Curated, plain-language updates on devices & diagnostics — each summarized and linked
to its original source.
9 items
JACC Studies at ESC Congress 2026 Examine FFRct, Plaque Volume and EAT
Three late-breaking science studies presented during ESC Congress 2026 provide new insights into the use of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) fractional flow reserve (FFRct) to guide patient selection for invasive coronary angiography (ICA), the use of automated deep learning-quantified total plaque volume (TPV) to improve prediction of first coronary events, and the relationship between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) volume and long-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Each study was simultaneously published in JACC Journals.
TARTAN-HF: NT-proBNP Screening Identifies Undiagnosed HF Among Patients With Diabetes
A heart failure (HF) screening strategy focused on NT-proBNP identified a large proportion of patients with diabetes who had previously unrecognized but symptomatic HF, according to research published Aug. 19 in JACC.
Subclinical systolic left ventricular dysfunction in patients with non-significant coronary artery stenosis detected by coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography
Aim: To investigate the relationship between coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) in patients with arterial hypertension who had a negative treadmill exercise stress test but mild to intermediate coronary stenosis on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Methods: A total of 53 hypertensive patients (mean age 54.8 ± 4.8 years; 50.9% male) with 30–50% coronary stenosis on CCTA were included.
Medicine Cardiology Internal medicine Ejection fraction
August 7, 2026
Predictive Value of Coronary Artery Calcium Score From Nongated Chest CT Scans Compared With Gated Scans and Incidence of Cardiovascular Events
BACKGROUND: Data on the prognostic value of incidental coronary artery calcium (CAC) from nongated chest computed tomography scans are limited. Using paired computed tomography scans from the MESA (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) exam 5, we evaluated the relationship between nongated CAC, gated CAC, and future cardiovascular events. METHODS: Between April 2010 and December 2011, a total of 2601 participants underwent same-day gated and nongated chest computed tomography scans.
Medicine Coronary artery disease Radiology Incidence (geometry)
July 27, 2026
Wearable Devices and Machine Learning in Cardiovascular Monitoring: Current Evidence and Future Directions for Precision Medicine
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading global health challenge, claiming approximately 19.8 million lives annually. The convergence of wearable technology and artificial intelligence represents a transformative shift in cardiovascular healthcare, enabling continuous real-time monitoring beyond conventional clinical settings.
Wearable computer Wearable technology Precision medicine Artificial intelligence
July 14, 2026
AI-enhanced electrocardiography as a digital biomarker platform in cardiovascular medicine: clinical applications, validation gaps and future implementation pathways
Artificial intelligence applied to the ECG is expanding the clinical role of this widely available diagnostic tool beyond conventional waveform interpretation by enabling identification of electrophysiological patterns associated with cardiovascular structure, function and risk. Within this evolving framework, the artificial intelligence enhanced ECG is emerging as a scalable digital biomarker platform supporting screening, diagnosis and prognostic stratification across the cardiovascular…
Medicine Heart failure Disease Electrocardiography
July 1, 2026
Coronary calcium to rule out obstructive coronary artery disease in patients with non-anginal chest pain
BACKGROUND: The use of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) to rule out obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) remains debated, with performance differing across symptomatic patient subgroups. However, in patients with non-anginal chest pain, CACS may be particularly effective in identifying those who can be deferred from further testing. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the ability of zero CACS to rule out obstructive CAD in a large cohort of patients presenting with non-anginal chest pain.
An ECG biomarker for sudden cardiac death discovered with deep learning
Abstract Sudden cardiac death is, in theory, preventable with defibrillators. But every year, many patients die without defibrillators because doctors fail to predict their risk 1 . The only predictive biomarker in wide use, cardiac left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), misses most sudden cardiac deaths 2 , and flags many low-risk patients for futile defibrillators that never fire 3,4 .
Sudden cardiac death Medicine Cardiology Internal medicine
June 24, 2026
Implementation of comprehensive genome analysis in clinical sequencing at an academic institution
Abstract Given the increasing number of diseases for which causative genes have been identified, we are facing the need for implementing comprehensive genome sequence analysis as a molecular diagnostic system for patients with hereditary diseases in daily clinical practice. We established a laboratory-developed test (LDT) with the implementation of whole-exome sequence analysis (WES) as the clinical sequencing system at an academic institution. WES was conducted on 81 patients with suspected…
