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June 30, 2025 — A new ESC Clinical Consensus Statement published in the European Heart Journal discusses the key role of vaccination in preventing cardiovascular events following various viral and bacterial infections.¹

“We have known for many years that influenza can increase the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and can exacerbate heart failure,” said Professor Thomas F. Lüscher, ESC President and senior author of the ESC Clinical Consensus Statement. “More recently, evidence suggests that other respiratory infections are also associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The new publication describes how vaccinations not only prevent infections but also reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, particularly in susceptible individuals.” 

The ESC Clinical Consensus Statement describes data on the risk of cardiovascular complications following infections such as pneumococcal pneumonia, influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory syncytial virus, among others, and describes the inflammatory mechanisms that may be responsible. Evidence is then summarised for the beneficial effects of vaccines in reducing cardiovascular events following various viral and bacterial infections, particularly in at-risk patient groups. Clinical practice guidelines from the ESC and from the American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) are presented, which advocate for vaccination against influenza and other widespread infections in patients with chronic coronary syndromes (including coronary artery disease) and in those with heart failure. 

Serious adverse reactions to vaccinations are very rare. The consensus statement also discusses the risks of cardiovascular adverse events after vaccination, such as myocarditis, and describes appropriate management strategies. Then follows advice on which vaccines should be given to patients with cardiovascular diseases and how often. Vaccination of pregnant women and other vulnerable patient groups, such as those with congenital heart disease and heart transplantation, is considered.  

Professor Lüscher concluded: “Prevention is crucial for reducing the considerable burden of cardiovascular disease. The totality of the evidence indicates that vaccinations should become a foundational pillar of preventive strategies alongside other established measures.”

References and notes: 
¹Heidecker B, Libby P, Vassiliou VS, et al. Vaccination as a new form of cardiovascular prevention: an ESC Clinical Consensus Statement. Eur Heart J. 2025. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf384.  https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf384

The ESC Clinical Consensus Statement was created with the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC), the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC) and the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. 

Devices like Fitbits can more quickly and accurately predict postoperative complications like infection

An estimated 4 million children undergo surgical procedures in hospitals across the U.S. each year. Although postoperative complications, such as infections, can pose significant health risks to kids, timely detection following hospital discharge can prove challenging.

A new study published in Science Advances — and led by scientists at Northwestern University, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and University of Alabama at Birmingham — is the first to use consumer wearables to quickly and precisely predict postoperative complications in children and shows potential for facilitating faster treatment and care.

“Today, consumer wearables are ubiquitous, with many of us relying on them to count our steps, measure our sleep and more,” said senior author Arun Jayaraman, PhD, PT, professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, and of Medical Social Sciences, who is also a scientist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. “Our study is the first to take this widely available technology and train the algorithm using new metrics that are more sensitive in detecting complications. Our results suggest great promise for better patient outcomes and have broad implications for pediatric health monitoring across various care settings.”

How the study worked

As part of the study, commercially available Fitbit devices were given to 103 children for 21 days immediately after appendectomy — the most common surgery in children, which results in complications up to 38 percent of the time. Rather than just using the metrics automatically captured by the Fitbit to identify signs of complications (e.g., low activity, high heart rate, etc.), Shirley Ryan AbilityLab scientists trained the algorithm using new metrics related to the circadian rhythms of a child’s activity and heart rate patterns.

In the process, they found such metrics were more sensitive to picking up complications than the traditional metrics. In fact, in analyzing the data, scientists were able to retrospectively predict postoperative complications up to three days before formal diagnosis with 91 percent sensitivity and 74 percent specificity.

“Historically, we have been reliant upon subjective reporting from children — who often have greater difficulty articulating their symptoms — and their caregivers following hospital discharge. As a result, complications are not always caught right away,” said study author Dr. Fizan Abdullah, MD, PhD, a former attending physician of pediatric surgery at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and professor of Surgery. “By using widely available wearables, coupled with this novel algorithm, we have an opportunity to change the paradigm of postoperative monitoring and care — and improve outcomes for kids in the process.”

What’s next?

This research is part of a four-year National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded project. As a next step, scientists plan to transition this approach into a real-time (vs. retrospective) system that analyzes data automatically and sends alerts to children’s clinical teams.

“This study reinforces wearables’ potential to complement clinical care for better patient recoveries,” said Hassan M.K. Ghomrawi, PhD, vice chair of research and innovation in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at University of Alabama at Birmingham. “Our team is eager to enter the next phase of research exploration.”

For the first time, a fluorescent-guided nerve imaging agent shows promise for use in humans, according to a paper published in Nature Communications. The study sought to evaluate the safety of bevonescein, a synthetic peptide-dye conjugate thought to be applicable for intraoperative nerve-specific fluorescence imaging.

Eben Rosenthal, MD, chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, served as the paper’s senior and corresponding author, and Sarah Rohde, MD, MMHC, division chief of Head and Neck Surgery, is the project’s lead investigator for Phase 3 clinical trials. Their findings, published with and associates from other centers around the country, identified a safe and effective fluorescent imaging agent that can assist surgeons in visualizing – and therefore protecting – nerves during surgery.

Through intravenous infusion of a fluorescent imaging agent such as bevonescein, surgeons can use excitation light to illuminate a patient’s tissue during surgery to guide their incisions, thus making it easier to locate and avoid injuring nerves. While previous research into nerve-specific fluorescence imaging had only yet been successful in animals, the finding that bevonescein is the first such agent safe for use in humans is a significant breakthrough in intraoperative safety for head and neck surgery.

“Nerve injury is a major problem related to surgical intervention. The idea is that if you can see nerves better, you would avoid injuring them,” said Rohde, who helped Vanderbilt recruit the greatest number of patients in the study.

This latest research into nerve imaging, conducted with lead author Yu-Jin Lee, MD, of Stanford University and Alume Biosciences Inc., builds on years of Rosenthal’s success in using fluorescence imaging to target tumors in oncological head and neck surgery at VUMC. Fluorescence imaging for cancer is an integral part of guiding surgical operations and assessing results.

“Cancer is a surgical disease,” said Rosenthal, who holds the Barry and Amy Baker Chair in Laryngeal, Head and Neck Research. “Most cancers get surgery. Primarily early-stage disease … is a cancer that can be taken out and cured with surgery. “[With fluorescence imaging,] you can see the cancer light up, which makes it easier to treat.”

Rosenthal said the ability to apply this technology to both tumors and nerves highlights multidisciplinary success. And with the research on nerve-specific fluorescence imaging now in Phase 3 trials, he’s optimistic about the prospect of getting this method for nerve imaging in front of the Food and Drug Administration for approval in the near future.

The research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health (grants R01CA266233 and R37CA245157) and by Alume Biosciences, with which the Vanderbilt authors have no financial conflict of interest.