Cardiologist, researcher. Research interests: heart failure, cardiomyopathies, cardiac amyloidosis

Pisa, Tuscany
Joined April 2018
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Lipoprotein (a): Insights, Gaps and Clinical Implications in Cardiovascular Diseases, by Fady G Mikhael, Chadi Ayoub, Eleftherios Teperikidis, George W Booz, Fouad A Zouein, Nisrine N Makarem, et al link.springer.com/article/10… @booz_w
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When is a surrogate endpoint enough to demonstrate clinical benefit? At #CVCT2026, experts confront the dilemma shaping the next generation of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy trials: surrogate endpoints vs. hard clinical outcomes. globalcvctforum.com/scientif… #HCM #ClinicalTrials #CVCT
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Longitudinal proteomic organ-specific ageing in heart failure In this exploratory study, multi-organ ageing accelerated before adverse events, and the kidney, lung, and immune OAGs predicted outcome independently of conventional severity markers, supporting a dynamic, organ-level view of HF risk that warrants confirmation in larger cohorts. @hfcollaboratory @gcfmd @SJGreene_md @HFA_President academic.oup.com/eurjhf/adva…
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Alberto Aimo retweeted
Pts w/ #HeartFailure showed higher visceral adipose tissue & adverse muscle changes than controls, w/ weaker grip strength, according to a UK Biobank study in #JACCHF. Sarcopenia prevalence varied substantially, depending on definitions & criteria used. bit.ly/4s3Ot4d
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Excited to share our new publication in @Nature demonstrating that a newly identified inhibitor of pericyte contraction can improve myocardial microvascular perfusion in animal models of ischemia and reperfusion. Pericytes are contractile cells that wrap around capillaries and regulate their diameter. Following ischemia and reperfusion, sustained pericyte contraction can constrict capillaries, impair microvascular blood flow, and contribute to the no-reflow phenomenon, even after the blocked coronary artery has been reopened. By inhibiting pericyte contraction, we may be able to restore capillary blood flow and improve myocardial tissue perfusion following heart attack. nature.com/articles/s41586-0…
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In a series of 10 low-output HFrEF patients, IV digoxin loading and vasodilator titration were associated with increased median cardiac index from 1.45 to 2.70 L/min/m² at 24 hours; all four on IV inotropes were weaned off. Time for an RCT with digoxin in low output HF. opensourcecardiology.org/doi… @maz_hanna @ChonyAlbertMD @WilsonTangMD @NutritionHF @rcstarling
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Beyond rhythm: can a tiny insertable cardiac monitor also tell us how patients are moving? Proud to share our LUX-Dx TRENDS exercise substudy, published in @JCardFail alongside today’s presentation at #HFSA2026. We evaluated accelerometer-based activity sensing in an investigational insertable cardiac monitor in 104 patients with heart failure across 26 U.S. sites. Patients represented the full ejection fraction spectrum, with 63% having HFpEF. Two key findings: • The activity signal tracked walking speed: accelerometer measurements increased consistently as treadmill speed increased across both study cohorts. • The algorithm accurately distinguished activity from inactivity: in the 45-patient evaluation cohort, comparing treadmill walking at ≥1.2 mph with stationary postures, agreement was near-perfect (κ = 0.971), with 97.4% sensitivity and 99.4% specificity. Why this matters: This work supports the potential to extend insertable cardiac monitors beyond rhythm surveillance to objective, continuous activity monitoring, including for patients who do not have an indication for a pacemaker or defibrillator. An important distinction: this is validation under controlled exercise conditions, not proof of improved clinical outcomes. Real-world performance, risk prediction, and the ability to guide patient management remain essential next steps. The opportunity is compelling: better understanding what happens between clinic visits, not just what we see during them. Grateful to our patients, investigators, coauthors, and Boston Scientific collaborators for advancing this work together. onlinejcf.com/article/S1071-…
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Alberto Aimo retweeted
We presented new data from the ACACIA-HCM trial. Important findings pertaining to dosing and safety 1) 81% of patients achieved the highest 2 doses available of 15-20 mg through an automated algorithm. Clincial judgement and patient evaluation were not part of the titration schema. 2) aficamten PK/PD remains linear with a predictable behavior similar to what was seen in oHCM. Peak to trough ratio of 1.3 3) on average, modest reaction in LVEF 4) those who experienced reduction in LVEF had generally more advanced disease. Lower LVEF at baseline and permanent AF can be helpful in predicting lower LVEF. More importantly, only 2 patients had significant clinical symptoms. The rest were manged by downtitration or stayed on the same dose. 5) serious heart failure events occurred in 12 patients. All occurred during the titration period/prior to week 12 when the q3 month visits start. These patients were older, had clinically important AF episodes, intercurrent illnesses, or advanced restrictive disease. There were no events in the 95% of patients who completed the titration period. 6) further data will come from FOREST where the titration is not automated - protocol guidance with clinician/PI judgement and clinical evaluation, as well as more flexible period. #HFSA2026
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Alberto Aimo retweeted
David Lanfear presenting propensity score matched ATTR-CM population with 2 contemporary groups receiving tafamidis vs acoramidis. #HFSA2026 #MedIQHFSA2026
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Alberto Aimo retweeted
What are the characteristics of patients who switch from tafamidis to acoramidis in claims data? #HFSA2026 #MedIQHFSA2026
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🆕 in OpenSource: Cardiology Do we look less for ATTR-CM when we can't treat it? "When Recognition Outpaces Access: How Treatment Gaps in Resource-Limited Settings Shape ATTR-CM Diagnosis," an essay in The Long View by @Carlos_Penate6, Kenia M. Padrón, Andrew Dzebu and Orlando Henríquez Italín. The authors draw on their experiences from Cuba, Mexico, and Ghana and note that limited access may lower suspicion, which means fewer recorded cases and less evidence to argue for access. They propose an audit. Of the people in whom ATTR-CM is suspected, how many are tested, confirmed, assessed for treatment, prescribed, authorized, dispensed treatment, and still on it at 12 months? opensourcecardiology.org/doi… Free to read, no paywalls
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Alberto Aimo retweeted
🫀Myocardial Stress CT Perfusion e studio delle cardiopatie congenite 🔗 aitertc.it/web/2026/10/08/my… #tsrm #radiologia #cardiopatiecongenite #xray
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Alberto Aimo retweeted
We don't ask whether a model touched their prose. We ask authors to own every word. @JACCJournals parted w/ICMJE & doesn't require disclosure of AI writing help: the rule is unenforceable, biased, & not good for medical communication. My Editor's Page: jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.…
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Out now in @JCardFail HF STATS 2026 from @HFSA—an updated look at heart failure epidemiology, treatment, disparities, outcomes, and more. Congratulations to #HFC members and all contributors! @BiykemB @noshreza @EMDeFilippisMD @FudimMarat @MelvinEchols9 onlinejcf.com/article/S1071-…
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Health care delivery in the hospital too often feels disjointed, inefficient, confusing, and frustrating. We should do everything in our power to reduce that unnecessary stress — because being sick is stressful enough. voices.nejm.org/doi/full/10.… @NEJM
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Did CARDIO-TTRansform fail, or did it answer a different question? The effect of eplontersen depended on background stabilizer therapy. New article at @opensourcecardiology walks through the monotherapy signal, the pooled silencer data, and why percent knockdown is harder to compare than it looks. @BrettSperryMD @HamzahAliMD opensourcecardiology.org/doi…
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Native T1 for Diagnosis and Risk Prediction in Amyloid Transthyretin Cardiomyopathy: An Observational Study on 1,675 Subjects Native T1 can provide pragmatic diagnostic supportive thresholds, whereas ECV-calibrated native T1 strata reproduced a graded 3-year mortality risk. @JACCJournals @ACCinTouch jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jcmg.…
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124Iodine Evuzamitide Positron Emission Tomography in Patients With Established or Suspected Cardiac Amyloidosis 124I-evuzamitide PET provides excellent diagnostic accuracy in patients known or suspected to have CA and might provide a single upstream assessment for the presence or absence of CA. @MasriAhmadMD @JACCJournals @ACCinTouch jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jcmg.…
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Current and emerging treatment options for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy TTR synthesis → tetramer dissociation → misfolding → aggregation → amyloid deposition → cardiomyopathy 🧬 Silence it (liver): Patisiran, vutrisiran, inotersen, eplontersen (approved for ATTR-PN; vutrisiran and eplontersen also under study in ATTR-CM). Nex-z (CRISPR) is under investigation for ATTR-CM. 🔒 Stabilize it: Tafamidis and acoramidis, approved for ATTR-CM. 🧹 Clear it: NNC6019-0001 and ALXN2220 (under investigation); PAR and TabFH2 (preclinical). 🫀 Last resort: Liver or heart transplantation. Treatment now targets nearly every step of the pathway. #Cardiology #Amyloidosis #ATTRCM #CardioTwitter bit.ly/4cap4i7
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🆕 in OpenSource: Cardiology Should pulmonary artery denervation be offered to patients with PH due to left heart disease? PADN-HF-PH (264 patients, 25 centers in China): 2-year clinical worsening 25.7% vs 51.5% with PADN + GDMT vs GDMT alone (HR 0.49), and the effect held after removing 6-minute walk decline (HR 0.48). But the trial was open-label with no sham arm, and neither death (6 vs 7 patients) nor HF hospitalization reached significance on its own. In a critical appraisal, @a_h_ghoneem, Rosa Cruz Torres and @vikasaggarwalmd answer: not yet. More studies are needed, and we specifically await the results of the sham-controlled PULSE-LHD trial. opensourcecardiology.org/doi… Free to read, no paywalls
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