Perspectives

In 1993, Lincoff and Topol claimed that the thrombolytic treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction was suboptimal in many patients and gave an ‘illusion of reperfusion’. In this Perspective article, the authors propose that a similar illusion of revascularization exists for contemporary percutaneous revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease and ischaemia, and identify how outcomes might be improved.

In this Perspective article, Garg and colleagues discuss the evidence linking abnormal aortic flow patterns with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and describe how changes in aortic flow can be targeted by novel aortic valve interventions.

Calcific aortic valve disease and stenosis have a complex pathogenesis, and no therapies are available that can halt or slow their progression. In this Perspective, Narula and colleagues explore a possible relationship between amyloid deposition, calcification and the development of aortic valve stenosis.

In this Perspectives article, the authors highlight what is known about cardiovascular sequelae in survivors of COVID-19 and discuss important questions that need to be addressed in prospective studies to understand and mitigate these lasting cardiovascular consequences, including in post-acute COVID-19 syndrome.

In this Perspectives article, Oatmen and colleagues propose that, because abnormal fibroblast populations present in pressure-overload hypertrophy and cancer have similar molecular features, chemotherapeutic agents might be effective in preventing the progression of pressure-overload hypertrophy to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

The Framingham Heart Study (FHS) has been collecting epidemiological data on cardiovascular risk factors and disease for >70 years. In this Timeline Perspectives article, the authors summarize the major achievements of the FHS, highlight some of the seminal publications and discuss how epidemiological research has changed and continues to evolve.