hemocompatibility Events With a Left Ventricular Assist Device in Advanced Heart Failure: The ARIES-HM3 Randomized Clinical Trial, Mehra MR, et al. JAMA. 2023 Dec 12;330(22):2171-81

Trends and Outcomes of Left Ventricular Assist Device Therapy: JACC Focus Seminar, Varshney AS, et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2022 Mar 22;79(11):1092-1107

Cardiac implantable electronic devices with a defibrillator component and all-cause mortality in left ventricular assist device carriers: results from the PCHF-VAD registry, Cikes M, et al. Eur J Heart Fail 2019 Sep;21(9):1129-41

A Fully Magnetically Levitated Left Ventricular Assist Device — Final Report, Mehra MR, et al. N Engl J Med 2019 Apr 25;380(17):1618-27

This 2025 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer AG in the form of an unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

With Robert M.A. van der Boon, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam - The Netherlands, and Anuradha Lala, Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital, New York City - USA.

In this episode of HFA Cardio talk, we dive into how factors like sex, socio-economics status and ethnicity shape the way heart failure presents and progresses in different populations. We’ll discuss why recognizing these differences is critical for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment and highlight practical steps clinicians can take to close the gaps in prevention and care.

Papers:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejhf.2534

https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/40/47/3859/5652224?login=true

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071916421004322?via%3Dihub

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002914922010074?via%3Dihub

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468266719301082?via%3Dihub

https://journals.lww.com/co-cardiology/fulltext/2021/05000/racial_and_ethnic_disparities_in_heart_failure_.12.aspx

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ehf2.14986

This 2025 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer AG in the form of an unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

With Henrique Arfsten, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna - Austria and Alexandre Mebazza, Hospital Lariboisiere, Paris - France.

In this episode of HFA CardioTalk, Henrike Arfsten and Alexandre Mebazaa discuss the importance of rapid initiation and titration of guideline-directed medical heart failure therapy.

A focus will be on data from the STRONG-HF trial, which demonstrated safety and efficacy of rapid up-titration following an acute heart failure event. The trial was even stopped early as the benefits of the intensive treatment strategy were overwhelming. Moreover, specific questions are raised, such as the right time to start therapy and how to deal with possible side effects.

Mebazaa A, et al. Lancet 2022 Dec 3;400(10367):1938-52

Biegus J, et al. Heart Fail Rev 2024 Sep;29(5):1065-1077

McDonagh TA, et al. Eur J Heart Fail 2022 Jan;24(1):4-131

McDonagh TA, et al. Eur J Heart Fail 2024 Jan;26(1):5-17

This 2025 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer AG in the form of an unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

With Novi Yanti Sari, Siloam Hospitals, Jakarta - Indonesia, and Mark Petrie, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow - UK.

In this episode of the HFA podcast series, we explore the complex relationship between obesity and heart failure, discussing challenges, management strategies, and the latest therapies, while emphasising the importance of integrated care in improving clinical outcomes.

This 2025 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer AG in the form of an unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

With Jasper Brugts, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam - The Netherlands and Floran Sahiti, University Hospital Würzburg and Comprehensive Heart Failure Center Würzburg, Würzburg - Germany.

In this episode of the HFA Podcast Series, we will discuss telemonitoring in general, with a main focus on invasive monitoring in heart failure, the current evidence, and the advantages and disadvantages of the systems.

This 2025 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer AG in the form of unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsors.

With Daniella Motta da Costa Dan, University of São Paulo - Brazil, and Marianna Adamo, University of Brescia - Italy.

In this episode of HFA CardioTalk, Daniella Motta interviews Marianna Adamo on the controversies, consensus, and challenges surrounding revascularization in ischemic heart failure. The discussion highlights major clinical trials, emphasizes the importance of selecting appropriate patients, and examines the risks and benefits of revascularization in this context. Lastly, they address key updates from the latest ESC guidelines

This 2024 HFA CardioTalk podcast serie is supported by Novartis in the form of an educational grant. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

With Emmanouil Kampanieris, University General Hospital of Heraklion, Heraklion - Greece, and Peter Van Der Meer, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen - The Netherlands.

In this episode, Peter Van Der Meer and Emmanouil Kampanieris discuss peripartum cardiomyopathy, a potentially life-threatening condition that presents as heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in women in the last month of pregnancy or in the months after delivery, after other causes of heart failure have been excluded.

Peripartum Cardiomyopathy is defined as cardiomyopathy occurring towards the end of pregnancy or in the months following delivery with a left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) < 45%, when other causes for heart failure have been excluded1. Its incidence differs widely depending on the geographic area being higher in developing countries, as 1:100 pregnancies in Nigeria, while in developed countries being lower, as 1:1500 pregnancies in Germany1. Several risk factors have been associated with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy, as pre-eclampsia and many more2. More than half of the affected individuals receiving the appropriate treatment for heart failure have a full recovery in 6 months3. The role of bromocriptine as a potential specific treatment for Peripartum Cardiomyopathy remains uncertain and randomized clinical trials are needed for determining its benefits and safety 2,4. Women willing to have a subsequent pregnancy should be counseled and monitored by a multidisciplinary team experienced with Peripartum Cardiomyopathy3.

References:

1. Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of peripartum cardiomyopathy: a position statement from the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology Study Group on peripartum cardiomyopathy.

2. Peripartum Cardiomyopathy: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

3. Long-term prognosis, subsequent pregnancy, contraception and overall management of peripartum cardiomyopathy: practical guidance paper from the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology Study Group on Peripartum Cardiomyopathy

4. Bromocriptine treatment and outcomes in peripartum cardiomyopathy: the EORP PPCM registry

This 2024 HFA CardioTalk podcast serie is supported by Novartis in the form of an educational grant. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.