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How HF is Changing, Cardiac Imaging at RSNA, and Healthcare’s 30/30
December 4, 2025
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Together with
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The Cardiac Wire Show captured key insights into the latest cardiac imaging innovations and products at this year’s RSNA 2025 in interviews with…
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A new NHANES analysis adds to the idea that heart failure might be more of a metabolic disease than just a cardiac problem, revealing that HF prevalence has remained constant over the last 35 years as ischemic causes decreased and metabolic factors increased.
- HF burden has increased roughly 43% in the U.S. since 1988, with crude prevalence rising from 2.1% to 3.0%, most likely due to an aging population.
- Traditional ischemic and hypertensive drivers of HF have historically dominated the conversation, but emerging metabolic factors may be reshaping the way we look at HF.
Examining over 30 years of data, the study analyzed 83.5k ambulatory participants (3k with HF history), finding that the age-adjusted HF prevalence remained stable over time with the crude increase entirely attributable to population aging.
However, among HF patients, metabolic risk factors showed serious increases…
- Obesity increased 27.9%.
- Impaired glucose homeostasis went up 20.6%.
- Diabetes jumped 15%.
- Chronic kidney disease also rose 13.7%.
Meanwhile traditional cardiovascular risk factors declined significantly…
- High cholesterol (-48.9%), elevated blood pressure (-31.5%), and MI history (-17.2%), which used to be seen as HF causes, all decreased.
- Cardiovascular mortality also dropped in HF patients (HR 0.30) with improved self-reported health and physical function.
While that second part might sound like good news, it really tells us that the nature of HF is what has changed over the last 35 years, with HFpEF now representing a much larger proportion of HF cases.
So what do we do with this information? This analysis, when taken in perspective to the recent JACC issue on the adipokine hypothesis, tells us that while we’ve gotten good at decreasing the structural causes of HF, we still haven’t addressed the metabolic ones.
- Fortunately, GLP-1s and other weight loss drugs have exploded in popularity and could help address this shift.
The Takeaway
As a 35-year longitudinal analysis, this study tells us that the population-level causes of HF have shifted dramatically from heart attacks and hypertension to obesity and diabetes. As long as we’re aware of that trend, we can shift our perspective on treating HF from reaction to prevention.
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5,600 Ways to Improve Your Cardiac Ultrasound Workflow
AI-powered measurements can enhance the way you acquire and interpret cardiac ultrasound. Learn how AI-powered ultrasound can help you overcome everyday limitations in echo. Read Siemens Healthineers’ white paper on how its AI software provides 5,600+ automated measurements to help improve workflow efficiency, consistency, and clinical confidence.
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How Vista AI Helps Solve the Technologist Shortage
Fewer than 2% of MRI scanners are routinely used for cardiac imaging—mainly due to a shortage of trained technologists amid rising demand. Vista AI addresses this challenge by automating CMR scanning, empowering technologists of all experience levels to deliver high-quality cardiac exams consistently and efficiently.
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Why Competitors Benchmark Against Monebo’s ECG Algorithm
In the world of cardiac monitoring, it’s a big deal when your competitors use your technology as their benchmark for success. Learn why Monebo Technologies’ ECG analysis algorithm has been the “predicate device” of at least 13 other companies FDA 510(k) clearance regulatory filings and what this means for providers and their patients.
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- Cardiac Wire’s RSNA Takeaways: The Radiological Society of North America just wrapped its annual meeting in Chicago, and this year saw a notable increase in cardiac-specific imaging, with everything from cardiac CT machines to plaque analysis software and advanced image guidance for interventional procedures. While the show is a plethora of all imaging has to offer, it’s a sign that cardiology as a specialty is becoming increasingly reliant on advanced imaging for better practice.
- Siemens’s Syngo.CT at RSNA: Siemens Healthineers launched Syngo.CT Coronary Cockpit at RSNA 2025, an AI-powered software that analyzes coronary CT angiography images to help plan percutaneous coronary interventions. Integrated into dual-source and photon-counting CT scanners, it provides automated segmentation, labeling, and visualization of coronary plaques, enabling treatment planning before catheterization. The technology is part of CCTA’s growing role as a cornerstone of CAD management and CT-guided PCI.
- FDA Formally Recalls Balt’s MEGA: The FDA issued a Class I recall for Balt USA’s MEGA Ballast Distal Access Platform due to hydrophilic coating present inside the catheter’s inner lumen – a manufacturing defect. The coating may cause serious adverse events including blood clots, stroke, vascular damage, infections, nerve damage, and death. Balt USA instructed customers to immediately cease use and return affected products, although no injuries or deaths have been reported as of September 19, 2025.
- WHO Recommends GLP-1s: The WHO issued its first guideline recommending GLP-1 receptor agonists (liraglutide, semaglutide, tirzepatide) as part of comprehensive obesity treatment for adults, based on moderate-certainty evidence. The conditional recommendation stresses the need for equitable access, affordable pricing, and person-centered care combining medication with behavioral therapy, healthy environments, and early intervention. However, WHO Director-General Tedros emphasized that medication alone won’t solve the obesity crisis affecting over 1 billion people globally.
- All the President’s Men: President Trump’s physician released a letter stating he underwent advanced cardiovascular imaging with “perfectly normal” results. That said, multiple cardiologists have now questioned the vague wording and lack of specificity. Some noted that the letter suggested a stress test occurred but wasn’t confirmed. Others have criticized the letter’s “defensive, evasive tone,” and are questioning why specific imaging modalities weren’t named. Trump, now 79, was previously diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency.
- Ziosoft Bolsters REVORAS: Ziosoft announced new additions to its REVORAS platform at RSNA 2025, featuring coronary plaque analysis (pending FDA clearance) that enables on-site cardiac evaluation, reducing external dependencies and costs while improving data security. The unified CT/MR platform characterizes plaque composition including calcified, necrotic-core, and fibro-fatty types, with per-vessel quantification for disease progression assessment and personalized treatment planning. REVORAS consolidates cardiovascular imaging workflows into a centralized environment, improving clinical consistency while supporting faster turnaround times for medical decision-making.
- Cleerly Integrates PowerScribe: Cleerly announced at RSNA 2025 that its AI-QCT software will come with a new PowerScribe integration for streamlined CCTA reporting and enhanced lesion-level reporting with visual references. The company’s researchers also presented an abstract from Cleerly’s CONFIRM2 registry that found non-calified plaque volume to have an independent prognostic utility when considered alongside calcified plaque burden and that the volume value is a better predictor of MACE than CAC scoring alone.
- Frailty Before MI: A population-based study of 931k acute MI patients in England and Wales found frailty independently predicted adverse outcomes across all ages, with a disproportionate impact on younger patients. Severely frail patients under 55 had 6.69-fold increased one-year mortality risk versus fit peers (3.51-fold higher than severely frail older patients), and 13% of all patients were severely frail. Findings emphasize the importance of frailty assessment across all age groups in AMI management.
- Where the Fat is Matters: A new study presented at RSNA found that abdominal obesity causes more harmful heart changes than overall body weight, particularly in men. Using cardiovascular MRIs of 2.2k adults, researchers discovered abdominal fat causes concentric hypertrophy (heart muscle thickening with smaller chambers) which impairs the heart’s ability to pump blood. Notably, men showed more extensive damage, especially in the right ventricle. Researchers emphasize measuring waist-to-hip ratio alongside BMI, with ratios above 0.90 (men) or 0.85 (women) indicating increased cardiovascular risk.
- FDA Clears Ligence’s Echo AI: Ligence received FDA 510(k) clearance for Ligence Heart, an AI-powered echocardiography software that automates 2D transthoracic echocardiography measurements and generates structured clinical reports. The software aims to address manual analysis tasks, reducing clinician workload and standardizing workflows. Clinical validation studies occurred at an independent U.S. echocardiography core laboratory. Ligence aims to expand cardiac ultrasound accessibility beyond advanced cardiology centers, with additional 510(k) submissions planned to enhance platform capabilities for U.S. healthcare providers and systems.
- Healthcare 30 Under 30:Forbes put out its perpetually headline-grabbing 30 Under 30 list for healthcare, and at first glance it actually looks like a decently well-rounded list. It includes the usual suspects like high-flying startup founders (shoutout to Assort Health co-founders Jeffery Liu & Jon Wang) and clinicians (congrats to Mass General’s Sara Sakowitz), but also includes a wide range of researchers working on interesting projects such as a pacemaker that weighs 1/50th of a gram (UChicago’s Pengju Li) and AI that helps radiologists interpret scans 40% faster (Northwestern’s Jonathan Huang).
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Tempus Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Tempus ECG-Low EF
Tempus announces the expansion of its Tempus ECG-AI portfolio with Tempus ECG-Low EF, software intended for use to analyze 12-lead ECG recordings and detect signs associated with having a low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF less than or equal to 40%) in patients 40 years of age or older at risk of heart failure. It is not intended as a stand-alone diagnostic and positive results may suggest the need for further clinical evaluation. For Full Indications for Use, visit here.
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Circle CVI’s CAD-RADS Rundown
Ever wondered how CAD-RADS enhances the communication of coronary artery disease findings from imaging studies? Check out this guide from Circle Cardiovascular Imaging about the evolution of CAD-RADS and how to incorporate it into your practice.
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GLS Analysis of Us2.ai’s Fully-Automated Software
Ten years after the first head-to-head comparison of 2D echocardiography, the latest review suggests Us2.ai is among the easiest to use and integrate. Read the study to learn about how Us2.ai’s software requires zero operator input, operates without human intervention, and leads to high agreement with traditional semi-automated speckle- tracking software solutions.
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- 9 Merge Cardio Features to Change Your Cardiology Workflows: Having the right tools is essential for efficient cardiology imaging workflows and delivering exceptional patient care. Read this article on how Merge Cardio can make the biggest difference to your imaging workflows, care team user experiences, and patient care delivery.
- Explore Vitrea Advanced Visualization: Discover Canon Medical Healthcare IT’s suite of advanced imaging workflows designed to increase efficiency in cardiovascular imaging, and facilitate the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. These cutting-edge tools support the delivery of faster, more accurate care while integrating seamlessly into clinical workflow.
- Heart Failure Hospitalization Doubles Risk of Cardiovascular Death: 21% of patients with symptomatic heart failure escalate to hospitalization for heart failure or cardiovascular death, and 25% of those who experience hospitalization are readmitted due to heart failure within one year of discharge. Watch Bayer’s Dr. Alanna Morris-Simon discuss heart failure hospitalizations and when to assess care plans.
- PIA’s Post-Processing Solution: Advanced cardiac imaging often calls for a time-consuming post-processing step, requiring costly software, hardware, and training. See how PIA provides this post-processing at lower cost, improved consistency, and greater efficiency.
- Heartflow Roadmap Analysis For Efficient Care: As Coronary CT scan volumes increase, your entire reading team needs to deliver efficient and consistent reads. Good thing Heartflow’s Roadmap Analysis can help you maintain accuracy and increase CCTA read speeds by up to 25%, with even level 3 readers seeing real efficiency benefits.
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