JAMA Cardiology

In a post hoc analysis of the FINEARTS-HF randomized clinical trial, trajectories of physician-assessed functional status, patient-reported health status, and natriuretic peptide levels were evaluated prior to sudden death, other modes of death, and survival in patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction ( or ).

Sudden death was preceded by modest worsening of New York Heart Association class, an 8-point decline in Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Total Symptom Score, and rising NT-proBNP levels in the 6 months prior to death. Similar, often more pronounced, patterns of deterioration were observed before other cardiovascular modes of death, suggesting limited specificity for sudden death prediction.

https://ja.ma/3SeBY8t

Food supplementation with medically tailored meals or fresh produce was feasible and well accepted in patients with but did not reduce hospitalizations or emergency visits compared to usual care. https://ja.ma/4eHBr6y

💬 Editor's Note: AI-driven screening for left ventricular systolic dysfunction demonstrated high accuracy in Kenyan adults but should be interpreted with caution due to the high-risk enrichment of the study cohort.

https://ja.ma/4gufaeG

Among adults in Kenya, an -enhanced demonstrated high sensitivity and negative predictive value for detecting left ventricular systolic dysfunction, supporting scalable screening in resource-limited settings.

https://ja.ma/4adjUBE

In patients with obstructive , aficamten improved exercise measures, including peak oxygen uptake and recovery, compared to metoprolol, supporting its use as first-line therapy for symptomatic oHCM.

https://ja.ma/3SzLFya

📝 Case Report: Dual-phase computed tomography demonstrated acute tamponade developing within seconds in a hemodynamically stable patient with type A dissection, highlighting the need for immediate surgical readiness.

https://ja.ma/4gdUZSr

Among adults with Friedreich ataxia , intravenous AAVrh.10hFXN gene therapy was well tolerated and associated with increased frataxin, reduced left ventricular mass index, and lower serum troponin I.

https://ja.ma/4a4ycVe

💬 Editor's Note by JAMA Cardiology Associate Editor Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, and Deputy Editor John J. V. McMurray, MD: A post hoc analysis of a multinational trial compared with in patients with , extending evaluation beyond the traditional cardiovascular composite endpoint to include broader cardiorenal outcomes.

Tirzepatide was associated with a statistically significant reduction in this expanded composite. However, the exploratory design and use of a comparator dose selected at trial initiation limit conclusions, and the analysis highlights the need for dedicated outcome studies to clarify incremental benefits of dual incretin therapies.

https://ja.ma/3QMROGR

In patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, aficamten improved exercise measures, including peak oxygen uptake and recovery, compared to metoprolol, supporting its use as first-line therapy for symptomatic oHCM.

Exercise Performance With Aficamten vs Metoprolol in oHCM This randomized clinical trial assesses the use of aficamten vs metoprolol for exercise in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

In a post hoc analysis of SURPASS-CVOT, patients with type 2 and cardiovascular disease treated with the dual GLP-1 and GIP agonist tirzepatide had a lower incidence of a composite cardiorenal end point—including all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, heart failure hospitalization, and adverse kidney outcomes—compared with those treated with the GLP-1 agonist dulaglutide (hazard ratio, 0.84). Gastrointestinal adverse events were more common with tirzepatide, but other adverse events were similar. These findings suggest broader cardiorenal benefit with tirzepatide in this high-risk population.

Cardiorenal Outcomes With Tirzepatide Compared With Dulaglutide This parallel-design double-blind trial includes a post hoc analysis of data for patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease to compare the incidence of an expanded range of cardiorenal adverse events for tirzepatide vs dulaglutide.