TCTMD’s Top 10 Most Popular Stories for September 2025

This September, eight of the top 10 stories came out of the European Society of Cardiology 2025 Congress in Madrid, Spain, with the most popular being the release of new guidelines for the treatment of valvular heart disease. Other favorites included a head-to-head comparison of radiofrequency and pulsed-field ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, a look at TAVI valve deterioration in younger patients, and long-term survival with Impella mechanical circulatory support (Abiomed) among DanGer Shock patients. There also a new European update on the management of cholesterol that caught our readers’ attention.

1. ESC 2025 ESC/EACTS Release New Valvular Heart Disease Guidelines

Among the changes are a lower TAVI age cutoff and greater emphasis on patient education and coronary CTA.

2. ESC 2025 BEAT PAROX-AF: Pulsed-Field Ablation Not Superior to Radiofrequency

Increases in procedural speed and safety, however, support the continuing shift to the newer modality, one expert says.

3. ESC 2025 AQUATIC: More Than 6 Months After PCI, Don’t Use Aspirin With OAC

The “antithrombotic sweet spot” means continuing with oral anticoagulation alone in the chronic phase, Renato Lopes says.

4. Early TAVI Valve Deterioration More Likely in Younger Patients, Smaller Annuli

The single-center data, based on echocardiography, reinforce the need for cautious procedural planning in certain subsets.

5. ESC 2025 ALONE-AF: Less Bleeding When OAC Stopped After Successful Ablation

Questions remain about discontinuation in patients with higher AF burdens and/or stroke risks.

6. ESC 2025 DanGer Shock: Impella Tied to Better Survival Even 10 Years Later

The post-hoc analysis can’t tease out what’s driving the long-term advantage, though some experts have possible explanations.

7. ESC 2025 ESC/EAS Stress Early LDL-Lowering in Select High-risk Patients

A focused update to the dyslipidemia guidelines makes room for new drugs, statins in HIV, and early combo therapy for some.

8. ESC 2025 ICD No Help for High-Risk, Post-MI Patients With Moderately Reduced EF

The REFINE-ICD results highlight the need to find better ways to identify at-risk patients who might benefit, one expert says.

9. ESC 2025 Renewed Questions About Safety of Paclitaxel Devices in PAD: SWEDEPAD

What to make of the registry findings is debatable, but a mortality signal in PAD patients with claudication raised eyebrows.

10. CELEBRATE: Prehospital Platelet Inhibitor Zalunfiban Hits Mark in STEMI

The drug met primary safety and efficacy outcomes, with full results to be presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in November.

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Once again, the fall meeting season is upon us, with Yael Maxwell just back from covering news out of this year’s Heart Failure Society of America annual meeting. In October, the full TCTMD team will be reporting on important interventional cardiology news from TCT 2025. As always, you can find our news online, including ESC 2025 conference coverage, as well as the TCTMD news team’s own favorite moments on the monthly Heart Sounds podcast.