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What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that certain diabetes medications like Jardiance or Invokana and diabetes medications like Ozempic or Victoza may help lower the risk of serious heart problems like heart attacks or strokes, and may even reduce the chances of death from heart-related causes in people with type 2 diabetes or heart failure — with one medication, Jardiance (empagliflozin), also showing a possible early signal for reducing dangerous irregular heartbeats, though this finding needs more investigation. The medications like Jardiance or Invokana were also consistently linked to fewer hospital stays due to heart failure, which is when the heart struggles to pump blood effectively. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that using medications designed to treat a specific type of high blood pressure in the lungs (called pulmonary arterial hypertension) may actually be harmful for people who have high blood pressure in the lungs caused by heart failure — a much more common situation. The analysis of 8 studies covering 775 patients suggested these medications might increase the risk of death and unwanted side effects, rather than help. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
A study found that a personalized approach to treating fluid buildup in people with acute heart failure — where doctors adjust water pill (diuretic) doses based on how much sodium patients release in their urine — seemed to work very differently for men and women. Men who received this tailored approach were about half as likely to be hospitalized again for heart failure or die within 180 days, while women in the study did not see the same benefit. Researchers aren't yet sure why this difference exists, but it raises important questions about whether heart failure treatments should be adjusted based on sex. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
A study found that what people with heart failure hoped to gain from exercise affected whether they actually stuck with an exercise program over time. Interestingly, people who expected broad physical and mental health improvements were less likely to keep exercising at the six-month mark, while those focused on feeling better day-to-day with heart failure — things like having more energy or enjoying life more despite their condition — were more likely to stay on track. This suggests that how someone thinks about the benefits of exercise before they start may play a real role in whether they keep it up, which could matter for how doctors and care teams support patients. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that for people with a type of heart failure called HFpEF — where the heart pumps normally but doesn't relax well — obesity plays a major role by causing fat buildup around the heart, inflammation, and other changes that make the condition worse. The review found that a diabetes medication like Jardiance or Invokana had the strongest evidence for helping these patients, while medications like Ozempic and a newer drug called tirzepatide also showed promising results in improving symptoms, physical ability, and body weight. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that having a blood chemistry imbalance called metabolic alkalosis — where the blood becomes too basic, often as a side effect of water-removal medications used in heart failure — did not clearly predict whether someone hospitalized with sudden worsening heart failure was more likely to die in the hospital or be readmitted. While a few smaller studies suggested a possible link, when researchers combined data from nearly 20,000 patients, the connection didn't hold up strongly enough to be considered meaningful. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that two common water pills used to reduce fluid buildup in people with heart failure — torsemide and furosemide — performed about the same when it came to death, repeat hospital stays, and how patients felt over time. The study used a detailed scoring method to compare the two medications across multiple outcomes at once, hoping to uncover a difference that earlier analysis might have missed, but no meaningful advantage was found for either drug. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that for people hospitalized with a serious flare-up of heart failure who also had liver problems, adding albumin (a protein given through an IV) to a common water pill called furosemide worked better than the water pill alone — patients felt better faster, had shorter hospital stays, and were less likely to experience kidney problems during treatment. This matters because fluid buildup in the body is one of the most uncomfortable and dangerous parts of heart failure, and finding ways to relieve it while protecting the kidneys is an important challenge. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether adding albumin infusions along with furosemide might help the patient's heart failure symptoms and kidney function better than furosemide alone, especially if the patient has liver problems.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that for people with heart failure, different types of exercise may help lower inflammation in the body — and the type of exercise matters. Inflammation (when the body's immune system stays in a state of low-level alarm) is linked to worsening heart failure, so reducing it could be meaningful for long-term health. Strength training and mind-body practices like Tai Chi or Yoga showed the strongest results for one key inflammation marker, while a mix of aerobic and strength exercise worked best for others. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
A study found that a less common type of cycling exercise — called eccentric cycling, where the pedals push your legs rather than your legs pushing the pedals — improved fitness, walking ability, and physical function in people with heart failure, similar to traditional cycling exercise. Both types of cycling helped participants walk farther, move more easily, and feel better overall after about three months of twice-weekly sessions. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that in people hospitalized with heart failure, those with lower levels of chloride (a mineral in the blood) seemed to respond better to a combination of water pills — specifically hydrochlorothiazide added to furosemide — losing more fluid weight compared to those with higher chloride levels. Chloride is an electrolyte, similar to sodium, that helps the body balance fluids, and low levels are common in people with heart failure and can make it harder for standard treatments to work. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that a procedure called catheter ablation — where doctors use heat or cold energy to correct the faulty electrical signals causing an irregular heartbeat — may significantly reduce the risk of death and hospital stays in people who have both atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat) and heart failure, compared to medication alone. The study, which combined data from 7 smaller studies and over 2,000 patients, also found that the heart's pumping strength improved more in people who had the procedure. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that people with type 2 diabetes who had higher blood levels of a substance called IL-6 — a marker of inflammation, meaning the body's immune system is in an overactive state — were significantly more likely to develop heart failure, which is when the heart can't pump blood as well as it should. Interestingly, this link was even stronger in people who had no prior history of serious heart problems like heart attacks or strokes. The study also found that an intensive lifestyle program focused on weight loss helped lower IL-6 levels more than standard diabetes education did. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Medications
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that a medication called finerenone (brand name Kerendia) helped reduce serious heart failure-related health events — such as hospitalizations and worsening symptoms — in people with a type of heart failure where the heart muscle is still pumping relatively normally, sometimes called 'heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.' The study also looked at a scoring tool that uses a person's age, body weight, and history of an irregular heartbeat (called atrial fibrillation) to estimate how likely someone is to have this type of heart failure, and found that people with higher scores tended to have worse outcomes overall. Importantly, finerenone appeared to be helpful across the full range of scores, suggesting it may be a useful option for a broad group of people with this condition — this represents a new potential treatment option rather than a safety update or guideline recommendation.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the patient should know about the HFpEF-ABA score and whether a medication called finerenone might help based on the patient's age, weight, and heart rhythm.
What's New
PubMed · November 1, 2026
Researchers found that about 1 in 4 people with heart failure also experience orthostatic hypotension — a drop in blood pressure when standing up that can cause dizziness or fainting. This matters because that blood pressure drop can make it harder for doctors to prescribe the full doses of heart failure medications that work best. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · October 30, 2026
A study found that when people hospitalized with a sudden worsening of heart failure were given a combination of two types of water pills (thiazide plus a loop diuretic, which help the body shed excess fluid), their kidney function — measured by how well the kidneys filter waste from the blood — dropped more sharply in the first few days compared to those taking just one type of water pill. However, that early drop in kidney function did not appear to predict a higher risk of death or being rehospitalized for heart failure over the following three months, suggesting that a temporary dip in kidney filtering ability during this treatment may not be as dangerous as previously feared. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · October 29, 2026
Researchers found that among people with a specific type of heart failure — where the heart's pumping function is only mildly reduced or appears normal — a diabetes medication like Jardiance or Invokana showed promise in reducing hospitalizations and other serious complications compared to other newer treatments. This matters because heart failure of this type has historically been harder to treat, and finding medications that help could be meaningful for a large group of patients. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · October 28, 2026
A study found that people with heart failure who received regular nurse visits at home and follow-up phone calls over 12 weeks got significantly better at managing their condition day-to-day — things like monitoring symptoms and knowing when to seek help — compared to those who received usual care. Their quality of life and physical ability also improved. This matters because many people with heart failure can't easily get to formal hospital-based programs, so a home-based option could help more people get the support they need. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · October 28, 2026
Researchers found that people with severe heart failure and an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation — where the heart's upper chambers quiver instead of beating steadily — may do better when a procedure called catheter ablation is added to their usual medications. Catheter ablation uses small bursts of energy delivered through a thin tube to correct the irregular heartbeat. In this study, patients who received ablation were less likely to die, need a heart transplant, or require a mechanical heart pump compared to those on medication alone. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed · October 28, 2026
According to the 2021 European Society of Cardiology guidelines, a four-drug combination is recommended for people with a type of heart failure where the heart muscle is weaker than normal (called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction). The analysis supporting these guidelines found that using all four medications together — including a diabetes medication like Jardiance or Invokana as one of the four — was linked to lower rates of death and hospital stays compared to using fewer drugs. This matters because it suggests that people with this condition may live longer and spend less time in the hospital when their doctor uses the full recommended combination of treatments.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the research on the newest heart failure medications shows that any of them are better at preventing hospital visits and extending life compared to what the patient is currently taking.
What's New
PubMed · October 28, 2026
Researchers found that among people with heart failure where the heart pumps weakly, about 1 in 7 also had a moderate leaky heart valve — a condition where one of the heart's valves doesn't close all the way, causing blood to flow in the wrong direction. Having this moderate valve leak was linked to a higher chance of serious heart-related events, like being hospitalized for heart failure, especially in people whose heart failure was less severe overall. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed (Guideline Reviews) · October 28, 2026
According to the European Society of Cardiology guidelines, people with a type of heart failure called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction — where the heart isn't pumping as strongly as it should — should receive a specific set of proven medications to help the heart work better and reduce serious complications. Nordic countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Norway have been tracking how well these guidelines are followed using detailed health registries, and between 2021 and 2024 they saw major improvements in the number of patients receiving the recommended treatments. These shifts in prescribing patterns were linked to better outcomes for patients, showing how closely following the guidelines can make a real difference in people's lives.
What's New
PubMed · October 27, 2026
A study found that people with a weakened heart — a condition called heart failure, where the heart doesn't pump blood as strongly as it should — spent more days alive and out of the hospital when they received extra support through a nurse-led program that included regular check-ins, mobile phone follow-ups, and personalized coaching on medications and lifestyle, compared to those who received standard care alone. Researchers also found that this approach was linked to better survival rates over two years across more than 1,500 patients in India. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · October 23, 2026
Researchers found that a medication called pimobendan did not meaningfully improve the ability to walk and exercise in people with a type of heart failure called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction — a condition where the heart pumps normally but doesn't relax well — who also had a specific problem with how the right side of the heart works with the lungs. In the study, both the group taking pimobendan and the group taking a dummy pill (placebo) showed similar, modest improvements in how far they could walk in 6 minutes after 30 days. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Lifestyle
PubMed · October 21, 2026
A study found that for people with stable chronic heart failure — a condition where the heart doesn't pump blood as well as it should — cutting back on salt moderately (rather than cutting it out strictly) appears to be the better approach, and there isn't enough evidence yet to say everyone should limit how much fluid they drink. Researchers also found that structured exercise programs, education about managing the condition, and care from a team of different health professionals all helped people feel better day-to-day, reduced the number of times they needed to be hospitalized, and in some cases lowered the risk of death.
What's New
PubMed · October 14, 2026
Researchers found that people with chronic heart failure — a condition where the heart struggles to pump blood properly — who fasted during Ramadan did not appear to experience higher rates of hospital stays, worsening symptoms, or death compared to what might be expected. This suggests that fasting may be manageable for some people with heart failure, as long as they stay in close contact with their doctor and keep up with their prescribed treatments. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
JAMA · October 13, 2026
A study found that people with heart failure who took a type of medication called digitalis glycosides — an older drug that helps the heart pump more effectively — may have had a lower chance of serious heart problems like heart attacks or strokes, or their heart failure getting worse. Researchers looked at three large studies to reach this finding, though they also noted some important limitations with the data that make the results harder to fully trust. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
JAMA · October 13, 2026
A study found that digitalis glycosides — a type of heart medication that has been around for a long time — were linked to a 20% reduction in the chances of serious heart problems like heart attacks or strokes and hospital stays for heart failure, with most of that benefit coming from fewer people needing to be hospitalized for heart failure. This could matter for people with heart failure because hospitalization can be both stressful and dangerous, so finding treatments that help keep people out of the hospital is an important goal. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
What's New
PubMed · October 13, 2026
Researchers found that people hospitalized with heart failure who were sent home earlier — using a small wearable pump that delivers a water pill (furosemide) just under the skin — spent about 4 more days at home over the following month compared to those who stayed in the hospital for the usual length of time. Their hospital stay was also about 5 and a half days shorter on average, and the benefit held up even two months later, which could mean a meaningful improvement in quality of life for people managing this condition. This is early research and hasn't yet changed treatment guidelines.
Guidelines
PubMed · October 12, 2026
According to the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, Canadian Society of Cardiovascular Surgery, and Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology guidelines, people with severe, symptomatic leaky heart valves — specifically the mitral or tricuspid valves — should be evaluated promptly for treatment, including newer, less invasive catheter-based procedures that don't require open-heart surgery. These guidelines emphasize that getting referred to a specialist team early really matters, because delayed care can mean missing a window where treatment could meaningfully improve quality of life and reduce the risk of death. A coordinated team of heart specialists, including cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, is considered essential to making the best care decisions for each individual patient.
Ask your doctor: Ask the doctor whether the patient might be a candidate for a catheter-based valve repair procedure instead of open-heart surgery to fix the leaking valve.
For informational purposes only. Not medical advice. Always consult a physician before making any health decisions.