Background Refractory vascular spasm (RVS) concomitantly involving the entire coronary artery system and grafted conduits after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery is a rare, but dreadful ...event. No consensus exists in terms of appropriate management. Methods Between 1986 and 2009, 5,762 patients underwent isolated CABG at our institution, and 7 patients experienced RVS involving the coronary arteries and implanted conduits. Mean age was 65.6 years and 3 were female. All patients received from 3 to 5 distal anastomoses, including use of the left internal mammary artery. During the same time period, 18 patients experienced perioperative vasospasm of a single coronary artery or of a grafted conduit. Results All diffuse RVS events occurred between 3 and 8 hours after surgery. All patients had diffuse ischemic-like electrocardiographic changes, and 5 patients rapidly developed cardiogenic shock in the intensive care unit. Angiography was quickly performed in all patients and showed diffuse RVS involving either the native coronary arteries or the anastomosed arterial and venous conduits. The first 5 patients of this series died in the catheterization lab due to rapidly evolving refractory cardiogenic shock and unresponsive cardiac arrest, despite intraaortic counterpulsation and aggressive pharmacologic interventions (selective vasodilators and systemic inotropes). In the last 2 patients, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was quickly instituted (1 in the catheterization lab, 1 in the operating room) and RVS could be successfully managed with complete resolution of ongoing vasospasm. In the single vascular spasm, there was only 1 death for refractory cardiac arrest, whereas all the other patients were successfully treated with direct infusion of vasodilators. Conclusions Diffuse RVS after CABG is a rare but lethal condition. Our experience, although limited, indicates that in such cases an aggressive treatment, that is, prompt extracorporeal membrane oxygenation institution and controlled cardiocirculatory assistance, represents the preferred solution to face such a dramatic event and may save patient lives.
Abstract Background We compared short-term results of a hybrid versus a standard surgical bilateral thoracoscopic approach employing radiofrequency (RF) sources in the surgical treatment of lone ...atrial fibrillation (LAF). Methods Between January 2008 and July 2010 sixty-three consecutive patients with LAF underwent minimally invasive surgery. Thirty-five (55.5%) underwent surgery with the hybrid approach whereas 28 (45.5%) underwent bilateral thoracoscopic standard procedure (no-hybrid group). All patients underwent continuous 7-day Holter Monitoring (HM) at 3 months, 6 months and 1 year. Results At 1 year, 91.4% and 82.1% (time-related prevalence 5.2% vs.6.0% p = 0.56) of the patients were free of AF and AAD. The hybrid group yielded better results in long standing persistent AF (8.2% time related prevalence 81.8% vs. 44.4%, p = 0.001 vs.14.9%, p = 0.04). One-year success rates were 87.5% vs. 100% ( p = 0.04) in persistent time related prevalence 3.8% vs. 0%, p < 0.001 and 87.5% vs. 100% ( p = 0.04) in paroxysmal AF time related prevalence 3.2% vs. 0%, p < 0.001 in the two groups. One-year prevalence of Warfarin use was significantly higher in the hybrid group (29.0% 26.2–33.1 and 13.4% 9.9–16.3) with no difference by AF type. LA reverse remodeling occurred in 81.7% ( n = 30) of hybrid patients and 67.8% ( n = 19) of no-hybrid patients at latest control ( p = 0.02). Left atrial emptying fraction increased in both groups (50 ± 14%, p < 0.001and 52 ± 12%, p = 0.004 in hybrid and no-hybrid, respectively) without differences between groups ( p = 0.6). Conclusions The hybrid procedure yielded excellent results in long-standing persistent AF. Our findings need to be confirmed by further larger studies.
Herein, we describe a 54-year-old patient with a congenital ventricular diverticulum (CVD), referred to our emergency department for presyncope episodes and multiple re-entrant ventricular ...tachycardias (VT). Significantly, echocardiographic findings were not clear, and the diagnosis was made by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), which showed the presence of an apical accessory cavity connected to the ventricle and contracting synchronously. CMRI allowed the differential diagnosis with other outpouching cardiac defects. The patient underwent a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) implant and was referred for heart transplantation (HT). The diagnosis, treatment, and main findings of the CVD are discussed in this case report.
Beta blockers (BBs) play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life and extending the survival of patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Initiating the therapy at low ...doses and gradually titrating the dose upwards is recommended to ensure therapeutic efficacy while mitigating potential adverse effects. Vigilant monitoring for signs of drug intolerance is necessary, with dose adjustments as required. The management of older HF patients requires a case-centered approach, taking into account individual comorbidities, functional status, and frailty. Older adults, however, are often underrepresented in randomized clinical trials, leading to some uncertainty in management strategies as patients with HF in clinical practice are older than those enrolled in trials. The present article performs a scoping review of the past 25 years of published literature on BBs in older HF patients, focusing on age, outcomes, and tolerability. Twelve studies (eight randomized-controlled and four observational) encompassing 26,426 patients were reviewed. The results indicate that BBs represent a viable treatment for older HFrEF patients, offering benefits in symptom management, cardiac function, and overall outcomes. Their role in HF with preserved EF, however, remains uncertain. Further research is warranted to refine treatment strategies and address specific aspects in older adults, including proper dosing, therapeutic adherence, and tolerability.
Although real-time 3D echocardiography (RT3DE) has only been introduced in the last decades, its use still needs to be improved since it is a time-consuming and operator-dependent technique and ...acquiring a good quality data can be difficult. Moreover, the additive value of this important diagnostic tool still needs to be wholly appreciated in clinical practice. This review aims at explaining how, why, and when performing RT3DE is useful in clinical practice.
This study was undertaken to compare the accuracy of chronic kidney disease-epidemiology collaboration (eGFR
) to modification of diet in renal disease (eGFR
) and the Cockcroft-Gault formulas of ...Creatinine clearance (C
) equations in predicting post coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) mortality.
Data from 4408 patients who underwent isolated CABG over a 11-year period were retrieved from one institutional database. Discriminatory power was assessed using the c-index and comparison between the scores' performance was performed with DeLong, bootstrap, and Venkatraman methods. Calibration was evaluated with calibration curves and associated statistics.
The discriminatory power was higher in eGFR
than eGFR
and C
(Area under Curve AUC:0.77, 0.55 and 0.52, respectively). Furthermore, eGFR
performed worse in patients with an eGFR ≤29 ml/min/1.73m
(AUC: 0.53) while it was not influenced by higher eGFRs, age, and body size. In contrast, the MDRD equation was accurate only in women (calibration statistics p = 0.72), elderly patients (p = 0.53) and subjects with severe impairment of renal function (p = 0.06) whereas C
was not significantly biased only in patients between 40 and 59 years (p = 0.6) and with eGFR 45-59 ml/min/1.73m
(p = 0.32) or ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73m
(p = 0.48).
In general, CKD-EPI gives the best prediction of death after CABG with unsatisfactory accuracy and calibration only in patients with severe kidney disease. In contrast, the CG and MDRD equations were inaccurate in a clinically significant proportion of patients.
Background and aim. Cancer and atrial fibrillation (AF) may be associated, and anticoagulation, either with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), is necessary to prevent ...thromboembolic events by reducing the risk of bleeding. The log incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence interval were used as index statistics. Higgin’s I2 test was adopted to assess statistical inconsistencies by considering interstudy variations, defined by values ranging from 0 to 100%. I2 values of less than 40% are associated with very low heterogeneity among the studies; values between 40% and 75% indicate moderate heterogeneity, and those greater than 75% suggest severe heterogeneity. The aim of this meta-analysis was to compare the safety and efficacy of VKAs and DOACs in oncologic patients with AF. Methods. A meta-analysis was conducted comparing VKAs to DOACs in terms of thromboembolic events and bleeding. A meta-regression was conducted to investigate the differences in efficacy and safety between four different DOACs. Moreover, a sub-analysis on active-cancer-only patients was conducted. Results. A total of eight papers were included. The log incidence rate ratio (IRR) for thromboembolic events between the two groups was −0.69 (p < 0.005). The meta-regression did not reveal significant differences between the types of DOACs (p > 0.9). The Log IRR was −0.38 (p = 0.008) for ischemic stroke, −0.43 (p = 0.02) for myocardial infarction, −0.39 (p = 0.45) for arterial embolism, and −1.04 (p = 0.003) for venous thromboembolism. The log IRR for bleeding events was −0.43 (p < 0.005), and the meta-regression revealed no statistical difference (p = 0.7). The log IRR of hemorrhagic stroke, major bleeding, and clinically relevant non-major bleeding between the VKA and DOAC groups was −0.51 (p < 0.0001), −0.45 (p = 0.03), and 0.0045 (p = 0.97), respectively. Similar results were found in active-cancer patients for all the endpoints except for clinically-relevant non-major bleedings. Conclusions. DOACs showed better efficacy and safety outcomes than VKAs. No difference was found between types of DOACs.
Patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) might be more susceptible to infection from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and have higher mortality rates. ...Nevertheless, the risk of mortality has not been previously quantified. The aim of this meta-analysis is to quantify the risk of mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. A meta-analysis was conducted analyzing the impact of (1) sex, (2) age, (3) CVD with coronary artery disease (CAD), (4) CAD alone, (5) CVD without CAD, (6) hypertension, (7) cerebrovascular diseases, and (8) diabetes on mortality. Relative risk was assessed for dichotomous variables, mean difference for continuous variables. Twenty-six studies were included, encompassing 8497 patients. Males had 16% higher risk of mortality than females (p < 0.05) and elderly patients had higher chance of dying than younger patients (p < 0.0001). Patients with overall CVD have a 1.96-fold higher mortality risk (p < 0.0001). CAD increases risk of mortality by 1.90-fold (p < 0.05). CVD-CAD were found to increase risk up to 2.03-fold (p < 0.05). Hypertension, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes increase the risk of death up to 1.73-fold, 1.76-fold and 1.59-fold, respectively (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p < 0.05, respectively). Sex, age, presence of CAD and/or other types of CVD, hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus increase mortality in patients with COVID-19.
Aortic stenosis (AS) represents a notable paradigm for cardiovascular (CV) and geriatric disorders owing to comorbidity. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) was initially considered a ...therapeutic strategy in elderly individuals deemed unsuitable for or at high risk of surgical valve replacement. The progressive improvement in TAVR technology has led to the need to refine older patients’ stratification, progressively incorporating the concept of frailty and other geriatric vulnerabilities. Recognizing the intricate nature of the aging process, reliance exclusively on chronological age for stratification resulted in an initial but inadequate tool to assess both CV and non-CV risks effectively. A comprehensive geriatric evaluation should be performed before TAVR procedures, taking into account both physical and cognitive capabilities and post-procedural outcomes through a multidisciplinary framework. This review adopts a multidisciplinary perspective to delve into the diagnosis and holistic management of AS in elderly populations in order to facilitate decision-making, thereby optimizing outcomes centered around patient well-being.
PDF