Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become the leading technique for aortic valve replacement in symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis with conventional surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) now limited to patients younger than 65–75 years due to a combination of unsuitable anatomies (calcified raphae in bicuspid valves, coexistent aneurysm of the ascending aorta) and concerns on the absence of long-term data on TAVI durability. This incredible rise is linked to technological evolutions combined with increased operator experience, which led to procedural refinements and, accordingly, to better outcomes. The article describes the main and newest technical improvements, allowing an extension of the indications (valve-in-valve procedures, intravascular lithotripsy for severely calcified iliac vessels), and a reduction of complications (stroke, pacemaker implantation, aortic regurgitation).

(1) Background: This single-center retrospective study aimed to evaluate whether sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) therapy may have a nephroprotective effect to prevent contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients with heart failure (HF) undergoing iodinated contrast medium (ICM) invasive procedures. (2) Methods: The population was stratified into SGLT2-i users and SGLT2-i non-users according to the chronic treatment with gliflozins. The primary endpoint was CI-AKI incidence during hospitalization. Secondary endpoints were all-cause mortality and the need for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). (3) Results: In total, 86 patients on SGLT2-i and 179 patients not on SGLT2-i were enrolled. The incidence of CI-AKI in the gliflozin group was lower than in the non-user group (9.3 vs. 27.3%, p < 0.001), and these results were confirmed after propensity matching analysis. Multivariable logistic regression showed that only SGLT2-i treatment was an independent preventive factor for CI-AKI (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.16–0.90, p = 0.045). The need for CRRT was reported only in five patients in the non-SGLT2-i-user group compared to zero patients in the gliflozin group (p = 0.05). (4) Conclusions: SGLT2-i therapy was associated with a lower risk of CI-AKI in patients with HF undergoing ICM invasive procedures.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac structural complications (CSCs) have been recently established by the Valve Academic Research Consortium 3 consensus as a combined end point including multiple life-threatening periprocedural events following transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The objective was to assess the incidence, timing, management, and clinical impact of CSCs in the contemporary transcatheter aortic valve replacement era. METHODS: Multicenter study including consecutive patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement in 18 European and Canadian centers from 2014 to 2024. According to the Valve Academic Research Consortium 3 criteria, CSCs included cardiac structure perforation, injury or compromise, new pericardial effusion, and coronary obstruction. Data was collected in a dedicated database, and patients were followed at 30 days, 1 year, and yearly thereafter. RESULTS: Among a total of 10 541 patients, CSCs occurred in 221 (2.1%), with 126 (1.2%) patients exhibiting >1 CSC: 146 (1.4%) cardiac structure compromise events (annular rupture: 41.1%, left ventricular perforation: 26.0%; right ventricular perforation: 24.0%, other injuries: 8.9%), 150 (1.4%) new pericardial effusions, and 59 (0.6%) coronary obstructions. Up to 75.6% of CSCs occurred intraprocedurally, and 61 (27.6%) patients had conversion to open heart surgery. The incidence of CSCs remained similar throughout the study period (from 1.3% to 3.2%, median annual rate of 2.3%). Thirty-day mortality was 35.3% (52.5% among patients requiring conversion to surgery), with annular rupture associated with the highest (41.0%) mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS: About 2% of contemporary transcatheter aortic valve replacement recipients presented CSCs, which did not decrease over time, required conversion to surgery in more than one-fourth of cases, and were associated with very high periprocedural mortality rates. Further research is needed regarding potential preventive strategies and optimal surgical bailout management.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has evolved from a breakthrough ophthalmologic imaging tool into a cornerstone technology in interventional cardiology. After its initial applications in retinal imaging in the early 1990s, OCT was subsequently envisioned for cardiovascular use. In 1995, its ability to visualize atherosclerotic plaques was demonstrated in an in vitro study, and the following year marked the acquisition of the first in vivo OCT image of a human coronary artery. A major milestone followed in 2000, with the first intracoronary imaging in a living patient using time-domain OCT. However, the real inflection point came in 2006 with the advent of frequency-domain OCT, which dramatically improved acquisition speed and image quality, enabling safe and routine imaging in the catheterization lab. With the advent of high-resolution, second-generation frequency-domain systems, OCT has become clinically practical and widely adopted in catheterization laboratories. OCT progressively entered interventional cardiology, first proving its safety and feasibility, then demonstrating superiority over angiography alone in guiding percutaneous coronary interventions and improving outcomes. Today, it plays a central role not only in clinical practice but also in cardiovascular research, enabling precise assessment of plaque biology and response to therapy. With the advent of artificial intelligence and hybrid imaging systems, OCT is now evolving into a true precision-medicine tool—one that not only guides today’s therapies but also opens new frontiers for discovery, with vast potential still waiting to be explored. Tracing its historical evolution from ophthalmology to cardiology, this narrative review highlights the key technological milestones, clinical insights, and future perspectives that position OCT as an indispensable modality in contemporary interventional cardiology. As a guiding thread, the myth of Prometheus is used to symbolize the evolution of OCT—from its illuminating beginnings in ophthalmology to its transformative role in cardiology—as a metaphor for how light, innovation, and knowledge can reveal what was once hidden and redefine clinical practice.