TCTMD’s Top 10 Most Popular Stories for June 2025

For June, TCTMD’s top 10 stories included several linking different therapies to adverse events. There were updates to Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine labels highlighting risks of myocarditis and pericarditis, as well as European warnings about a rare eye condition when taking the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide. A look into the MAUDE database also raised questions about real-world event rates with a new transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement (TTVR) system. Sadly, the most read story this month detailed the passing of interventional cardiologist Dimitrios Karmpaliotis.

1. Dimitrios Karmpaliotis, Master Operator and Mentor With ‘Heart of Gold,’ Dies at 53

Accolades and tributes poured in for Dimitrios Karmpaliotis, MD, PhD, a renowned expert in the field of complex PCI. He was praised not only as a skilled operator, but as a tremendous mentor who was generous with his skills and time.  

2. ‘Sobering’ Adverse Event Rate With Evoque Seen in Real-world Use

The TTVR system approved by the FDA in 2024 was linked to bradycardia and high-degree AV block. Other adverse events included device malposition, migration, or embolization. These data highlight the importance of appropriate patient selection as the device rolls out into the real world, doctors say.

3. FDA Updates CV Warnings Around COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines

The updated labels for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will now emphasize the unadjusted incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis. They will also point to the unknown significance of scarring evident in some patients with vaccine- and COVID-associated myocarditis. One cardiologist says there’s little here they didn’t already know.  

4. FDA Approves Triple Therapy Polypill for High Blood Pressure

The pill, known as Widaplik, contains the ARB telmisartan, calcium channel blocker amlodipine, and diuretic indapamide. It is available in standard doses for the three drugs as well as two lower doses.

5. Delays in STEMI Treatment Remain Common, Tied to Worse PCI Outcomes

Less than 60% of patients presenting to a PCI-capable hospital were treated within 90 minutes. The data paint a “sobering picture of STEMI care in the United States,” according to one cardiologist.

6. Simple Sitting-Rising Test Linked to Natural and CV Mortality

The connection between the test and mortality risk is likely related to flexibility and balance, which may influence other factors that feed into CV health like exercise ability and self-care, say researchers.

7. Inclisiran Plus Usual Care Improves LDL Control in ACS: VICTORION-INCEPTION

For patients with ACS, the LDL cholesterol target is less than 70 mg/dL, but just a little more than one-quarter treated with a statin alone meet this goal. Inclisiran, as well as other nonstatin therapies, can help get this high-risk group to goal, say researchers.

8. Long-term Survival Better With TAVI Explant vs Redo: Medicare Data

The findings suggest that there is a safety net for younger patients who might choose to undergo TAVI as a first procedure. If the device fails over time, surgical explantation of the bioprosthesis followed by aortic valve replacement yielded excellent outcomes.

9. Cannabis Use Doubles the Risk of CV Death: Meta-analysis

While many people think marijuana is a harmless way to relieve pain or stress, accumulating research is showing the drug is not without risks.   

10. Eye Condition a ‘Very Rare’ Side Effect of Semaglutide, EMA Says

European watchdogs are warning that the popular weight-loss and diabetes medication might result in nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, which can lead to vision loss. Roughly one out of every 10,000 people taking the GLP-1 receptor agonist might be at risk.

This June, Todd Neale and Yael Maxwell were both busy at the New York Valves meeting covering the latest advances. In July, we’ll be attending the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography meeting in Montreal, Canada. As always, you can check out all our data-driven cardiology news online (including a trove of conference coverage), as well as the TCTMD news team’s own favorite moments on the monthly Heart Sounds podcast.