Heart Failure: Current Trends and Future Directions

A Special Issue of Clinics and Practice (ISSN 2039-7283).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 685

Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Cardiovascular Recovery, Department of Cardiology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
2. Research Centre of Timisoara Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
Interests: cardiovascular disease; atrial fibrillation; heart failure; stroke; coronary artery disease; cardiomyopathy; physical exercise or training; quality of life; anticoagulation; cardiac rehabilitation; primary and secondary prevention; valvular heart diseases; congenital heart disease; cardio genetics; clinical cardiology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heart failure (HF) is a progressive global cardiovascular syndrome associated with high morbidity and mortality and substantial healthcare expenditure. Despite therapeutic advances, HF continues to present heterogeneous clinical phenotypes, complex comorbidity profiles, and significant diagnostic and therapeutic limitations. Rapid scientific progress in molecular cardiology, pharmacotherapy, digital monitoring, and precision medicine is reshaping the contemporary management landscape and opening up new avenues in translational research and future clinical applications.

We invite submissions of original research, systematic reviews, and scholarly perspectives for a forthcoming Special Issue entitled “Heart Failure: Current Trends and Future Directions”. We will showcase high-quality scientific contributions that critically examine evolving concepts, emerging therapeutic strategies, and innovative approaches to diagnosis, risk stratification, and long-term management in HF.

Topics of interest include, but are not restricted to, the following:

  • Contemporary guideline-directed pharmacotherapy and interventions;
  • Pathophysiological mechanisms and molecular targets;
  • Biomarkers, multi-omics, and precision medicine strategies;
  • Advanced cardiac imaging and diagnostic technologies;
  • Digital health integration, remote monitoring, and artificial intelligence;
  • Device-based therapies and interventional approaches;
  • Regenerative medicine, gene-based therapy, and translational advances;
  • Population health disparities and health system models of care.

Our intention is to promote scientific dialogue, highlight current research gaps, and identify emerging directions that may influence future investigation and clinical innovation in HF. 

Prof. Dr. Simona Dragan
Guest Editor

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Clinics and Practice is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heart failure
  • precision medicine
  • pharmacotherapy
  • biomarkers
  • digital health

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 587 KB  
Article
Beyond Ejection Fraction: Inflammatory Risk and Mortality in Heart Failure
by Bozhidar Krastev, Natalia Spasova, Desislava Somleva, Neli Georgieva, Slavi Yakov, Elena Kinova and Assen Goudev
Clin. Pract. 2026, 16(10), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract16100175 - 22 Sep 2026
Viewed by 205
Abstract
Background: Inflammation is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to the progression of heart failure and may partly explain differences in prognosis beyond conventional clinical characteristics. Simple laboratory-based inflammatory indices may offer additional prognostic information, but their value across different heart failure phenotypes [...] Read more.
Background: Inflammation is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to the progression of heart failure and may partly explain differences in prognosis beyond conventional clinical characteristics. Simple laboratory-based inflammatory indices may offer additional prognostic information, but their value across different heart failure phenotypes remains uncertain. Objectives: To investigate the association between the systemic immune-inflammation index and recorded all-cause mortality across the spectrum of heart failure and to evaluate its incremental prognostic value beyond conventional clinical and laboratory variables. Patients and Methods: We evaluated the association between the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and recorded all-cause mortality in patients with heart failure. Multivariable logistic regression models included age, sex, heart failure phenotype, cardiovascular comorbidities, NT-proBNP, renal function, and hemoglobin. Model discrimination and calibration were assessed, and additional analyses evaluated multicollinearity, interaction with heart failure phenotype, and the functional form of the association. Results: Among 637 patients, mortality status was available for 634, of whom 165 died (26.0%). After multivariable adjustment, each doubling of SII was associated with higher odds of recorded all-cause mortality (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.19–1.70; p < 0.001). Previous myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, and NT-proBNP also remained independently associated with mortality, whereas LVEF phenotype was not. No significant interaction was observed between SII and heart failure phenotype. Adding SII improved overall model fit (likelihood-ratio χ2 = 16.17; p < 0.001) and increased the AUC from 0.710 to 0.732, although the difference in discrimination was not statistically significant (DeLong p = 0.076). There was no convincing evidence of marked non-linearity. Conclusions: A higher systemic inflammatory burden was independently associated with recorded all-cause mortality across the heart failure spectrum. This readily available marker may provide complementary prognostic information, but its incremental value appears modest. External validation is needed before it can be considered for routine risk assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heart Failure: Current Trends and Future Directions)
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