Galactin-3 and soluble ST2 as complementary tools to cardiac MRI for sudden cardiac death risk stratification in heart failure: A review

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biomarker Research

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) is a major global health burden, causing significant morbidity and mortality.
• Sudden cardiac death (SCD) and pump failure are primary causes of death in HF patients.
• Accurate prediction of SCD is crucial for guiding management decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the role of novel biomarkers in SCD risk stratification for HF patients.
• To explore how galectin-3 (gal-3) and soluble ST2 (sST2) can enhance current risk assessment tools.
• To address the need for innovative tools due to uncertainties in SCD pathophysiology.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review methodology.
• Highlighting the utilization of galectin-3 (gal-3) and soluble ST2 (sST2).
• Discussing their potential to complement cardiac MRI (CMR).

Main Results:

• Myocardial fibrosis is a known risk factor for SCD in HF.
• Novel biomarkers gal-3 and sST2 show promise for SCD risk stratification.
• These biomarkers may offer complementary information to existing methods like CMR.

Conclusions:

• Galectin-3 and soluble ST2 are emerging biomarkers for SCD risk stratification in heart failure.
• These novel markers have the potential to improve risk assessment and complement current tools.
• Further research is needed to fully integrate these biomarkers into clinical practice for HF management.