JMIR Cardio

Photoplethysmography-based smartwatches are increasingly used for continuous heart rate (HR) monitoring. Their accuracy has been demonstrated at rest or during low-intensity activity, but data are scarce for maximal-intensity exercise, when motion artifacts and rapid hemodynamic changes can degrade the photoplethysmography signal. Validating these devices under such demanding conditions is essential before they are applied to clinical exercise testing, athletic training, or remote health monitoring.

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in health care, but their role in cardiology has not yet been systematically evaluated.

Clinical guidelines recommend the early initiation of secondary prevention strategies prior to hospital discharge for patients with myocardial infarction (MI) to reduce morbidity and mortality, but implementation is resource-intensive. Multilingual videos can deliver information in diverse preferred languages and literacy levels, but their impact on MI knowledge among hospitalized patients remains unclear.

Predictive medicine relies on algorithms to determine clinical treatments tailored to each patient’s individual characteristics. Predictive models based on artificial intelligence have shown promise in identifying atrial fibrillation episodes; however, they rarely focus on short-term dynamic prediction.

The HeartHealth program is a 6-month SMS text messaging–based support program offered to patients with a recent cardiovascular hospitalization or recent cardiovascular clinic visit in Western Sydney, Australia. Its customized content focuses on cardiovascular risk factors, lifestyle, treatments, and general heart health information.

Type D personality, characterized by high negative affectivity and social inhibition, has been linked to poorer mental health and heightened risk for adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Although previous studies have examined associations between type D personality, psychological distress, and cardiovascular disease (CVD), many have assessed these factors independently, relied on clinical samples, or overlooked the simultaneous assessment of psychological distress and CVD history. Consequently, less is known about how type D traits relate to emotional distress and CVD history within the general population. Understanding these relationships may support early identification of at-risk individuals and strengthen the integration of psychological screening into cardiovascular care.

Smart textiles (ie, electronic textiles) offer a promising solution to ease continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, but their real-world clinical application has been limited.

Digital health solutions play a key role in health care, but their safe and effective use depends on patients’ digital health literacy. While digital health solutions are beneficial for patients with cardiac disease, disparities in digital health literacy may limit access, particularly for patients undergoing cardiac surgery with complex care and psychological challenges. Unaddressed, these disparities could exacerbate inequalities in accessing beneficial digital services. Denmark’s advanced digital health care system provides a unique context to evaluate digital health literacy.

Mortality prediction in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with ischemic stroke complicated by intracranial artery stenosis or occlusion remains difficult. Conventional scoring systems often lack discriminatory power and fail to provide individualized risk estimates. Machine learning approaches have been increasingly explored to integrate diverse clinical features for prognostic modeling.

Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent chronic condition for which optimal management depends not only on guideline-directed medical therapy but also on patients’ understanding of their disease, recognition of warning signs, and sustained medication adherence, which remains challenging in routine care. Mobile health interventions may support therapeutic education and self-management; however, many available apps lack validated content and local relevance. Cardio-Meds is a mobile app developed at Geneva University Hospitals to support HF self-management through structured educational content, interactive quizzes, medication lists with reminders, and tools for monitoring weight and vital signs.

Coronary revascularization decision-making for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) can be complex and challenging. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve this decision-making by bringing data-driven insights to the point of care.

Mindfulness-based interventions have been applied across various chronic illnesses, but no tailored program exists for individuals with pulmonary hypertension (PH).