Portfolio includes 70 abstracts demonstrating continued advancement across heart and vascular care
West Orange, N.J., March 23, 2026 – Physician-scientists from RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health will present a dynamic portfolio of cardiovascular research at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session & Expo (ACC.26), taking place in New Orleans, LA from March 28–30, 2026. A total of 70 abstracts have been accepted, highlighting clinical insights and emerging science designed to advance prevention strategies, refine treatment approaches, and improve outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease.
The research to be presented reflects the collaborative work of residents and faculty across the cardiovascular programs at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Jersey City Medical Center, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center and Trinitas Regional Medical Center, with academic contributions from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. RWJBarnabas Health’s cardiac centers of excellence are nationally recognized for patient care and superior outcomes, including being named as one of Becker’s top 100 Great Heart Programs in the country and recognized by the American College of Cardiology as a Proven Quality Program. Rutgers Health faculty presenting at the conference represent the Division of Cardiology and the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hypertension and the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
“We are proud to present a comprehensive and impactful body of cardiovascular research at ACC.26 that reflects the depth and expertise across our heart and vascular programs,” said Conor Barrett, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of RWJBarnabas Health Heart & Vascular. “Through rigorous research and clinical innovation, we are focused on translating discovery into measurable improvements in patient care and advancing outcomes for the communities we serve. By fostering collaboration across disciplines and investing in next-generation science, we are strengthening our ability to deliver more precise, effective and patient-centered cardiovascular care.”
As RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health share new scientific insights at ACC.26, Partho P. Sengupta, MD, FACC, Chief of Cardiology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Henry Rutgers Professor of Cardiology, Chief of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hypertension at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, will also be honored with the American College of Cardiology’s 2026 Distinguished Scientist Award (Translational Domain). This prestigious recognition reflects his leadership and significant contributions to translational cardiovascular science, as well as the institution’s commitment to advancing research that enhances patient care.
RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Health continue to lead in cardiovascular research and clinical advancement. Their participation at ACC.26 reflects a sustained commitment to improving outcomes and strengthening heart and vascular care.
Highlights of the accepted abstracts include the following presentations:
- Research evaluating artificial intelligence-derived echocardiographic measurements to improve mortality risk prediction in patients with acute myocardial infarction. In a retrospective analysis of 691 patients, adding AI-derived measures including left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain to the GRACE 2.0 risk score improved risk reclassification and provided stronger prognostic value for predicting mortality.
- A study comparing natural language processing pipelines and human abstractors for extracting demographic, comorbidity and laboratory variables from acute myocardial infarction registry data. The large language model achieved higher overall accuracy than human abstractors (90.2% vs 85.3%) and reduced abstraction time from weeks to hours while maintaining reproducibility.
- Findings from a quality improvement initiative evaluating a nurse practitioner–coordinated Heart Team model designed to support evidence-based care for patients with complex coronary and structural disease. Implementation of the multidisciplinary review process increased formal case reviews and referrals for coronary artery bypass surgery, while facilitating earlier surgical referrals and expanded use of medical and palliative care pathways for high-risk patients.
The full list of presentations at this year’s ACC.26 Annual Scientific Session & Expo follows:
Poster Presentations | |||
Session and Abstract No. | Title | Presentation Date/Time | Location |
RIGHT TURN AHEAD: PCI INRIGHT-SIDED AORTIC ARCH WITH ABERRANT LEFT SUBCLAVIAN ARTERY AND PRIOR Y-CABG | Saturday, March 28, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
LIFE-THREATENING MULTI-SYSTEM IMMUNE CARDIOTOXICITY FOLLOWING PEMBROLIZUMAB: MYOCARDITIS WITH COMPLETE HEART BLOCK AND ENDOCRINE COLLAPSE | Saturday, March 28, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
PULSELESS ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY CARDIAC ARREST SECONDARY TO ANAPHYLAXIS FOLLOWING LUMASON CONTRAST ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY | Saturday, March 28, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
BEYOND THE SEVERE: MORTALITY OUTCOMES OF TAVR IN NON-SEVERE AORTIC STENOSIS - A META-ANALYSIS | Saturday, March 28, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
MITIGATING FALSE-POSITIVE CARDIAC AMYLOIDOSIS DIAGNOSIS: DIFFERENTIAL RADIOTRACER PERFORMANCE OF 99MTC-PYP VERSUS 99MTC-HDP IN THE SETTING OF VALVULAR CALCIFICATION | Saturday, March 28, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
CORONARY STEAL LEADING TO HEART FAILURE WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION: A RARE CASE OF LAD AND RCA TO PA FISTULA | Saturday, March 28, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
THE PFO CONNECTION - PARADOXICAL EMBOLISM DRIVING MASSIVE PULMONARY EMBOLISM AND ISCHEMIC LARGE VESSEL OCCLUSION STROKE | Saturday, March 28, 2:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS AND ADAPTABILITY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN RESPONDING TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE MISINFORMATION | Saturday, March 28, 2:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION STRATIFIED BY CORONARY OCCLUSION: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF DEMOGRAPHICS, RISK FACTORS AND MORTALITY | Saturday, March 28, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
PATIENT SIMILARITY NETWORKS FOR IDENTIFYING HEMATOLOGIC BIOMARKERS IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION | Saturday, March 28, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
GUESS WHO: GROUP II PULMONARY HYPERTENSION CAUSED BY BIOPROSTHETIC MITRAL VALVE PSEUDO‑STENOSIS REQUIRING MULTIMODALITY IMAGING TO UNRAVEL THE CAUSE | Saturday, March 28, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
TAMPONADE TURNAROUND: STEROIDS OBVIATE PERICARDIOCENTESIS IN HYDRALAZINE-INDUCED LUPUS | Saturday, March 28, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
ASSOCIATION OF RIGHT HEART CATHETERIZATION HEMODYNAMIC PROFILES WITH OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC AMBULATORY HEART FAILURE | Saturday, March 28, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
CLUSTERING PATIENTS BY SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IDENTIFIES HIGH-RISK PROFILES IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION | Saturday, March 28, 3:42 PM CST | Hall E | |
IMPACT OF SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ON MORTALITY AFTER TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT: A SINGLE CENTER STUDY | Saturday, March 28, 4:06 PM CST | Hall E | |
ASSOCIATION OF DIABETIC NEUROPATHY WITH SEPSIS-READMISSION AFTER ENDOVASCULAR INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS WITH GANGRENE | Sunday, March 29, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
CORONARY NO-REFLOW TREATED WITH SUPERSATURATED OXYGEN | Sunday, March 29, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
A BROKEN DENTAL CROWN LEADING TO A BROKEN HEART: A CASE OF SEVERE NATIVE AORTIC VALVE INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS WITH AORTIC ROOT-RIGHT VENTRICULAR FISTULA | Sunday, March 29, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
A RARE CATCH: DOUBLE SNARE TECHNIQUE FOR RETRIEVAL OF A MIGRATED LEADLESS PACEMAKER | Sunday, March 29, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT: DIGOXIN TOXICITY MASKED ON ECG WITH ICD PACING | Sunday, March 29, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
FULMINANT HEMORRHAGIC PERICARDIAL TAMPONADE IN ADVANCED BREAST CANCER: A CARDIOVASCULAR EMERGENCY | Sunday, March 29, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
CARDIAC ARREST IN CARDIOGENIC SHOCK: ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION VERSUS HEART FAILURE (ON BEHALF OF THE CSWG ACADEMIC CONSORTIUM) | Sunday, March 29, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
THREE-DIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION COMPARED TO TWO-DIMENSIONAL QUANTITATIVE CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY FOR ASSESSMENT OF CORONARY LESIONS IN GUIDING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION: A META-ANALYSIS | Sunday, March 29, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
ISOLATED LEFT VENTRICULAR DILATION WITH PRESERVED EJECTION FRACTION AS AN ATYPICAL MANIFESTATION OF TRASTUZUMAB-INDUCED CARDIAC TOXICITY | Sunday, March 29, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
ADVANCING A LEARNING HEALTH SYSTEM IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION CARE: AUTOMATING REGISTRY DATA EXTRACTION WITH AGENTIC ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
SURFACE ELECTROCARDIOGRAM-BASED DIGITAL TWIN OF LEFT VENTRICULAR MECHANICS | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
SYNTHETIC LEFT VENTRICULAR MECHANICS DERIVED FROM SURFACE ELECTROCARDIOGRAM PREDICT CARDIAC MORTALITY | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
EVOLVING TRENDS AND PERSISTENT DISPARITIES IN PULMONARY EMBOLISM MORTALITY IN THE UNITED STATES FROM 1999 TO 2023 | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
TIRZEPATIDE-WARFARIN INTERACTION LEADING TO SUPRATHERAPEUTIC INR AND DIFFUSE ALVEOLAR HEMORRHAGE | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
REVERSIBLE MITRAL STENOSIS AND REGURGITATION IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FOR CARDIAC MASSES: DIAGNOSTIC LIMITATIONS AND UNCERTAINTIES | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
IMPELLA ASSOCIATED ENDOCARDITIS IN A TRANSPLANT CANDIDATE WITH ADVANCED HEART FAILURE | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
AN UNCOMMON SOLUTION TO A COMMON PROBLEM: HOME HEMODIALYSIS FOR PATIENTS WITH LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICES AND END STAGE RENAL DISEASE | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
HIGH OUTPUT HEART FAILURE SECONDARY TO LEFT-TO-LEFT SHUNT: A CORONARY ARTERY FISTULA TO THE DESCENDING THORACIC AORTA | Sunday, March 29, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IS THE BEST IMAGING MODALITY TO DIAGNOSE RIGHT SIDED BLOOD CYSTS | Sunday, March 29, 2:00 PM CST | Hall E | |
IMPACT OF SLEEP APNEA ON CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS AFTER STROKE: A PROPENSITY-MATCHED ANALYSIS USING TRINETX | Sunday, March 29, 2:00 PM CST | Hall E | |
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-DERIVED ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS IMPROVES MORTALITY RISK PREDICTION IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION | Sunday, March 29, 2:00 PM CST | Hall E | |
ESOPHAGEAL HEMATOMA CAUSING COMPLETE OBSTRUCTION: A RARE COMPLICATION OF TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY DURING LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION | Sunday, March 29, 2:48 PM CST | Hall E | |
IMPLEMENTING A NURSE PRACTITIONER-COORDINATED HEART TEAM MODEL: EARLY RESULTS FROM A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE | Sunday, March 29, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
FROM SCREENING TO ACTION: MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AFTER ELEVATED LIPOPROTEIN(A) IDENTIFICATION IN THE VETERAN PATRIOT-QI COHORT | Sunday, March 29, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
SEX DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD PRESSURE ASSOCIATIONS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES;INSIGHTS FROM THE ALL OF US RESEARCH PROGRAM | Sunday, March 29, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
IMPACT OF HOSPITAL TYPE ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND PROCEDURAL UTILIZATION IN ATRIAL FIBRILLATION HOSPITALIZATIONS: A NATIONAL ANALYSIS | Sunday, March 29, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
WHEN TWO RARE PATHS MEET: BILATERAL CORONARY-LV FISTULAE IN SCLERODERMA-ASSOCIATED PULMONARY HYPERTENSION | Sunday, March 29, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
BEATING THE ODDS: TAMING AN ANOMALOUS CORONARY ARTERY WITH FFR AND CATHETERIZATION | Sunday, March 29, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
FROM NECROTIZING LYMPHADENITIS TO ACUTE PERICARDITIS: A CASE OF TUBERCULOSIS | Sunday, March 29, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
DIAGNOSING CARDIOGENIC SHOCK SECONDARY TO OBSTRUCTIVE VALVULAR LESIONS IN A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH | Sunday, March 29, 3:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
GENDER SPECIFIC CARDIOVASCULAR RISKS OF LOW-INTENSITY SMOKING: DOSE-DEPENDENT PATTERNS REVEAL CRITICAL GENDER DIFFERENCES | Monday, March 30, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
DUAL VS SINGLE DIRECT-CURRENT CARDIOVERSION IN REFRACTORY ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS | Monday, March 30, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
BIOPROSTHETIC MITRAL VALVE THROMBOSIS WITH SEVERE HEMODYNAMIC COMPROMISE DESPITE DIRECT ORAL ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY | Monday, March 30, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
A CASE OF FUNG‑EYE: POST‑TRANSPLANT PANOPHTHALMITIS DUE TO INVASIVE PULMONARY ASPERGILLOSIS | Monday, March 30, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
NO LEADS; NO LIMITS: SUCCESSFUL LEADLESS PACEMAKER USE WITH DURABLE LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE | Monday, March 30, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
CLINICAL OUTCOMES AMONG HFREF PATIENTS ON SPIRONOLACTONE VS. FINERENONE: A REAL-WORLD PROPENSITY-MATCHED ANALYSIS | Monday, March 30, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
UNMASKING CARDIAC AMYLOIDOSIS: A CASE OF MISCLASSIFIED HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY | Monday, March 30, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
A COCKTAIL FOR DISASTER: HOW IV VITAMIN USE LED TO RIGHT MURAL INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS | Monday, March 30, 9:30 AM CST | Hall E | |
DIGITAL SIBLING FRAMEWORK FOR HEART FAILURE RISK STRATIFICATION USING 2D ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY | Monday, March 30, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
CONCOMITANT STROKE AND ST-ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN A PATIENT WITH NEW-ONSET ATRIAL FIBRILLATION | Monday, March 30, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
THE FORGOTTEN CHAMBER: A RARE CASE OF ATRIAL LEADLESS PACEMAKER EMBOLIZATION INTO THE CORONARY SINUS | Monday, March 30, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
SEMINOMA IN DISGUISE: ACUTE PERICARDITIS AS THE INITIAL PRESENTATION | Monday, March 30, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
CLINICAL OUTCOMES AMONG HFPEF PATIENTS ON SPIRONOLACTONE VS EPLERENONE: A REAL WORLD PROPENSITY MATCHED ANALYSIS | Monday, March 30, 11:00 AM CST | Hall E | |
ANTERIOR MEDIASTINAL SEMINOMA PRESENTING WITH LOCULATED EFFUSION AND EARLY TAMPONADE PHYSIOLOGY | Monday, March 30, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
AORTA UNDER SIEGE: RECURRENT AORTIC DISSECTION IN IGG4-RELATED AORTITIS AFTER BENTALL/HEMI-ARCH REPLACEMENT | Monday, March 30, 12:30 PM CST | Hall E | |
REAL-WORLD EVIDENCE OF SEX-BASED DISPARITIES IN LONG-TERM CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES FOLLOWING SPONTANEOUS CORONARY ARTERY DISSECTION | Monday, March 30, 12:54 PM CST | Hall E | |
Moderated Poster Theater Presentations | |||
PREVALENCE AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH QTC PROLONGATION IN SICKLE CELL PATIENTS AT THE NEWARK BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER SICKLE CELL CLINIC | Saturday, March 28, 4:18 PM CST | Moderated Poster Theater 10, Hall E | |
WHEN TEE IS TOO RISKY: DIAGNOSING PFO-ASSOCIATED CLOT-IN-TRANSIT WITH INTRACARDIAC ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY | Sunday, March 29, 9:30 AM CST | Moderated Poster Theater 13, Hall E | |
ALTERNATIVE ACCESS, ALTERNATIVE CHALLENGE: VALVE EMBOLIZATION DURING TRANSAXILLARY TAVR | Sunday, March 29, 2:48 PM CST | Moderated Poster Theater 16, Hall E | |
THE FUTURE OF AI AND IMAGING | Sunday, March 29, 2:48 PM CST | Moderated Poster Theater 2, Hall E | |
REAL-WORLD EVIDENCE OF SEX-BASED DISPARITIES IN LONG-TERM CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOMES FOLLOWING SPONTANEOUS CORONARY ARTERY DISSECTION | Monday, March 30, 12:54 PM CST | Moderated Poster Theater 04, Hall E | |
Podium Presentations | |||
ACGME 2026 Updates/IM Subspecialties | Friday, March 27, 11:05 AM CST | Saddle River, NJ | |
Recruitment and Signaling in the Virtual World - (Academic Program Experience) | Friday, March 27, 2:35 PM CST | Saddle River, NJ | |
AI on the Horizon: Emerging Technologies Set to Transform CV Imaging | Sunday, March 29, 2:00 PM CST | Room 354 | |
ABOUT RWJBARNABAS HEALTH
RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey’s largest and most comprehensive academic health system, caring for more than five million people annually. Nationally renowned for quality and safety, the system includes 14 hospitals and 9,000 affiliated physicians integrated to provide care at more than 700 patient care locations.
RWJBarnabas Health partners with its communities to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey. It provides patient-centered care in a compassionate manner and is the state’s largest safety-net provider and leader in addressing the social determinants of health. RWJBarnabas Health provides food to the hungry, housing for the homeless and economic opportunities to those most vulnerable.
RWJBarnabas Health’s commitment to enhancing access to care includes a transformative partnership with Rutgers University, including the Rutgers Cancer Institute — the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey’s largest private employers, with more than 45,000 employees, contributing more than $7 billion to the state economy every year. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org
For journalists – contact:
Krista Didzbalis
Corporate Communications Specialist, Strategic Communications, RWJBarnabas Health
732.507.8307
krista.didzbalis2@rwjbh.org