Publications by authors named "Federica Bongiovanni"
Purpose: Limb intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness (ICUAW) and ICU acquired diaphragm weakness (DW) occur frequently in mechanically ventilated (MV) patients; their coexistence in cooperative and uncooperative patients is unknown. This study was designed to (1) describe the co-occurrence of the two conditions (2) evaluate the impact of ICUAW and DW on the ventilator-free days (VFDs) at 28 days and weaning success, and (3) assess the correlation between maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and thickening fraction (TFdi) in patients with DW.
Methods: This prospective pilot study was conducted in a single-center on 73 critically ill MV patients.
Background: Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is a major issue in patients with advanced heart failure because it precludes the implantation of left ventricular assist device, usually leaving heart transplantation (HTx) as the only available treatment option. The pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) is a hemodynamic parameter integrating information of right ventricular function and of pulmonary circulation. Our aim is to evaluate the association of preoperative RVD, hemodynamically defined as a low PAPi, with post-HTx survival.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study analyzed the risks of recurring ischemia and bleeding in patients treated for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) over the first year after the procedure.
- Two large registries, BleeMACS and RENAMI, were used to compare the average daily ischemic risk (ADIR) and average daily bleeding risk (ADBR) among nearly 20,000 patients receiving different antiplatelet therapies.
- Results showed that while ADIR was generally greater than ADBR in the initial weeks post-PCI (especially for severe cases), this trend shifted, with higher bleeding risks found in specific groups like non-ST-segment elevation ACS patients and those on ticagrelor after three months
Long versus short dual antiplatelet therapy in acute coronary syndrome patients treated with prasugrel or ticagrelor and coronary revascularization: Insights from the RENAMI registry.
Eur J Prev Cardiol
May 2020
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effectiveness of different durations of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) using prasugrel or ticagrelor in patients with acute coronary syndromes who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention, as previous research primarily focused on clopidogrel.
- Researchers analyzed data from 4424 patients, categorizing them into three groups based on DAPT duration: less than 12 months, exactly 12 months, and more than 12 months, to assess net adverse clinical events (NACEs) and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs).
- Findings showed that patients on 12 months or longer of DAPT had a significantly lower risk of NACEs and MACEs compared to those receiving less than 12
Diagnostic accuracy of functional, imaging and biochemical tests for patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care
August 2019
Article Synopsis
- Non-invasive ischaemia tests and biomarkers are commonly used in emergency departments to rule out acute coronary syndrome, but their diagnostic accuracy is still not fully established.
- A systematic review analyzed 77 studies with over 49,000 patients comparing various tests for diagnosing chest pain, revealing that fast and six-hour highly sensitive troponin T protocols have similar sensitivity and specificity.
- Among non-invasive tests, coronary computed tomography and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy for patients without elevated troponin levels, while stress echography was less effective and exercise testing performed the worst.
Objectives: Despite the advancements achieved by revascularization technique and pharmacological therapies, the number of patients with refractory angina (RA) is still high, carrying together a poor prognosis. Experimental data and small clinical studies suggest that the use of extracorporeal shockwave myocardial revascularization (ESMR) might improve symptoms of angina in patients with RA. The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy of cardiac shock wave therapy in a long term follow-up of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) otherwise not suitable for revascularization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Data are lacking on the effect of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) on atrial function. The aim of this study was to determine a cut-off of pre-ablation left atrial (LA) function in order to predict atrial functional recovery after RFCA.
Methods and results: A total of 64 atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who underwent RFCA were enrolled (age, 59.