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Heart Failure: Clinical Diagnostics and Treatment, 2nd Edition
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Heart Failure: Clinical Diagnostics and Treatment, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease (ISSN 2308-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Cardiovascular Clinical Research".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 4338

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Evgeny Belyavskiy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité, Medizinisches Versorgungszentrum, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Interests: HFpEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction); diastolic dysfunction; echocardiography; stress-echocardiography; diastolic stress test; speckle-tracking echocardiography; strain; hypertension; sleep apnea
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Daniel A. Morris

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Interests: HFpEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction); diastolic dysfunction; echocardiography; speckle-tracking echocardiography; strain; LV strain; LA strain; RV strain; aortic stenosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nicolas Merke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité, Medizinisches Versorgungszentrum, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
Interests: 3D echocardiography; advanced heart failure; peri operative echocardiography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heart failure (HF) is a major global health problem, and its prevalence is increasing. HF is currently divided into three different phenotypes based on the measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Each phenotype has its own characteristics and criteria for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The development of multimodality imaging in recent years has opened up the possibility of a thorough investigation of all aspects of all types of HF, including diagnosis, individualized treatment, monitoring of the success of therapy, and prevention.

Although echocardiography remains the primary method of the non-invasive diagnosis of heart failure, other non-invasive diagnostic techniques, such as scintigraphy, CT, MRI, and PET-CT, have demonstrated important clinical utility in patients with HF in recent years, mainly for the characterization or diagnosis of specific HF etiologies, such as ATTR amyloidosis, sarcoidosis, and myocarditis. However, many unresolved etiological questions remain, especially in patients with HFpEF and HFmrEF.

Modern cardiovascular medicine involves the simultaneous use of several imaging modalities that provide additional information about complex diseases and enable timely and more effective treatment (whether medication, transcatheter interventions, or cardiovascular surgery), leading to better outcomes for our patients.

Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to provide scientific evidence on the potential usefulness and clinical relevance of multimodality imaging in patients with HF.

You are invited to submit a scientific paper or review article on any aspect related to the topic of this Special Issue.

Dr. Evgeny Belyavskiy
Dr. Daniel A. Morris
Dr. Nicolas Merke
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease 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 2700 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
  • echocardiography
  • strain imaging
  • cardiovascular magnetic resonance
  • heart valve disease
  • new frontiers in valve therapy intervention and surgery
  • 3D imaging
  • lung ultrasound
  • stress echocardiography
  • exercise echocardiography in heart valve disease
  • contrast echocardiography (ultrasound-enhancing agents)
  • echocardiography in mechanical circulatory support (ECMO, Impella, LVAD)
  • atrial fibrillation
  • ablation
  • biomarkers
  • pulmonary vein isolation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1618 KB  
Article
Cardiovascular Effects of Long-Term Treatment with Enhanced External Counterpulsation in Patients with Ischemic Heart Failure: Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Open-Label Clinical Trial
by Alexey S. Lishuta, Olga A. Slepova, Nadezhda A. Nikolaeva and Yuri N. Belenkov
J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis. 2025, 12(9), 352; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcdd12090352 - 13 Sep 2025
Viewed by 759
Abstract
(1) Background. Although treatment with enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) in patients with ischemic chronic heart failure (CHF) is pathophysiologically justified, its long-term vascular effects remain insufficiently defined. We aimed to study the vascular effects of long-term complex treatment (36 months) including EECP in [...] Read more.
(1) Background. Although treatment with enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) in patients with ischemic chronic heart failure (CHF) is pathophysiologically justified, its long-term vascular effects remain insufficiently defined. We aimed to study the vascular effects of long-term complex treatment (36 months) including EECP in patients with ischemic CHF, and to examine the relationship between these effects and clinical outcomes. (2) Methods. A total amount of 120 patients with ischemic CHF were randomized to receive one course of EECP per year (35 h; Group 1), two courses of EECP per year (70 h; Group 2), or one course of placebo-counterpulsation per year (35 h; Group 0;). For a period of 36 months, all patients underwent annual assessments including transthoracic echocardiography, nailfold videocapillaroscopy, finger photoplethysmography, applanation tonometry, exercise tolerance testing, and clinical outcome monitoring. (3) Results. Compared to the placebo group, long-term EECP treatment in patients with ischemic CHF, was accompanied by a significantly greater increase in exercise tolerance (∆23.5–45.0% vs. 7.0%; p < 0.001) and improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction (∆9.9–19.6% vs. 5.6%; p < 0.001) and myocardial stress (decrease in NT-proBNP level ∆−80.4–−82.4% vs. −75.8%; p < 0.001), as well as both functional and structural vascular parameters (p < 0.001). The effect size depended on the annual number of EECP courses. The highest event-free survival was found in Group 2. At 36 months, improvement of vascular parameters emerged as stronger predictors of reduced cardiovascular event risk compared to the 12-month. (4) Conclusions. Long-term EECP treatment of patients with ischemic CHF improves both functional and structural vascular parameters, with an increasing role of their improvement in reducing the risk of cardiovascular events after 36 months. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heart Failure: Clinical Diagnostics and Treatment, 2nd Edition)
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Review

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21 pages, 1199 KB  
Review
The Glymphatic System and Diaphragmatic Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Chronic Heart Failure: The Importance of Inspiratory Rehabilitation Training
by Bruno Bordoni, Bruno Morabito, Vincenzo Myftari, Andrea D’Amato and Paolo Severino
J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis. 2025, 12(10), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcdd12100390 - 2 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1303
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic heart failure (CHF) are pathologies that impact mortality and morbidity worldwide. These chronic diseases have multiple causes, and they share some common clinical symptoms, such as diaphragm dysfunction (DD) and cognitive decline (CD), which, in turn, [...] Read more.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic heart failure (CHF) are pathologies that impact mortality and morbidity worldwide. These chronic diseases have multiple causes, and they share some common clinical symptoms, such as diaphragm dysfunction (DD) and cognitive decline (CD), which, in turn, increase the mortality and morbidity rates in patients with COPD and CHF. One of the causes of CD is impaired glymphatic system function, with an accumulation of proteins and metabolites in the central nervous system. The glymphatic system is a structure that has not yet been widely considered by researchers and clinicians. Three key factors stimulate the ongoing physiological function of the glymphatic system: autonomic balance, heart rate, and, most importantly, the diaphragm. All these factors are altered in patients with COPD and CHF. This article reviews the relationship between the importance of the diaphragm, the glymphatic system, and CD, focusing on inspiratory rehabilitation training (IMT). Based on the data reported in this narrative review, we can strongly speculate that a consistent regimen of IMT in patients can improve cognitive status, reducing the cascade of symptoms that follow the diagnosis of CD. Further research is needed to understand whether targeting the glymphatic system with IMT is an effective option for helping patients delay the onset of CD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heart Failure: Clinical Diagnostics and Treatment, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 2250 KB  
Review
Multimodality Imaging in Eosinophilic Myocarditis: A Rare Cause of Heart Failure
by Vincenzo Viccaro, Amabile Valotta, Elena Checcoli, Susanna Landi, Fabio Cattaneo, Andrea Milzi, Mattia Duchini, Giacomo Maria Viani, Alessandro Caretta, Susanne Schlossbauer, Antonio Landi, Laura Anna Leo, Giorgio Treglia, Giovanni Pedrazzini, Marco Valgimigli and Anna Giulia Pavon
J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis. 2025, 12(8), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcdd12080320 - 21 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1068
Abstract
Eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare and potentially fatal form of acute myocarditis. Currently, no validated diagnostic criteria exist, and definitive diagnosis relies on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) not devoid of periprocedural complications. This review aims to explore how a multimodality imaging approach can [...] Read more.
Eosinophilic myocarditis (EM) is a rare and potentially fatal form of acute myocarditis. Currently, no validated diagnostic criteria exist, and definitive diagnosis relies on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) not devoid of periprocedural complications. This review aims to explore how a multimodality imaging approach can support early diagnosis, reduce reliance on EMB, enable risk stratification and monitor the response to anti-inflammatory therapy. In particular, while echocardiography provides rapid and useful information in suspected EM, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) remains the non-invasive gold standard for diagnosis due to its ability to provide accurate tissue characterization. Moreover, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and cardiac CT (CCT) may offer valuable insights, particularly when echocardiographic image quality is poor or CMR is contraindicated or unavailable. Based on our experience and current literature, an optimal multimodality imaging approach should reserve EMB only for high-risk or inconclusive cases. Furthermore, this strategy offers complementary information, supporting clinical decisions and optimizing long-term outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heart Failure: Clinical Diagnostics and Treatment, 2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 3514 KB  
Review
Indirect Myocardial Injury in Polytrauma: Mechanistic Pathways and the Clinical Utility of Immunological Markers
by Makhabbat Bekbossynova, Timur Saliev, Murat Mukarov, Madina Sugralimova, Arman Batpen, Anar Kozhakhmetova and Aknur Zhanbolat
J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis. 2025, 12(7), 268; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcdd12070268 - 14 Jul 2025
Viewed by 732
Abstract
Myocardial injury following polytrauma is a significant yet often underdiagnosed condition that contributes to acute cardiac dysfunction and long-term cardiovascular complications. This review examines the role of systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, neuro-hormonal activation, and immune dysregulation in trauma-induced myocardial damage. Key immunological markers, [...] Read more.
Myocardial injury following polytrauma is a significant yet often underdiagnosed condition that contributes to acute cardiac dysfunction and long-term cardiovascular complications. This review examines the role of systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, neuro-hormonal activation, and immune dysregulation in trauma-induced myocardial damage. Key immunological markers, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1), are implicated in endothelial dysfunction, myocardial apoptosis, and ventricular remodeling. The interplay between these factors potentially exacerbates cardiac injury, increasing the risk of heart failure. Biomarker-guided approaches for early detection, combined with advanced imaging techniques such as speckle-tracking echocardiography and cardiac MRI, offer promising avenues for risk stratification and targeted interventions. Anti-inflammatory and oxidative stress-modulating therapies may mitigate myocardial damage and improve outcomes. This article highlights the clinical relevance of integrating immunological markers into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to enhance the management of trauma-related cardiac dysfunction and reduce long-term morbidity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heart Failure: Clinical Diagnostics and Treatment, 2nd Edition)
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