The presence of animals in hospital facilities: A preliminary study on the opinion of doctors, healthcare workers, and students in Sardinia.

Introduction: Contact with pets within healthcare settings is considered worldwide an added value to assistance both in the case of animal-assisted interventions and also when pets are visiting hospitalized owners, due to the special emotional relationship between them and their pets. The goal of this work was to analyze local experiences on access of pets to healthcare facilities using a survey sent to doctors, veterinarians, and students in the region of Sardinia (Italy).

Methods: The online survey consisted of 17 questions, with the objective to evaluate knowledge and interest of study participants on some aspects of human-animal interaction with particular reference to potential access of pets to hospitals facilities and nursing homes and to promote an initial social judgment in the medical and healthcare environment.

Atrial Remodeling in Pregnant Hypertensive Women: Comparison between Chronic and Gestational Hypertension.

Objectives: Left atrial (LA) enlargement is a common finding in hypertensive patients (pts), however little information is available on LA changes during pregnancy. The present study evaluated LA size and function in pregnant women with hypertension.

Methods: Patients population included 30 women with chronic hypertension and 30 patients with gestational hypertension.