Popular chatbots offer medical record integration
January 22 ,2026
Overview:Patients will soon have the option to integrate their medical records with popular AI programs, highlighting new dangers along with opportunities to bridge gaps in care, according to experts.OpenAI announced ChatGPT Health — a new experience designed for wellness, according to a press release — on Jan. 7.According to OpenAI, every week, more than 230 million people around the world ask ChatGPT health- or wellness-related questions. But the new feature will allow users to directly connect their medical records and wellness apps “to ground conversations” in a user’s more
2026: The year our toolbox expands in cardiology
January 22 ,2026
Overview:At the beginning of 2025, the American Heart Association released its annual statistics on heart disease, which sadly remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., accounting for more deaths each year than the next two causes combined.The survey found heart disease risk factors continue to rise, and, if current trends continue, more than 180 million people in the U.S. — or nearly half of current population of the U.S. — may have hypertension by 2050.Cardiologists may face what seems like an uphill battle when treating such a prevalent disease, but this does not have to continue. Expanding more
Increased BMI, blood pressure raise odds for dementia
January 22 ,2026
Overview:Adults with higher BMI or increased blood pressure may be more likely to develop vascular-related dementia, researchers reported in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.“Our findings show that overweight and high blood pressure are direct causes of increased dementia risk — that makes them highly actionable targets for dementia prevention at the population level,” Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, MD, PhD, DMSci, chief physician at Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet and clinical professor at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, told Healio. “These data can, however, not be more
GLP-1 strategy for CKD requires patient engagement
January 22 ,2026
Overview:Diabetes care is undergoing a major transformation driven by GLP-1 receptor agonists, which have expanded beyond glycemic control to include weight management, cardiovascular risk reduction and kidney protection.Since 2024, FDA approvals for GLP-1 medications for obesity, CV risk and chronic kidney disease — and even GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonists for sleep apnea — have accelerated clinical adoption.Clinical benefits are clear in reducing CV events and slowing CKD progression, but the financial return on investment (ROI) remains in flux. Current more
Heart disease remains leading cause of death
January 21 ,2026
Overview:The rate of heart disease-related deaths declined from 2022 to 2023, but cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality in the U.S. and globally, accounting for one death every 34 seconds, researchers found.The prevalence of many CVD risk factors continued to increase year-over-year, including obesity and inadequate physical activity, sleep and BP control, whereas cigarette smoking has declined, according to the American Heart Association’s 2026 Statistical Update.The document, designed to highlight the latest trends in CVD mortality and risk factors, was published in more
Better sleep may be key to improving cardiometabolic health
January 21 ,2026
Overview:Adequate sleep duration is essential for overall health, but other components of sleep — a consistent bedtime, uninterrupted sleep, daytime function — can also contribute to cardiometabolic health and associated risk factors.Image: Marie-Pierre St-Onge, PhD. Printed with permission.Taking a multidimensional view of sleep health with targeted goals for each individual may have implications for cardiometabolic health, including diabetes, obesity and a variety of cardiometabolic disorders, according to an American Heart Association scientific statement published in April in Circulation: more
Revisions urged for federal metric for determining emergency stroke care
January 21 ,2026
Overview:A metric for acute stroke care failed to identify preventable events in those patients requiring endovascular thrombectomy while also misidentifying quality of care in hospitals with a high volume of these procedures, new data show.“National hospital outcomes assessments would be revised to avoid penalizing hospitals which receive patients suffering from acute strokes, who from the outset, have poor odds of survival,” Melissa M. Reider-Demer, PhD, DNP, first author and nurse practitioner at UCLA Health, told Healio about the study published in the Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery.The more
COPD detected early with AI-powered electrocardiogram analysis
January 21 ,2026
Overview:An AI-powered model that analyzes electrocardiograms was able to accurately detect COPD early in internal testing and external validation, according to data published in eBioMedicine.“I was excited to see that we could diagnose COPD even 6 months to 15 months earlier than normally would come to attention [with the AI-powered model],” Monica Kraft, MD, Murray M. Rosenberg Professor of Medicine, system chair of the Samuel Bronfman Department of Medicine and associate dean for clinical affairs at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Healio.“In a perfect world, I’d love it to be even more
Food preservatives tied to higher risk for type 2 diabetes
January 20 ,2026
Overview:Higher consumption of widely used food preservatives increased the risk for type 2 diabetes, according to a French study published in Nature Communications.The data “call for a re-evaluation of the risk/benefit balance of these food additive preservatives by the authorities in charge for better consumer protection,” Mathilde Touvier, PhD, a research professor at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research and the study’s senior author, told Healio.The findings from the study, the first in the world to investigate associations between a wide range of food preservatives and more
GLP-1s could improve survival after heart attack
January 20 ,2026
Overview:After nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke, initiation of a GLP-1 receptor agonist was linked to reduced risk for all-cause and CV-related mortality in patients with diabetes, researchers reported.Despite apparent mortality gains after GLP-1 initiation following a major event, uptake remains low and disparities in use have emerged, according to a study.Findings from a national study in the Czech Republic evaluating use of GLP-1s after nonfatal MI or stroke in patients with diabetes were published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.“GLP-1 receptor agonists have more
Peter N. Slack receives Lindstrom Leadership Award
January 19 ,2026
Overview:WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Peter N. Slack, president and CEO of the Wyanoke Group, was honored with the annual Lindstrom Leadership Award and Lecture at Hawaiian Eye 2026.Vance Thompson, MD, who delivered the award alongside David F. Chang, MD, said that Slack’s leadership has been “instrumental” in advancing education, communication and collaboration in the field of ophthalmology.“This family of now four generations has committed to educating those of us who are in health care,” Thompson said.Slack was named president of Slack Incorporated in 1986 by his father Charles B. Slack, which marked the more
Trump urges Congress to enact ‘Great Healthcare Plan’
January 16 ,2026
Overview:President Donald J. Trump announced a health care framework that he said will lower drug prices and insurance premiums and hold insurance companies accountable by improving price transparency.He called on Congress to pass the framework into law “without delay.”“Instead of putting the needs of big corporations and special interests first, our plan finally puts you first and puts more money in your pocket,” Trump said in a video. “It’s called the ‘Great Healthcare’ because it’s great health care at a lower price.”According to a White House fact sheet, the “Great Healthcare Plan” proposes more
Tirzepatide may improve ASCVD risk in those who achieve lower BMI
January 16 ,2026
Overview:Individuals who achieved a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2 in the SURMOUNT trials of tirzepatide also experienced significant improvement in predicted 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk, researchers reported.Participants who achieved a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2 were more likely to be assigned to tirzepatide (Zepbound, Eli Lilly) vs. placebo, to be women and to have lower baseline BMI compared with those who did not, according to the study.A pooled analysis of three tirzepatide trials — SURMOUNT-1, SURMOUNT-3 and SURMOUNT-CN — evaluating the impact of achieving lower BMI more
GLP-1s may reduce mortality for people with sickle cell disease
January 16 ,2026
Overview:ORLANDO — GLP-1 receptor agonist use appeared linked to significantly reduced all-cause mortality among people with sickle cell disease, according to study results presented at ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition.People who used the medications also exhibited reduced risk for other adverse outcomes, including sickle cell crisis, venous thromboembolism, ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, and cardiopulmonary complications.“This study is retrospective, so we cannot conclude causality and there are many questions that need to be answered,” Asfand Yar Cheema, MD, resident physician at more
Weekend warrior lifestyle beneficial in people with hypertension
January 15 ,2026
Overview:People with hypertension who meet guideline-directed levels of weekly physical activity in just 1 or 2 days may derive similar mortality benefit vs. those who are consistently active, researchers reported.The 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, recommended 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week for people with chronic conditions such as hypertension.For the present study, researchers used data from the UK Biobank to determine whether different patterns of physical activity would more
PopHIVE is ‘democratizing the data’ in public health
January 14 ,2026
Overview:Yale School of Public Health recently unveiled a platform that offers reliable, real-time, synthesized health data directly to the public, providing a more complete picture for health care providers and public health experts.PopHIVE — Population Health Information and Visualization Exchange — is a free tool “designed to help people see and act on population health trends,” according to a press release.Daniel Weinberger, PhD, a professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, told Healio that he and the other PopHIVE collaborators were “frustrated for a more
Hypertensive pregnancy disorders vary by ethnicity
January 14 ,2026
Overview:Risks for different forms of pregnancy-related hypertension varied among Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, with Filipino individuals often experiencing highest risk, researchers reported.Varying risk for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy after full adjustment suggests that structural and social factors may come into play in this population, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.“Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander individuals have historically been grouped into one racial/ethnic category for many more
Physicians can earn CME credit by using Healio AI
January 13 ,2026
Overview:Physicians and other health care professionals will be able to earn continuing medical education credits by using Healio AI, according to an announcement from Healio.Through a partnership with sister company Vindico Medical Education, Healio AI is offering Internet Point of Care AMA PRA Category 1 Credits that users can earn for clinical queries in the AI platform. They can continue to use the platform like they normally do and then claim credits for eligible searches that are completed in the Healio AI ecosystem, according to a press release.Launched in November 2025, Healio AI is a more
TV CPR often not reflective of real-world scenarios
January 13 ,2026
Overview:Many TV depictions of CPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest not only made errors in correct technique but may skew public perception of the demographics and settings in which cardiac arrests occur, researchers reported.On TV, people receiving CPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were frequently younger and in public settings, whereas real-life cardiac arrests are more common among older adults in their homes, according to the study.The results of a study evaluating how the way CPR for suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is depicted on TV may impact lay viewers’ perceptions and more
Progression, regression of CVD, risk factors in US
January 12 ,2026
Overview:The American College of Cardiology issued its inaugural JACC Cardiovascular Statistics report, highlighting the prevalence of 10 CVDs and risk factors and trends in quality of care and mortality associated with them.Drawn from national surveys, registries and administrative data, the report, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, outlines the prevalence, treatment and impact on mortality from five CV risk factors — hypertension, diabetes, obesity, LDL cholesterol and cigarette smoking — and five diseases — coronary heart disease, acute MI, heart failure, peripheral more
Optimal Antiplatelet Therapy In NSTE-ACS: Results From A Novel Crowdsourcing Survey
July 07 ,2021
Overview:The choice and duration of antiplatelet therapy in NSTE-ACS undergoing PCI is complex and is a hotly debated topic – particularly amongst patients at high bleeding risk. To gain insight […] more
Results of an international crowdsourcing survey on the utilisation of antiplatelet therapy in NSTE-ACS
June 09 ,2021
Overview:Choosing an antiplatelet strategy in patients with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) at high bleeding risk (HBR), undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is complex given that one must […] more
Hello world!
February 04 ,2021
Overview:Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing! The post Hello world! appeared first on World Heart Federation. more
ACC.20/WCC Virtual continues!
April 05 ,2020
Overview:The World Heart Federation and American College of Cardiology held their first ever virtual congress March 28-30. But it’s not over. All of the ACC.20/WCC Virtual live sessions are now available […] more
2020 ISCP Annual Meeting cancelled
February 26 ,2020
Overview:Notice of Cancellation We regret to have to inform our colleagues and friends that the 2020 ISCP Annual Scientific Meeting in Miami will now be cancelled. The Board of Directors […] more
European Cardiology Review (ECR) now on PubMed and PubMed Central
October 30 ,2018
Overview: European Cardiology Review (ECR) confirms that it has been accepted for indexing on PubMed Central and PubMed. All ECR articles starting from the first issue in July 2014, […] more
WHF to attend the WHO Executive Board meeting in January 2017
January 23 ,2017
Overview:From 23 January to 01 February 2017, the World Health Organization(WHO) will host the 140th session. From 23 January to 01 February 2017, the World Health Organization(WHO) will host the […] more