Heart Failure Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

HFSA’s 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting examines heart failure care from outpatient treatment through cardiogenic shock, mechanical circulatory support and transplantation. The program addresses reduced and preserved ejection fraction, cardiomyopathies, cardiorenal-metabolic disease, electrophysiology and device therapies. Digital monitoring, health equity, multidisciplinary care and palliative care broaden the clinical focus beyond individual treatments.

The meeting was held October 9–12, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. Its published educational scope and topic tracks are retained below for cardiologists, trainees and other heart failure professionals. These describe the source program rather than a verified inventory of recordings; conference registration, live participation and provider-hosted on-demand access are not included with this file purchase.

Learning Objectives

Based on the educational scope of the 2026 program, participants should be better able to:

1. Implement contemporary guideline-directed medical therapy for patients with HFrEF, HFmrEF, and HFpEF.
2. Evaluate emerging pharmacological treatments and clinical trial findings relevant to heart failure management.
3. Assess and manage acute decompensated heart failure and cardiogenic shock using appropriate clinical monitoring and treatment strategies.
4. Review patient selection, perioperative considerations, and long-term management of mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation.
5. Recognize important clinical features of cardiac amyloidosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiac sarcoidosis, myocarditis, and inherited cardiomyopathies.
6. Evaluate the relationship between cardiac, renal, and metabolic disease in contemporary heart failure care.
7. Review indications and clinical considerations for electrophysiological interventions and cardiac device therapies.
8. Assess developments involving remote monitoring, digital health, and artificial intelligence.
9. Integrate multidisciplinary care, health equity, and appropriate palliative care into heart failure management.
10. Interpret scientific research and apply relevant evidence to individualized clinical decision-making.

Program Leadership

Jennifer Thibodeau, MD, MSCS, FHFSA, FACC, FAHA

2026 HFSA Annual Scientific Meeting Program Committee Chair

The scientific meeting brings together researchers and clinicians from multiple cardiovascular specialties, with contributions from multidisciplinary heart failure teams.

Topics

Track 1: Chronic Heart Failure & Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT)

• Rapid Sequencing and Optimization of the Four Pillars of HFrEF Therapy (ARNI, Beta-Blockers, MRA, SGLT2i)
• Diagnostic Algorithms and Phenotype-Specific Management of HFpEF and HFmrEF
• Management of Heart Failure with Improved Ejection Fraction (HFimpEF)
• Overcoming Therapeutic Inertia: Strategies for Titrating GDMT in Outpatient and Inpatient Settings
• Novel Pharmacotherapies in Clinical Trials: Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Stimulators, Cardiac Myosin Activators/Inhibitors, and Anti-Inflammatory Agents
• Managing Worsening Heart Failure (WHF) Events in the Ambulatory Setting

Track 2: Acute Heart Failure, Cardiogenic Shock & Critical Care Cardiology

• Contemporary Classification and Staging of Cardiogenic Shock (SCAI Shock Stages)
• Invasive Hemodynamic Assessment and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU)
• Decongestion Strategies in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: Diuretic Resistance, Sequential Nephron Blockade, and Ultrafiltration
• Temporary Mechanical Circulatory Support (tMCS): Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP), Impella, TandemHeart, and VA-ECMO
• Shock Team Protocols, Regionalized Networks, and Escalation/De-escalation Algorithms
• Management of Right Ventricular Failure in the Critically Ill Patient

Track 3: Advanced Heart Failure, Durable MCS & Heart Transplantation

• Patient Selection and Timing of Referral for Advanced Heart Failure Therapies
• Durable Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVAD): Hemocompatibility, Pump Thrombosis, GI Bleeding, and Driveline Infections
• Advances in Heart Transplantation: Donor Pool Expansion, Donation After Circulatory Death (DCD), and Ex Vivo Organ Perfusion
• Contemporary Immunosuppression Regimens and Desensitization Strategies in Sensitized Transplant Candidates
• Non-Invasive Surveillance for Cardiac Allograft Rejection: Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA (dd-cfDNA) and Gene Expression Profiling
• Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy (CAV)

Track 4: Cardiomyopathies, Myocarditis & Genetic Heart Disease

• Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis (ATTR-CM): Non-Invasive Diagnosis, TTR Stabilizers, Silencers, and Emerging Depleters
• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM): Integration of Cardiac Myosin Inhibitors, Septal Reduction Therapy, and Sudden Death Risk Stratification
• Inflammatory Cardiomyopathies: Diagnostic Imaging and Immunosuppression in Cardiac Sarcoidosis and Giant Cell Myocarditis
• Acute and Fulminant Myocarditis: Etiologies, Endomyocardial Biopsy Indications, and Long-Term Sequelae
• Genetic Testing and Cascade Screening in Dilated, Arrhythmogenic, and Non-Compaction Cardiomyopathies
• Peripartum Cardiomyopathy and Cardio-Obstetrics: Risk Stratification and Management Across Pregnancy
• Cardio-Oncology: Prevention, Surveillance, and Management of Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiac Dysfunction (CTRCD)

Track 5: Cardiorenal-Metabolic Syndrome & Comorbidities

• The Cardiorenal-Metabolic Axis: Interplay Between Heart Failure, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), Diabetes, and Obesity
• GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Dual GIP/GLP-1 Agonists in Obesity-Related HFpEF
• Managing Hyperkalemia and Worsening Renal Function During RAASi and MRA Therapy
• Diagnosis and Treatment of Iron Deficiency and Anemia in Heart Failure: Intravenous Iron Supplementation
• Sleep-Disordered Breathing (Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea) in Heart Failure

Track 6: Pulmonary Hypertension & Right Heart Failure

• Differentiating Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH – Group 1) from Pulmonary Hypertension Due to Left Heart Disease (PH-LHD – Group 2)
• Invasive Hemodynamic Exercise Testing in Unexplained Dyspnea and Combined Pre- and Post-Capillary PH (CpcPH)
• Targeted Pulmonary Vasodilator Therapies and Emerging Activin Signaling Inhibitors
• Comprehensive Evaluation and Management of Isolated Right Ventricular Failure and Tricuspid Regurgitation

Track 7: Electrophysiology, Devices & Structural Heart Interventions in Heart Failure

• Atrial Fibrillation in Heart Failure: Catheter Ablation vs. Medical Therapy and Rate/Rhythm Control
• Ventricular Arrhythmias in Ischemic and Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: ICD Indications and Catheter Ablation
• Advances in Pacing: Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT), His-Bundle Pacing, and Left Bundle Branch Area Pacing (LBBAP)
• Neuromodulation and Device-Based Therapies: Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM) and Baroreflex Activation Therapy (BAT)
• Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER) and Transcatheter Valve Replacement for Secondary Mitral and Tricuspid Regurgitation
• Implantable Hemodynamic Monitors and Remote Dielectric Sensing for Guiding Heart Failure Therapy

Track 8: Multidisciplinary Care, Digital Health, Health Equity & Palliative Care

• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Wearable Technologies in Heart Failure Prediction and Monitoring
• Optimizing Transitions of Care, Post-Discharge Clinics, and Hospital-at-Home Models
• Addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) and Disparities in Heart Failure Outcomes and Transplant Allocation
• Exercise Training, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Nutritional Interventions in Heart Failure
• Shared Decision-Making, Advance Care Planning, Symptom Management, and Palliative Care in End-Stage Heart Failure