The overall survival rate of athletes who suffer sudden cardiac arrest has improved over the past decade, but the likelihood of surviving varies by race, where the cardiac arrest occurred and what athletes were doing when they collapsed, according to featured clinical research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25) and simultaneously published in JACC.

About The Study: This study found that despite increased participation in U.S. long distance running races, the incidence of cardiac arrest during U.S. marathons and half-marathons remains stable. There has been a marked decline in cardiac arrest mortality, and coronary artery disease was the most common etiology among cases with sufficient cause-related data. Effective emergency action planning with immediate access to defibrillation may explain the improvement in survival.

Compared with standard medical care, early use of a temporary intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) to support heart function in patients who were critically ill with cardiogenic shock caused by heart failure did not improve 60-day survival or enable more patients to successfully transition to long-term treatment, according to featured clinical research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25) and simultaneously published in JACC. The trial was stopped early when an independent monitoring group of physicians concluded that the device offered patients no additional benefit.

People with heart failure are often advised to limit their fluid intake. However, a large study led by Radboud university medical center now shows that this practice does not provide any health benefits. Researchers writing in Nature Medicine found that it is safe when patients with heart failure regulate their own fluid intake.

At two years of follow-up, patients with a poorly functioning tricuspid valve in the heart who received the best available medical therapy plus a minimally invasive procedure using a clip to repair the valve were 28% less likely to be hospitalized for recurrent heart failure than similar patients who were initially randomly assigned to medical therapy alone. The study was presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25).

A device designed to remove embolic material—fragments of tissue that can be released into the bloodstream during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)—did not result in a reduction in the rate of stroke, according to a randomized trial presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25). 

About The Study: Among patients with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction/heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in the Finerenone Trial to Investigate Efficacy and Safety Superior to Placebo in Patients With Heart Failure randomized clinical trial, higher proportions of cardiovascular and overall mortality in those with ejection fraction less than 50% were related principally to higher proportions of sudden death. A clear treatment effect of finerenone on cardiovascular or cause-specific mortality was not identified, although the trial was likely underpowered for these outcomes.

A program that delivered in-home visits from a trained paramedic team to people with heart failure did not significantly reduce 30-day hospital readmissions or improve health status compared with standard follow-up phone calls, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.25).