Publications by authors named "Alberto Minacapelli"
Background: Mitral valve apparatus is complex and involves the mitral annulus, the leaflets, the chordae tendinae, the papillary muscles as well as the left atrial and ventricular myocardium. Secondary mitral regurgitation is a consequence of regional or global left ventricle remodeling due to an acute myocardial infarction (75% of cases) or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (25% of cases). It is associated with an increase in mortality and poor outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The effect of hospital-associated SARS-CoV-2 infections in cardiac surgery patients remains poorly investigated, and current data are limited to small case series with conflicting results.
Methods: A multicenter European collaboration was organized to analyze the outcomes of patients who tested positive with hospital-associated SARS-CoV-2 infection after cardiac surgery. The study investigators hypothesized that early infection could be associated with worse postoperative outcomes; hence 2 groups were considered: (1) an early hospital-associated SARS-CoV-2 infection group comprising patients who had a positive molecular test result ≤7 days after surgery, with or without symptoms; and (2) a late hospital-associated SARS-CoV-2 infection group comprising patients whose test positivity occurred >7 days after surgery, with or without symptoms.
Objective: The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the postoperative course of patients after cardiac surgery is unknown. We experienced a major severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in our cardiac surgery unit, with several patients who tested positive early after surgery. Here we describe the characteristics, postoperative course, and laboratory findings of these patients, along with the fate of the health care workers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES) has reduced rates of in-stent restenosis (ISR) compared to bare-metal stents (BMS), but ISR treatment remains a challenge, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).
- Drug-coated balloons (DCB) are emerging as an effective treatment option for ISR, as they deliver an antiproliferative drug without adding a second metallic strut, which can aggravate inflammation in already stressed vessels.
- This paper reviews existing data on the efficacy and safety of DES versus DCB specifically for treating ISR in diabetic patients, highlighting the need for tailored approaches in this subgroup.