Transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect using intracardiac echocardiography: a two-center, retrospective study.

Aims: We present the experience and long-term results of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE)-guided closure of ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs) in two Italian centers and investigate its systematic applicability as the gold standard in routine clinical practice.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all consecutive patients who underwent an ASD percutaneous closure procedure from March 2008 to February 2020. All patients underwent a preprocedural transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) evaluation.

Detection and prognostic impact of renal dysfunction in patients with chronic heart failure and normal serum creatinine.

Background: Accurate identification of renal dysfunction (RD) is crucial to risk stratification in chronic heart failure (CHF). Patients with CHF are at special risk of having RD despite normal serum creatinine (SCr), owing to a decreased Cr generation. At low levels of SCr, the equations estimating renal function are less accurate.

Prognostic value of formulas estimating excretory renal function in the elderly with systolic heart failure.

Background: reduced renal excretory function (REF) is increasingly being appreciated as a potent prognostic factor in chronic heart failure (CHF). The Cockroft-Gault (CG) and the simplified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equations have been recommended to estimate REF. However, limitations for both formulas have been reported in the elderly.