HFA Cardio Talk

With Mehitabel Holler and two patients: Sheilagh and Karen.
In this episode, Mehitabel talks with Sheilagh and Karen about their experiences as patients helping to build artificial intelligence tools for heart failure. The discussion touches upon first assumptions and worries about AI (trust, transparency) and the possibility of losing the human element in care. The episode also discusses the need of clinician involvement, evidence gathering, and user-friendly design in building trust in AI-driven healthcare, emphasising that AI should complement the patient-clinician interaction.
This 2026 HFA Cardio Talk podcast AI4HF is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Framework under Grant Agreement No 101080430.

With Gregorio Sambataro and two patients: Caius and Ulrich.
Gregorio Sambataro of the European Heart Network chats with Caius and Ulrich about their personal experiences with heart disease and their thoughts on the expanding use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. The conversation delves into important themes such as trust in technology and patients' responsibility to actively participate in their own care. It also emphasises the importance of raising awareness among healthcare professionals and the general public, as well as the fact that AI should be utilised as a supplement rather than a replacement for human decision-making.
This 2026 HFA Cardio Talk podcast AI4HF is funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe Framework under Grant Agreement No 101080430.

With Novi Yanti Sari, Siloam Hospitals Group, Jakarta - Indonesia, Sotiria Liori, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens - Greece, Sarah Birkhoelzer, University Dorset Hospital, Bournemouth - UK, Joseph Selvanayagam, Flinders University, Adelaide - Australia, Sam Straw, University of Leeds, Leeds - UK, Ida Arentz Taraldsen, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen - Denmark, Fabian Kerwagen,  University Hospital of Wurzburg, Wurzburg - Germany, Dirk Van Veldhuisen and Kevin Damman, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen - The Netherlands.
In this episode, we discuss the late-breaking clinical science presented at the Heart Failure Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain.
First, Sarah Birkhoelzer interviews Joseph Selvanayagam, who presents the results of RESOLVE-HCM, a trial evaluating perhexiline for regression of left ventricular hypertrophy in symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Next, Sam Straw interviews Ida Arentz Taraldsen, who highlights the key findings of REDOX-AHF, a trial comparing restrictive versus liberal oxygenation targets in patients with acute heart failure and pulmonary congestion.
Finally, Fabian Kerwagen interviews Dirk Van Veldhuisen and Kevin Damman, who discuss the DECISION trial and the accompanying meta-analysis. DECISION evaluated low-dose digoxin in patients with heart failure with reduced or mildly reduced ejection fraction, while the meta-analysis assessed the efficacy and safety of digitalis glycosides across contemporary heart failure trials.
This 2026 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer in the form of unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

With Novi Yanti Sari, Dr. Soetomo General Academic Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia and Michelle Bloom, NYU Langone Health, New York, USA.
In this episode Novi Yanti Sari speaks with Michelle Bloom about the intersection between cardio-oncology and heart failure. As cancer survival continues to improve, cardiovascular complications especially heart failure related to cancer therapies are increasingly encountered in clinical practice. The discussion explores the burden of heart failure among cancer survivors, mechanisms of cancer therapy-related cardiotoxicity, strategies for early detection and monitoring, management, and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration between cardiologists and oncologists.
This 2026 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer in the form of unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.

With Giulia Bruno, Hospital Limerick, Limerick - Ireland and Piotr Ponikowski, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw - Poland.
In this episode, Giulia Bruno is joined by Piotr Ponikowski to explore the complex interplay between valvular heart disease and heart failure. As our understanding of secondary mitral and tricuspid regurgitation evolves, new questions are emerging around prognosis, optimal timing of intervention, and the role of transcatheter therapies.
Together, they discuss how to approach management in these patients, the importance of guideline-directed medical therapy, and whether treating the valve can truly improve outcomes. This conversation highlights the challenges, current evidence, and future directions shaping this rapidly evolving field.
Recommended readings:
2025 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease: Developed by the task force for the management of valvular heart disease of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS). https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf194
2023 Focused Update of the 2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure: Developed by the task force for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) with the special contribution of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad195
2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehab086
Coats AJ et al. The management of secondary mitral regurgitation in patients with heart failure: a joint position statement from the HFA, EACVI, EHRA, and EAPCI of the ESC. European Heart Journal. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehab086
Stone GW et al. Transcatheter Mitral-Valve Repair in Patients with Heart Failure. NEJM. 2018 (COAPT). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1806640
Stone GW et al. Five-Year Follow-up after Transcatheter Repair of Secondary Mitral Regurgitation. NEJM. 2023. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2300213
Sorajja P et al. Transcatheter Repair for Patients with Tricuspid Regurgitation. NEJM. 2023 (TRILUMINATE Pivotal). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2300525
Iliadis C et al. Acute heart failure and valvular heart disease: a scientific statement of the HFA, ACVC and EAPCI of the ESC. European Journal of Heart Failure. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejhf.70043
This 2026 HFA Cardio Talk podcast series is supported by Bayer in the form of unrestricted financial support. The discussion has not been influenced in any way by its sponsor.