Introduction. Iron deficiency and anaemia, alone or in combination, are common in patients with heart failure and associated with increased risk of cardiovascular hospitalisation and death.1–3 The WHO4 defines anaemia as a haemoglobin <120 g/L for women and <130 g/L for men. Recent data suggest that even borderline anaemia (ie, 10 g/L above the WHO threshold) is associated with an increase ...

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk increases with age. Statins reduce cardiovascular risk but their effects are less certain at older ages. We assessed the long-term effects and cost-effectiveness of statin therapy for older people in the contemporary UK population using a recent meta-analysis of randomised evidence of statin effects in …

The increasing burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) and significant morbidity/mortality associated with this arrhythmia encourage screening it in clinical practice, as recommended in current guidelines. It means opportunistic screening (in patients over 65 years) or systematic screening (in people above 75 years) by using clinical examination, followed by an ECG, 24-hour ECG monitoring or ...

Each year the Heart editorial team selects the most meritorious research papers to receive the Heart Best Research Paper Award.. We are pleased to announce the winner and finalists for the Heart Best Research Paper Award 2024 in recognition of high quality and clinical impact.

Cardiovascular alterations are common in patients who had ischaemic stroke, haemorrhagic stroke and other acute brain disorders such as seizures. These cardiac complications are important drivers of morbidity and mortality and comprise blood-based detection of cardiomyocyte damage, ECG changes, heart failure and arrhythmia. Recently, the concept of a distinct ‘stroke-heart syndrome’ has ...

Background The relationship between atherosclerosis and endotypes of myocardial ischaemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA) is unclear. We investigated potential associations between cumulative atherosclerotic plaque burden quantified using the Gensini score, novel invasive indices of coronary microvascular function (microvascular resistance reserve (MRR); resistive reserve ...

### Learning objectives Heart failure is a syndrome characterised by a triad of symptoms, signs and objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction. The syndrome is divided into subtypes based on left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Where the LVEF is below 40% this is termed heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). This differentiation …

Introduction. Ventricular pre-excitation is an electrocardiographic finding characterised by a delta wave and short PR interval. It is estimated that 1 in 1000 people will exhibit this pattern on the ECG; however, the true prevalence is likely under-represented because at least half of known patients with pre-excitation do not develop symptoms.1 This …

Ventricular ectopic beats (VEBs) are commonly seen in daily clinical practice. They are largely asymptomatic but can cause upsetting symptoms in some patients. In normal hearts, their occurrence is usually associated with no clinical significance. However, there are occasions where the presence of VEBs signifies a susceptibility towards more sinister arrhythmias, especially when heart disease ...

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has been a key variable for the diagnosis and management of heart failure over the last three decades. The British Society of Echocardiography recently updated their normal reference intervals for assessment of cardiac dimensions and function.1 They describe four categories of left ventricular function and a …