[Comparison between telephone and outpatient nursing management in patients with chronic heart failure in a large territorial area in Piedmont, Italy].

Background: In the last years, the increasing incidence and prevalence, the deterioration of quality of life, the high mortality and the elevated costs related to chronic heart failure represent one of the most important problems of public health care. Multidisciplinary management systems based on specialized nurses teams improve the outcome and reduce the costs of care of these patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the use for 1 year, in an urban or suburban population, of two different nurse-based management systems in addition to usual care for outpatients with congestive heart failure.

[Outpatient medical and nurse management program in patients with chronic heart failure in a large territorial area in Piedmont. Four years of follow-up].

Background: Chronic heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization and readmissions. In the last years many strategies based on the interaction of multi-competence programs have been evaluated to improve its management.

Methods: We evaluated the feasibility of an outpatient management program for patients with chronic hearth failure jointly treated by hospital, territorial cardiologists, nurses and primary physicians in a large area of Piedmont.

[Heart rupture in acute myocardial infarction: multicenter observational study of the coronary unit of Piedmont].

Background: The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the incidence of cardiac rupture during myocardial infarction (MI) as well as the predictive value of the main cardiac rupture risk factors.

Methods: The study was carried out in 17 coronary care units (CCU) between January and December 1999 in the Piedmont region (Italy).

Results: The incidence of cardiac rupture was 1.

Are baseline frequencies of SCEs, CAs, and MN in human lymphocytes related to hematological values?

In the present study, the correlation among several hematic values and the baseline frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs), chromosome aberrations (CAs), and micronucleus (MN) were evaluated in human peripheral blood lymphocytes from a group of 1429 volunteers. Donors were selected to be representative of the general population of people living in the city of Pisa (Italy). By the use of the principal component analysis (PCA), principal components (PCs) were extracted from the complex pattern of correlations intrinsic in the hematic values (for example such as those among hemoglobin content, hematocrit, and erythrocyte count), and were tested for correlation on SCE, CA and MN frequencies.

Subacute left ventricular free-wall rupture in early course of acute myocardial infarction. Clinical report of two cases and review of the literature.

Left ventricular free wall rupture (LVFWR) may complicate an acute myocardial infarction (AMI); its frequency ranges from 1 to 6 percent. In the era of coronary care units, LVFWR is the second cause of in-hospital death, after pump failure. The subacute presentation accounts for 2-3 percent of total hospital admissions for AMI.