Publications by authors named "Francesco Catagnano"
Article Synopsis
- A study called RedRate-HF investigated the effects of lowering heart rate (HR) in patients with acute heart failure (HF) using ivabradine, starting 48-72 hours after hospital admission.
- The study involved 20 participants with a mean age of 67, and findings showed that lowering HR significantly increased the RR interval and stroke volume while reducing left cardiac work index.
- The conclusion suggested that early reduction of HR in acute HF patients is both safe and beneficial, improving heart efficiency without negatively impacting overall cardiac output.
Background: Several risk factors have been identified to predict worse outcomes in patients affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Machine learning algorithms represent a novel approach to identifying a prediction model with a good discriminatory capacity to be easily used in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to obtain a risk score for in-hospital mortality in patients with coronavirus disease infection (COVID-19) based on a limited number of features collected at hospital admission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The role of sex compared to comorbidities and other prognostic variables in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is unclear.
Methods: This is a retrospective observational study on patients with COVID-19 infection, referred to 13 cardiology units. The primary objective was to assess the difference in risk of death between the sexes.
Article Synopsis
- * A total of 341 patients were analyzed, with findings indicating that patients with elevated levels of both NPs and troponin had a significantly higher risk of death, even when adjusted for other health factors.
- * The results suggest that NPs can help identify patients at risk of poor outcomes, even in those with normal troponin levels, highlighting their potential as a useful biomarker in COVID-19 prognosis.
Article Synopsis
- The study focused on hospitalized COVID-19 patients to evaluate the impact of a history of atrial fibrillation (AF) on their clinical outcomes.
- Among the 696 patients, those with a history of AF had significantly higher mortality rates (38.7% vs 20.8%) and faced more in-hospital complications like new-onset AF and acute heart failure.
- Even after adjusting for other serious health factors, the presence of AF remained a critical risk factor for worse outcomes in these patients.
Aims: Myocardial injury (MI) in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is quite prevalent at admission and affects prognosis. Little is known about troponin trajectories and their prognostic role. We aimed to describe the early in-hospital evolution of MI and its prognostic impact.
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- Glucocorticoid therapy has been found effective in reducing mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, based on a study of 706 patients from the Cardio-COVID-Italy registry.
- The study showed that patients treated with glucocorticoids had a significantly lower risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted HR 0.44) compared to those who weren't treated, especially those with specific clinical conditions.
- The benefits of glucocorticoids were particularly noticeable in patients with poor respiratory function (lower PaO/FiO ratio and oxygen saturation) and higher levels of systemic inflammation (higher CRP levels).
Article Synopsis
- Ruxolitinib is an anti-inflammatory drug that targets the JAK-STAT pathway and was used to treat severe COVID-19 patients with low oxygen saturation and interstitial pneumonia without mechanical ventilation support.
- In a study involving 31 patients, significant improvements were observed after 7 days, with 80.6% showing reduced symptoms and notable decreases in inflammation markers like C-reactive protein (CRP).
- The treatment led to better oxygenation (measured by PaO2/FiO ratio) and no adverse side effects were reported, supporting the idea that addressing hyperinflammation can benefit COVID-19 patients.
Aims: To assess the prognostic value of a history of heart failure (HF) in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Methods And Results: We enrolled 692 consecutive patients admitted for COVID-19 in 13 Italian cardiology centres between 1 March and 9 April 2020. Mean age was 67.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated pulmonary embolism (PE) in COVID-19 patients across 13 Cardiology Units in Italy, finding that 7.5% of 689 patients developed PE during their stay.
- Patients with PE were generally younger, had a higher BMI, and more severe respiratory issues, and had significantly higher D-dimer levels compared to those without PE.
- A linear relationship between D-dimer concentrations and the incidence of PE was identified, indicating the need for further research into the implications of bleeding events and the role of D-dimer in this patient population.
Article Synopsis
- Myocardial injury in COVID-19 patients, indicated by elevated troponin levels, correlates with higher mortality rates, especially in older and sicker populations in Europe and the US.
- A multicenter study in Italy involved 614 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and found that 45.3% had elevated troponin levels.
- Patients with elevated troponin were older and had higher rates of comorbidities like hypertension and heart disease, leading to a significant increase in their in-hospital mortality risk.