Researchers of a secondary analysis of the placebo-controlled SOUL trial found that oral semaglutide reduced the risk of a composite heart failure outcome by 22% in patients with type 2 diabetes who also had heart failure and either atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, or both. The benefit was driven by patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, in whom risk was significantly lower. No significant benefit was seen in those with reduced ejection fraction or in patients without heart failure at baseline. Investigators noted that the individual components of the outcome—heart failure hospitalization, urgent heart failure visit, and cardiovascular death—appeared to contribute fairly evenly to the overall effect.

These findings build on the main SOUL trial results, which showed a 14% reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) over four years, largely due to fewer nonfatal myocardial infarctions. In this secondary analysis, MACE risk was significantly lower in patients without a history of heart failure and trended lower in those with heart failure history. The study also suggested that oral semaglutide’s benefit was generally consistent regardless of baseline use of loop diuretics, MRAs, or SGLT2 inhibitors, supporting its potential role alongside existing therapies in high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes. Safety was similar between semaglutide and placebo. Researchers note that the subgroup findings should be interpreted cautiously because the trial was not powered for these comparisons and heart failure subtype classification was not standardized.

Reference: Monaco K. GLP-1 Pill Cut Heart Failure Events in Some Diabetes Patients. MedPage Today. Published February 2, 2026. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/chf/119701

Researchers of a study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2025 found that atrial fibrillation (AF) is highly prevalent in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and is associated with a substantially greater risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Investigators at Intermountain Health analyzed data from 7,613 adults with a first-time PAD diagnosis and found that 22.6% had prior AF. Outcomes were notably worse in this group: about 25% of patients with both PAD and AF had a MACE within 1 year and 46% within 3 years, compared with 12% and 25%, respectively, among patients with PAD alone. After adjusting for baseline differences and guideline-directed medical therapy, AF remained associated with a 21% higher risk of MACE. Heart failure hospitalization and death were the two largest contributors to that increased risk.

These findings add to prior evidence suggesting that AF meaningfully worsens prognosis in PAD and highlight the need for clinicians to assess for AF more routinely in this already high-risk population. Researchers concluded that when AF is identified in a patient with PAD, aggressive preventive strategies should be considered to reduce the likelihood of heart failure hospitalization, death, and other serious cardiovascular events. Presenter, Viet Le, DMSc, PA-C, also emphasized the broader unmet need in PAD care, noting that this population remains underserved despite the availability of therapies that may reduce amputation risk and other disabling complications. Overall, the data suggest that recognizing AF earlier in PAD patients could help clinicians better identify those at especially high risk and intervene more effectively.

Reference: Le V. Atrial Fibrillation in Peripheral Arterial Disease Increases MACE Risk, with Viet Le, DMSc, PA-C. HCPLive. Published November 17, 2025. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.hcplive.com/view/atrial-fibrillation-in-peripheral-arterial-disease-increases-mace-risk-with-viet-le-dmsc-pa-c

Researchers of a study found that quality of inpatient heart failure care in the United States is not uniform across Asian patient subgroups. Researchers analyzed electronic health record data from 824 hospitals between January 2015 and March 2023, comparing 7,261 Asian patients across several self-identified subgroups with 768,566 non-Hispanic White patients. The study looked at receipt of optimal medical therapy at discharge for eligible patients, length of stay longer than 4 days, defect-free discharge care, and in-hospital mortality. Overall, the findings showed meaningful variation between Asian subgroups rather than a single, uniform pattern.

Some specific disparities stood out. Vietnamese men had lower odds of receiving optimal medical therapy at discharge, while Filipina women had lower odds of receiving defect-free care. Vietnamese men and Filipina women also had lower odds of hospital stays longer than 4 days, and there was significant variation among Asian women in length of stay overall. Despite these differences in care quality measures, in-hospital mortality did not differ between Asian patients and non-Hispanic White patients. The authors concluded that heart failure care quality is heterogeneous across Asian subgroups and that certain groups may face important care gaps that warrant closer attention.

Reference: The Cardiology Advisor. Substantial Gaps in Heart Failure Care Exist for Certain US Asian Groups. The Cardiology Advisor. Published February 2, 2026. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.thecardiologyadvisor.com/news/asian-subgroup-heart-failure-care-disparities/