TCT 2026, the interventional cardiology meeting organized by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), begins this weekend in San Diego, CA.
Over the four-day meeting, which includes roughly 1,500 faculty, there are 28 late-breaking clinical trial and science presentations, in addition to 48 featured clinical research presentations. More than 1,500 scientific abstracts were accepted and will be presented in some form.
In addition to the many clinical presentations, meeting organizers emphasized that 17 best-practice sessions will be held throughout the meeting. These include talks focused on cardiogenic shock, hemodynamic support, catheter-based treatments of pulmonary embolism, as well as those dedicated to coronary and structural interventions.
“What best practices means is the interface between the guidelines and the evidence and how we implement that evidence in the [catheterization] lab or in the clinic,” said TCT program director Ajay Kirtane, MD (NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NY), during a press briefing. “Frankly, with AI you can get summaries of [the research] out there, but the question is, ‘Does that actually apply to my patient?’ [That’s] one that we’ve really tried to home in on for the best-practices content of this meeting.”
The meeting isn’t all trials, research, and cases, though. Jason Sudeikis, winner of two Golden Globe and four Emmy awards, will be speaking in the main arena on Monday, November 2, 2026. Known for his portrayal of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+, as well as his decade-long stint on Saturday Night Live, Sudeikis will be joined on stage by faculty to discuss “leadership, resilience, teamwork, and the power of human connection,” according to meeting organizers.
“We expect a full house so secure a seat early,” said Juan Granada, MD (Cardiovascular Research Foundation, NY). “I predict the main arena is going to be packed.”
Late-Breaking Trials and Science
The meeting starts on Saturday, October 31, with multiple forums held throughout the day, including the Medtech Innovation, Nurse and Technologist, and Worldlink forums.
Sessions dedicated to late-breaking clinical trials (LBCT) and late-breaking science (LBS) will start on Sunday, November 1st, with the LBCT sessions running in the morning and LBS data presented in the afternoon.
On Sunday, LBCT I is primarily concerned with coronary interventions. The P4 study is testing whether computed tomography (CT) angiography-guided PCI is noninferior to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided PCI in patients with chronic or stabilized acute coronary syndromes.
Another trial, known as HD-PCI, is comparing 30-day clinical outcomes in patients undergoing PCI randomized to a high dose of unfractionated heparin (100 U/kg) versus a lower dose (70 U/kg). Others include TRANSFORM II testing a novel drug-coated balloon (Concept Medical) in de novo lesions and REMEDY-PILOT, a sham-controlled trial testing a coronary sinus reducer (Shockwave Medical) in patients with angina with nonobstructive coronary arteries.
LBS I on Sunday afternoon is largely aimed at structural interventions, including registry data on the characteristics and clinical outcomes of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) in the community. Granada said there are five randomized controlled trials currently testing different transcatheter tricuspid replacement devices, but there are limited data on TR phenotypes.
“This will help characterize what’s happening with the patients,” he said.
TAVI for Moderate Aortic Stenosis and More
On Monday, November 2, one of the major highlights of LBCT II is PROGRESS, a randomized trial of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) versus clinical surveillance in patients with moderate aortic stenosis (versus severe disease in which TAVI is approved). The primary endpoint of PROGRESS is a 2-year composite of death and heart failure hospitalizations.
LBCT II will also include clinical and health status outcomes fromCLASP II, a study comparing transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) to medical therapy in patients with severe, symptomatic TR. The SIMPLAAFY trial is investigating the safety and effectiveness of a single antithrombotic agent—either aspirin or a reduced-dose non-vitamin K oral anticoagulant—versus dual antiplatelet therapy after left atrial appendage closure.
In the afternoon, LBS II will include new studies in peripheral artery disease, including longer follow-up from SIRONA and another study testing a new bioresorbable vascular scaffold (AMT Medical) for superficial femoral artery disease. The last study in the session is testing whether the vasodilator nicorandil can prevent no-reflow in patients with STEMI undergoing PCI.
On Tuesday, November 3, LBCT III includes IRIS-MAIN, an observational study of patients undergoing revascularization for left main coronary artery disease, and EPIC17-VERONICA, a study testing if platelet function testing can guide P2Y12 inhibitor de-escalation. Data from SPYRAL-AFFIRM, a post-approval study of patients with uncontrolled hypertension who underwent radiofrequency renal denervation (Medtronic), will also be presented.
Among other studies, LBS III includes the final results from PROTEMBO IDE, which is investigating a novel cerebral protection system (ProtEmbo; Protembis) used in TAVI.
“Across the board, the studies are very homogeneous in terms of quality and trial conduct,” said Granada. “It’s going to bring a lot of new data to the interventional community.”
Other Highlights
In addition to the data, there will be no shortage of live cases, a popular feature of the interventional meeting.
This year there are more than 40 live cases scheduled from 27 participating sites, including centers in Canada, France, China, Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, and the US. The live procedures include a mix of complex TAVI, transcatheter mitral valve replacement, and tricuspid TEER, as well as coronary procedures in complex anatomy and others involving drug-coated balloons.
Recorded cases with experienced operators will also be shown throughout the meeting, including those focused on complications, such as aortic valve embolization or stent dislodgment. There are 11 dedicated sessions as part of the meeting’s AI Lab, including those targeting real-world applications.
For her part, program director Roxana Mehran, MD (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY), the current president of the American College of Cardiology, highlighted the 3R (regulation, research, and reimbursement) session which focuses on bridging the gap between policy and clinical practice.
“We believe these [policy issues] are really fundamental to connecting science to clinical care,” she said. “[First], making sure that our devices are safe and effective through good research and clinical trial design, and then, of course, getting it to our patients.”