Kathryn Berlacher, MD, MS, is the clinical & strategic director of cardiology at UPMC and the chair of ACC 2026.

Kathryn Berlacher, MD, MS

ACC 2026 Conference Preview With Kathryn Berlacher, MD, MS, and Kristen Campbell, PharmD

 Scientific Sessions 2026 are set to begin in New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 28th, 2026, spotlighting some of the most impactful developments in cardiovascular care so far this year. With 60 late-breaking presentations and hundreds of discussions scheduled over the 4-day period, keeping up with all of these trial results and treatment advances can be difficult.

 spoke with Kathryn Berlacher, MD, MS, clinical and strategic director of cardiology at UPMC and the chair of ACC 2026, and Kristen Campbell, PharmD, senior research associate in electrophysiology at Duke University Hospital and cardiovascular team lead for ACC 2026, to discuss their top trials to watch during the conference.

Additionally, they covered key updates from ACC itself to be discussed at the meeting, including dyslipidemia and pulmonary embolism guidelines, a crowdsourced session on concierge medicine, and artificial intelligence in cardiovascular medicine.


1. Ultrasound-facilitated Catheter-directed Thrombolysis Vs Anticoagulation Alone for Acute Intermediate-High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism: Primary Results of the HI-PEITHO Randomized Clinical Trial

: The Higher-Risk Pulmonary Embolism Thrombolysis (HI-PEITHO) study, a multicenter randomized controlled parallel-group comparison trial, compared acute pulmonary embolism (PE) treatment with ultrasound-facilitated catheter-directed thrombolysis plus anticoagulation to anticoagulation alone. Investigators sought to establish a first-line treatment in intermediate to high-risk patients with PE with imminent hemodynamic collapse, and expected the results to set the standard for catheter-directed reperfusion options for the future.

2. Reliability Of CAC=0 to Exclude Coronary Plaque in Diverse Global Cohorts: A Global Probability Study of Coronary Artery Disease (GPS-CAD) Analysis

: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores are guideline-recommended to evaluate coronary artery disease (CAD); however, different populations have different coronary artery phenotypes, potentially limiting the generalizability of CAC and other pre-test probability strategies. GPS-CAD, which investigated multiple international cohorts of patients referred for noninvasive coronary CTA testing, aimed to determine the accuracy of CAC, among other minimal risk tools, to de-risk cardiovascular diseases in various populations.

3. A Prospective Multicenter Registry to Define Coronary Vasomotor Disorders in Ischemia With Nonobstructive Coronary Arteries: Primary Results of Discover Inoca

: DISCOVER INOCA is a multi-center registry aiming to identify specific phenotypes of ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA) via an anatomic evaluation and physiological assessment. Investigators used coronary angiography, intravascular imaging, and the Abbott Coroventis Coroflow Cardiovascular System, monitoring long-term outcomes to characterize the burden of 

epicardial coronary artery atherosclerosis

 and myocardial bridging, among other outcomes of patients with INOCA.

4. Outcomes in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Randomized to Receive Left Atrial Appendage Closure or Oral Anticoagulation: Primary results of the CHAMPION-AF Clinical Trial

: This prospective, randomized, multi-center global investigation aimed to determine if left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) with the WATCHMAN FLX device is a functional and efficacious alternative to standard, non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. These data could provide an alternative to medication in this patient population.

5. Discontinuation Of Beta-Blocker Therapy in Stabilized Patients After Acute Myocardial Infarction

: The SMart Angioplasty Research Team: DEcision on Medical Therapy in patients with Coronary Artery Disease or Structural Heart Disease Undergoing InterventiON (SMART-DECISION) trial is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial comparing discontinuation of beta-blocker therapy after ≥1 year of maintenance in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) to non-discontinuation. Investigators cited a lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of prolonged beta-blocker therapy after stabilization of patients with AMI without 

 or left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

6. NOTIFY-HF: A Randomized Pilot Trial of Patient-Facing Heartlogic Alerts in Heart Failure Patients

: NOTIFY-HF examined HeartLogic, a multiparameter algorithm using physiological sensors in Boston Scientific implantable electronic devices to predict heart failure deterioration with a 34-day median lead time. Investigators integrated the algorithm with a mobile health solution, providing weekly feedback and patient-directed alerts in an attempt to enhance patient self-management of heart failure and assess the feasibility of this approach.

Klok FA, Piazza G, Sharp ASP, et al. Ultrasound-facilitated, catheter-directed thrombolysis vs anticoagulation alone for acute intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism: Rationale and design of the HI-PEITHO study. Am Heart J. 2022;251:43-53. 

National Heart Centre Singapore. Global Pretest Probability Study of Coronary Artery Disease (GPS-CAD). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05722145. Updated December 4, 2025. Accessed March 16, 2026. 

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05722145

Yale University. The DISCOVER INOCA Prospective Multi-center Registry (DISCOVER INOCA). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05288361. Updated December 18, 2025. Accessed March 16, 2026. 

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05288361

Boston Scientific Corporation. CHAMPION-AF Clinical Trial (CHAMPION-AF). ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04394546. Updated March 12, 2026. Accessed March 16, 2026. 

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04394546

Choi KH, Kim J, Kang D, et al. Discontinuation of β-blocker therapy in stabilised patients after acute myocardial infarction (SMART-DECISION): rationale and design of the randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2024;14(8):e086971. Published 2024 Aug 31. 

Assad J, Lac C, Briggs N, Femia G, Leung DY, Dimitri HR. Early results from a pilot RCT of a heartlogic-driven mHealth pathway (notify-HF) for early heart failure intervention. European Heart Journal. 2025;46(Supplement_1). 

Videos

This conference preview with Kathryn Berlacher, MD, MS, and Kristen Campbell, PharmD, highlights the top 6 trials to watch at ACC 2026.

Kathryn Berlacher, MD, MS

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