The Topic Collection opens up with a systematic review and meta-analysis from Suebsaicharoen et al entitled ‘Comparative cardiovascular outcomes of novel drugs as an addition to conventional triple therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF): a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials’.4 The researchers compared the effects of different combinations of conventional HF therapies BB, MRA, ACEI/ARBs and novel agents, ARNI, SGLT-2is, soluble guanylate cyclase, omecamtiv mecarbil and ivabradine, on time to occurrence of the primary endpoint of cardiovascular death or HF hospitalisation to define an optimal combination. ...the Topic Collection includes the editorial from Carolyn Thomas, ‘Heart failure: it’s time to finally change the F-word’, which represents the patient’s voice and addresses the problem of patients’ perception of the term heart failure. AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline for the management of heart failure: a report of the American college of cardiology/American heart Association joint committee on clinical practice guidelines.