Volume 13 Issue 12, December 2016

When administered in the setting of an acute myocardial infarction, β-blockers decrease myocardial ischaemia, reduce the rates of reinfarction and serious ventricular tachyarrhythmias, and have substantial early benefits. However, the benefits of prolonged β-blockade after acute myocardial infarction are unproven and are discussed.

3D printing applications for cardiovascular care range from models for education to planning and simulation of interventions and the generation of implantable devices. This Review summarizes the current cardiovascular 3D printing strategies and applications, including the workflow from image acquisition to the generation of a hand-held model, and highlights the future perspectives of cardiovascular 3D printing.

Bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) are new-generation stents that offer considerable advantages over traditional metallic implants. In this Review, Indolfi and colleagues provide an overview of the clinical studies on BVS, highlighting the importance of BVS implantation technique and the emerging safety profile of these devices in percutaneous coronary intervention.

The cardiovascular benefits of weight loss in patients with obesity are well documented. Bariatric surgery is an effective and long-lasting strategy for weight loss, and can improve many cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and dyslipidaemia. In this Review, Beamish and colleagues highlight the effects of bariatric surgery on cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes.

Brugada syndrome is a major cause of sudden cardiac death in young patients without structural heart disease. In this Review, Sieira and colleagues summarize the mechanisms involved in the development of Brugada syndrome, and discuss the available options for risk stratification and management.