Impact of early abciximab administration on infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: Early abciximab administration in patients requiring transportation to undergo primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) has been reported to improve clinical outcome. We aimed to verify whether early administration leads to reduced infarct size (IS), assessed by delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI).

Methods: We randomized 110 patients with acute myocardial infarction with symptom-to-diagnosis time <6h to either early (55 patients) or late (55 patients) abciximab administration.

Role of intraoperative electrical parameters in predicting reverse remodelling after cardiac resynchronization therapy and correlation with interventricular mechanical dyssynchrony.

Aims: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) was shown to reverse left ventricular (LV) remodelling in heart failure (HF) patients. We aimed to investigate whether intraoperative electrical parameters (IEP) were predictive factors of LV reverse remodelling and were correlated with mechanical dyssynchrony indexes.

Methods: Eighty-six patients with HF underwent CRT.

Effectiveness of the transradial approach to reduce bleedings in patients undergoing urgent coronary angioplasty with GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors for acute coronary syndromes.

Objectives: To analyze the effectiveness of the transradial approach in reducing bleeding rates following urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute coronary syndromes treated with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs).

Background: PCI and use of GPIs are recommended in acute coronary syndromes, but are strong predictors of severe hemorrhagic complications, which, in turn, are associated with reduced survival. The transradial approach represents a simple and effective solution to reduce vascular access site bleedings, particularly with GPIs.

Weight loss and quality of life in chronic heart failure patients.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a planned body weight reduction on quality of life (QoL) in obese/overweight chronic heart failure (CHF) patients.

Methods: Thirty-four obese/overweight chronic heart failure patients (24 men, mean age 67.8 +/- 9.

Survival and hospitalization in a nurse-led domiciliary intervention for elderly heart failure patients.

Aim: Heart failure in the elderly population represents a complex clinical situation associated with frequent hospitalizations and numerous comorbidities. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of a domiciliary-based nurse-led strategy in a group of very elderly patients affected by heart failure who were regularly seen at an outpatient heart failure clinic (HFC).

Methods: Patients were periodically assessed in their homes by two trained nurses under supervision of the cardiologists of the HFC.

Endovascular balloon versus transthoracic aortic clamping for minimally invasive mitral valve surgery: impact on cerebral microemboli.

To evaluate micro embolic events occurrence during minimally invasive mitral valve procedures, comparing balloon endovascular aortic occlusion (Group I) and transthoracic aortic clamping technique (Group II), 36 patients (20 in Group I and 16 in Group II) undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery were selected by CT scan and Doppler studies for absence of atherosclerotic disease at aortic, coronary or peripheral level. Assignment to one of the two groups was made on the basis of surgeon's preference. Continuous automated intra-operative transcranial Doppler was used to monitor micro embolic events during five operative steps: cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) setup, time interval from CPB start until aortic clamp positioning, first minute after clamp-on, first minute after clamp-off, first ten minutes after CPB weaning start.

Percutaneous mitral annuloplasty: an anatomic study of human coronary sinus and its relation with mitral valve annulus and coronary arteries.

Background: To allow performance of "stand-alone" mitral annuloplasty with minimal invasiveness, percutaneous techniques consisting of delivery into the coronary sinus (CS) of devices intended to shrink the mitral valve annulus have recently been tested in animal models. These techniques exploit the anatomic proximity of the CS and mitral valve annulus in ovine or dogs. Knowledge of a detailed anatomic relationship between the CS, coronary arteries, and mitral valve annulus in humans is essential to define the safety and efficacy of percutaneous techniques in clinical practice.

The ideal theoretical graft oversizing in valve-sparing aortic operations with a standard tubular or a Valsalva graft.

Objective: We sought to determine, by a mathematical model, the ideal theoretical degree of ascending aortic graft oversizing needed to obtain normal sinuses dimension in the reimplantation type of valve-sparing aortic operations.

Methods: To define a normal-range value, size of sinuses of Valsalva was conventionally expressed as the area surrounding fully opened aortic cusps, the so-called beyond leaflets area (BLA), and measured in 50 healthy subjects. A mathematical relationship between aortic annulus diameter, aortic sinuses diameter and resulting BLA was defined.