Frontiers in Advanced Heart Failure, Mechanical Circulatory Support and Transplant Cardiology

Dear Colleagues,

Heart Failure (HF) occurs when the heart can no longer carry out its essential function as a “blood pump” and provide sufficient cardiac output to satisfy the metabolic demands of the organism. It primarily affects the left chamber of the heart, and then the right chamber, leading to biventricular heart failure. Today, HF affects more than six million American adults, with an incidence approaching 21 per 1000 inhabitants over the age of 65. Once it has occurred, HF results in significant morbidity and mortality, with a 1-year mortality rate of 7.2% and a 1-year hospitalization rate of 31.9% in patients with chronic HF; in patients hospitalized for acute HF, these rates increase to 17.4% and 43.9%, respectively. Estimating the prevalence of advanced HF remains an epidemiological challenge as a result of the relatively low incidence of the condition and the dependence of the definition on an evolving series of therapies.

The unfavorable evolution of terminal and often fulminant HF in patients suffering from acute cardiogenic shock is the reason for the development of Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) techniques.

In recent years, significant progress has been made in the field of HF—from newer drugs to newer devices and newer applications of technology—resulting in improved cardiovascular outcomes. The editorial office of the Journal of Clinical Medicine believes that research providing mechanistic insights on the evolution of HF into its different forms and treatment is one the most important opportunities to improve knowledge and the management of these patients regarding, on the one hand, both the operation room and the intensive care unit and, on the other, the HF unit and cardiology and cardiovascular surgery.

The goal of this Special Issue is to update the practicing clinician and provide: a comprehensive collection of original research on the physiology and pathophysiology of heart failure; fundamental and clinical research in areas related to this topic; select examples for novel treatments, paradigms, and concepts that have emerged over the last decade.

Dr. Carlo Banfi
Guest Editor

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• cardiac surgery
• heart failure
• heart valve diseases
• chronic and acute heart failure and cardiogenic shock
• cardiomyopathies
• echocardiography