Publications by authors named "Andrea Zito"

Article Synopsis
  • Balloon-expandable valves (BEVs) and self-expanding valves (SEVs) are compared for their effects on patients with Sievers type 1 bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
  • The analysis, based on a registry of 955 patients, found no significant difference in midterm major adverse events or technical success between BEVs and SEVs after adjusting for baseline differences.
  • However, BEVs had lower risks of new permanent pacemaker implantation and moderate or greater paravalvular regurgitation, but a higher risk of severe patient-prosthesis mismatch compared to SEVs.
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Background: Trans-femoral (TF) represents the main access for TAVI. Although there are various technical strategies to conduct TF-TAVI (pacing modality, secondary arterial access, primary access puncture etc.), the optimal technique is not recognized.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the characteristics and outcomes of patients with tapered raphe-type bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) when undergoing trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), focusing on the safety and effectiveness of modern heart valves.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 897 patients, finding that those with tapered configurations showed similar success rates and safety between two sizing strategies: annular and supra-annular.
  • The results indicate that TAVR is a safe and effective procedure for these patients, regardless of the sizing method used, maintaining a high rate of clinical efficacy at mid-term follow-up.
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Transfemoral access is nowadays required for an increasing number of percutaneous procedures, such as structural heart interventions, mechanical circulatory support, and interventional electrophysiology/pacing. Despite technological advancements and improved techniques, these devices necessitate large-bore (≥12 French) arterial/venous sheaths, posing a significant risk of bleeding and vascular complications, whose occurrence has been related to an increase in morbidity and mortality. Therefore, optimizing large-bore vascular access management is crucial in endovascular interventions.

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Article Synopsis
  • Approximately 50% of patients with severe aortic valve stenosis undergoing TAVI also have coronary artery disease (CAD), but the effects of CAD on TAVI outcomes and the best treatment strategies are not fully understood.
  • Current diagnostic methods for CAD include invasive coronary angiography and coronary computed tomography angiography, with the latter potentially reducing unnecessary procedures.
  • Evidence suggests that treating CAD after TAVI might lead to better outcomes, but further research is needed to create clear guidelines for managing CAD in these patients.
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Background: Patients experiencing non-ST segment elevation acute-coronary-syndromes (NSTE-ACS) often present with multivessel-coronary-artery-disease (MVD). An immediate complete multivessel revascularization (MVR) - within the index hospitalization - may be considered the default therapeutic strategy, although its risk-to-benefit profile has not been definitively established through dedicated clinical trials.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis, adhering to MOOSE and PRISMA guidelines, was conducted to assess studies comparing immediate MVR versus a conservative culprit-only revascularization (COR) in NSTE-ACS with MVD.

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New-generation transcatheter heart valves have significantly improved technical success and procedural safety of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures; however, the incidence of permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) remains a concern. This study aimed to assess the role of anatomic annulus features in determining periprocedural conduction disturbances leading to new PPI after TAVI using the last-generation Edwards SAPIEN balloon-expandable valves. In the context of a prospective single-center registry, we integrated the clinical and procedural predictors of PPI with anatomic data derived from multislice computed tomography.

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Article Synopsis
  • Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) stenosis can lead to complications like paravalvular regurgitation (PVR), which is the leakage of blood around the valve.
  • A study involving 946 patients aimed to understand how often PVR occurs after TAVR, what factors predict it, and its impact on patient outcomes, finding that 44.7% experienced some level of PVR.
  • Moderate or severe PVR was linked to higher risks of major adverse events (MAEs) like death or hospitalization, highlighting the importance of careful monitoring and management in these patients.
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Article Synopsis
  • NEC is a serious intestinal disease affecting premature infants, with breastfed infants being less affected due to protective compounds in human milk called HMOs.
  • The study involved administering antibiotics to reduce microbiota in mice while inducing NEC through various stressors, and then studying the effects of HMOs on intestinal epithelial regeneration.
  • Results showed that HMOs helped in reducing intestinal injury and promoting cell growth, even without the presence of gut microbiota, highlighting their potential benefits in protecting against NEC.
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Background: Several implant-based remote monitoring strategies are currently tested to optimize heart failure (HF) management by anticipating clinical decompensation and preventing hospitalization. Among these solutions, the modern implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices have been equipped with sensors allowing continuous monitoring of multiple preclinical markers of worsening HF, including factors of autonomic adaptation, patient activity, and intrathoracic impedance.

Objectives: We aimed to assess whether implant-based multiparameter remote monitoring strategy for guided HF management improves clinical outcomes when compared to standard clinical care.

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Background Guidelines recommend using multiple drugs in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction, but there is a paucity of real-world data on the simultaneous initiation of the 4 pharmacological pillars at discharge after a decompensation event. Methods and Results A retrospective data mart, including patients diagnosed with HF, was implemented. Consecutively admitted patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction were selected through an automated approach and categorized according to the number/type of treatments prescribed at discharge.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates different diagnostic strategies for detecting coronary artery disease (CAD) to determine which approach yields better health outcomes for patients suspected of stable CAD.
  • The analysis, based on randomized clinical trials, focuses on comparing coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) against other methods like invasive coronary angiography (ICA), exercise electrocardiography (ECG), and SPECT-MPI.
  • Findings suggest that while CCTA reduces the need for invasive procedures without increasing risks of serious cardiovascular events, it leads to more revascularization procedures and less follow-up testing compared to exercise ECG.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing adenosine's effectiveness in reducing coronary microvascular obstruction during myocardial revascularization in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
  • A total of 26 trials with 5,843 patients were analyzed, revealing that adenosine did not improve major adverse cardiac events or survival, but it did increase the risk of serious heart rhythm issues, especially in cases where ischaemic time was over 3 hours.
  • Overall, while adenosine was supposed to help, it actually posed more risks without offering any significant benefits in managing ACS.
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Myocardial bridging (MB) is the most frequent congenital coronary anomaly in which a segment of an epicardial coronary artery takes a tunneled course under a bridge of the myocardium. This segment is compressed during systole, resulting in the so-called "milking effect" at coronary angiography. As coronary blood flow occurs primarily during diastole, the clinical relevance of MB is heterogeneous, being usually considered an asymptomatic bystander.

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Article Synopsis
  • Ischemic heart disease (IHD) shows different clinical presentations and risks for men and women, with women having higher thrombotic risk due to biological and reproductive factors.
  • Women also face increased risks of bleeding, influenced by factors like smaller blood vessels, lower body weight, and potential for inappropriate medication dosing.
  • Despite comprising a significant proportion of cardiovascular patients, women are often underrepresented in clinical trials, leading to a need for dedicated research to enhance personalized antithrombotic treatment for them.
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Background And Aims: The use of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) for the treatment of cardiogenic shock (CS) may result in left ventricle overload and distension. Percutaneous microaxial flow pump Impella in addition to VA-ECMO (ECPELLA) is an emerging option to overcome these collateral effects. Aim of this study is to assess whether the addition of Impella to VA-ECMO is an effective and safe unloading strategy.

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Background: The impact of myocardial revascularization on outcomes and prognosis in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) without left main (LM) disease or reduced left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) may be influenced by the revascularization strategy adopted.

Methods: We performed a network meta-analysis including 18 randomized controlled trials comparing different revascularization strategies, including angiography-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), physiology-guided PCI and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), in patients with CCS without LM disease or reduced LVEF.

Results: Compared with medical therapy, all revascularization strategies were associated with a reduction of the primary endpoint, as defined in each trial, the extent of which was modest with angiography-guided PCI (IRR 0.

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Aims: Pre-clinical congestion markers of worsening heart failure (HF) can be monitored by devices and may support the management of patients with HF. We aimed to assess whether congestion-guided HF management according to device-based remote monitoring strategies is more effective than standard therapy.

Methods And Results: A comprehensive literature research for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing device-based remote monitoring strategies for congestion-guided HF management versus standard therapy was performed on PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases.

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Article Synopsis
  • Understanding sex and gender differences is crucial for improving heart failure treatment and outcomes for both men and women.
  • The review highlights the importance of considering these factors in healthcare to develop targeted strategies.
  • Current evidence on how sex and gender impact heart failure is summarized to inform future research and clinical practices.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Recent trials show that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are effective in treating heart failure (HF) in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients, suggesting they could be used routinely in clinical settings
  • - A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the cardiovascular benefits of SGLT2i in HF patients, finding significant reductions in hospitalizations and deaths related to heart failure and cardiovascular issues
  • - The results highlight strong evidence for the regular use of SGLT2i as standard treatment for heart failure, with a favorable number needed to treat (NNT) that encourages their adoption in practice
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Aims: The aims of this study is to assess by an updated meta-analysis the clinical outcomes related to permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) at long-term (≥12 months) follow-up (LTF).

Methods And Results: A comprehensive literature research was performed on PubMed and EMBASE. The primary endpoint was all-cause death.

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Purpose: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most distressing gastrointestinal emergencies affecting neonates. Amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSC) improve intestinal injury and survival in experimental NEC but are difficult to administer. In this study, we evaluated whether conditioned medium (CM) derived from human AFSC have protective effects.

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