2025 AHA/ACC blood pressure guideline and HEARTS 2.0: implications for the future evolution of integrated cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic care in the Americas

Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In 2025, two major evidence-based frameworks evolved in parallel: HEARTS 2.0, an implementation-oriented clinical pathway for integrated cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) care through primary health care, and the updated American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Blood Pressure Guideline, one of the world's leading hypertension guidelines. Although developed for different intended applications, both drew on a common and rapidly expanding evidence base, making it timely to examine their areas of convergence and divergence. Using the four operational domains of the HEARTS 2.0 Clinical Pathway, this article compares both approaches and examines their implications for the future evolution of integrated CKM care in the Americas. The analysis demonstrates substantial concordance across all domains, including accurate blood pressure measurement, risk-based care, simplified treatment protocols with early use of single-pill combinations, rapid treatment intensification, team-based care, and comprehensive CKM risk reduction. The few remaining differences should not be viewed as contradictions but as opportunities for future refinement. They primarily concern the diagnostic threshold for hypertension, the application of blood pressure targets below 130/80 mmHg, and emerging cardiometabolic therapies. These areas reflect ongoing debates and evolving evidence that may inform future updates of HEARTS 2.0, with adoption varying across countries according to context, feasibility, affordability, and implementation capacity. Overall, this comparison reinforces the scientific foundations of both frameworks and supports their interpretation as complementary and mutually reinforcing approaches for advancing the implementation of scalable, integrated CKM care in the Americas.

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Publication Details

Journal
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
Published
2026-09-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26633/rpsp.2026.85
Primary Topic
Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies
Type
article
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article

2025 AHA/ACC blood pressure guideline and HEARTS 2.0: implications for the future evolution of integrated cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic care in the Americas

Marc G. Jaffe, Andrés Rosende, Paul K. Whelton, Donald J. DiPette et al.
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies
article

2025 AHA/ACC blood pressure guideline and HEARTS 2.0: implications for the future evolution of integrated cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic care in the Americas

Marc G. Jaffe, Andrés Rosende, Paul K. Whelton, Donald J. DiPette, Sean J. Battle, Jeffrey Brettler, Pedro Ordunez
article en

Abstract

Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In 2025, two major evidence-based frameworks evolved in parallel: HEARTS 2.0, an implementation-oriented clinical pathway for integrated cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) care through primary health care, and the updated American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Blood Pressure Guideline, one of the world's leading hypertension guidelines. Although developed for different intended applications, both drew on a common and rapidly expanding evidence base, making it timely to examine their areas of convergence and divergence. Using the four operational domains of the HEARTS 2.0 Clinical Pathway, this article compares both approaches and examines their implications for the future evolution of integrated CKM care in the Americas. The analysis demonstrates substantial concordance across all domains, including accurate blood pressure measurement, risk-based care, simplified treatment protocols with early use of single-pill combinations, rapid treatment intensification, team-based care, and comprehensive CKM risk reduction. The few remaining differences should not be viewed as contradictions but as opportunities for future refinement. They primarily concern the diagnostic threshold for hypertension, the application of blood pressure targets below 130/80 mmHg, and emerging cardiometabolic therapies. These areas reflect ongoing debates and evolving evidence that may inform future updates of HEARTS 2.0, with adoption varying across countries according to context, feasibility, affordability, and implementation capacity. Overall, this comparison reinforces the scientific foundations of both frameworks and supports their interpretation as complementary and mutually reinforcing approaches for advancing the implementation of scalable, integrated CKM care in the Americas.

Revista Panamericana de Salud PúblicaVol. 50
Twitter (United States) (US), Tulane University (US), Kaiser Permanente (US), University of South Carolina System (US), World Health Organization Regional Office for the Americas (US), Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center (US), ORCID (US), Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (US)
Partnerships for the goals
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies
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