Cardiac and obstetric outcomes in pregnant women with heart disease: appraisal of the 2018 mWHO classification.

Objective: To appraise the application of the 2018 European Society of Cardiology-adapted modified WHO (mWHO) classification to pregnant women with heart disease managed at our maternal-fetal medicine referral centre and to assess whether the lack of a multidisciplinary Pregnancy Heart team has influenced their outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study including all pregnancies with heart disease managed at our centre between June 2011 and December 2020. Cardiac conditions were categorised in five classes according to the mWHO classification.

Sacubitril/Valsartan in "Field Practice" Patients with Advanced Heart Failure: A Monocentric Italian Experience.

Patients with advanced heart failure (HF) experience a continuous decline in quality of life and have a very poor prognosis. Moreover, due to numerous comorbidities present in these patients, transplantation and left ventricular assist devices are usually impracticable in clinical practice. In this challenging setting, administration of inotropic agents may be the only possible therapy; however, this treatment requires frequent hospitalizations.

Effects of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation on neurological and cardiac outcome after ischaemic refractory cardiac arrest.

Background: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation is increasingly recognised as a rescue therapy for refractory cardiac arrest, nevertheless data are scanty about its effects on neurologic and cardiac outcome. The aim of this study is to compare clinical outcome in patients with cardiac arrest of ischaemic origin (i.e.

The "thirsty dropsy": Early descriptions in medical and non-medical authors of thirst as symptom of chronic heart failure.

Background: Patients with chronic heart failure may suffer from severe thirst, even if mechanisms that cause thirst in subjects affected by this condition are not clear. Medical and non-medical authors may have already recognized this symptom during the classical age.

Methods: We analyzed association between thirst and dropsy (an ancient medical term used to indicate different conditions including chronic heart failure) in past medical and non-medical literature.

Changes in physical activity among coronary and hypertensive patients: A longitudinal study using the Health Action Process Approach.

Objectives: Physical activity (PA) is a key factor in cardiovascular disease prevention. Through the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), the present study investigated the process of change in PA in coronary patients (CPs) and hypertensive patients (HPs).

Design: Longitudinal survey study with two follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months on 188 CPs and 169 HPs.