Prescriptive Appropriateness and Efficacy of Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs in a Secondary Prevention Setting-A Retrospective Analysis from Two Italian Cardiac Rehabilitation Centers.

Treatment of CV risk factors, such as cholesterol level, represents one of the main goals to reduce atherosclerotic burden. The aim of this study was to investigate the prescriptive appropriateness of cholesterol-lowering drugs among patients who experienced an atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD). : We investigated 155 patients who underwent cardiac rehabilitation in 2020.

Prognostic Impact of a Routine Six-Month Exercise Stress Test after Complex Left Main Bifurcation Percutaneous Intervention.

The prognostic value of exercise stress test after complex left main (LM) coronary artery bifurcation (LM) stenting has been poorly investigated. To partially fill this gap in knowledge, we retrospectively analyzed the procedural and medical data of consecutive patients referred to our center for complex LM bifurcation disease between January 2008 and May 2018 who were treated using either single- or dual-stenting techniques. The prognostic impact of an exercise stress test, performed 6 months after the coronary intervention, was evaluated in 502 patients (316 males, mean age 70.

Risk of incident pericarditis after coronavirus disease 2019 recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: Data regarding the risk of incident pericarditis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recovered patients are lacking. We determined the risk of incident pericarditis after COVID-19 infection by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of available data.

Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched MEDLINE and Scopus to locate all articles published up to 11 February 2023 reporting the risk of incident pericarditis in patients who had recovered from COVID-19 infection compared to noninfected patients (controls) defined as those who did not experience the disease over the same follow-up period.

Trends in Cardiogenic Shock-Related Mortality in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction in the United States, 1999 to 2019.

Data on mortality trends in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with cardiogenic shock (CS) are scant. This study aimed to assess the trends in CS-AMI-related mortality in United States (US) subjects over the latest 21 years. Mortality data of US subjects with AMI listed as the underlying cause of death and CS as contributing cause were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER (Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) dataset from January 1999 to December 2019.

Risk of Incident New-Onset Arterial Hypertension After COVID-19 Recovery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Introduction: Arterial Hypertension (HT) has been described as a common comorbidity and independent risk factor of short-term outcome in COVID-19 patients. However, data regarding the risk of new-onset HT during the post-acute phase of COVID-19 are scant.

Aim: We assess the risk of new-onset HT in COVID-19 survivors within one year from the index infection by a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available data.

Recent advances in catheter devices for patent foramen ovale closure.

Introduction: Over the last 5 years, the armamentarium of the interventional cardiologist dealing with percutaneous closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) has been enriched by some novel devices and further improvements of existing ones that have or promise to increase the safety and effective closure rate of PFO patients.

Areas Covered: This review presents and discusses recent advancements in device design and composition from both technical and clinical perspectives.

Expert Opinion: Device technology is continuously evolving.

"Reverse Spider View" for left stem coronary artery angiographic evaluation.

Among the angiographic views used to evaluate left coronary system, the so-called "spider view" represents one of the most iconic, in particular for its ability to evaluate the Left Main stem (LM) and/or to guide percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) on LM bifurcation disease. Unfortunately, the use of such view is graved by a high X-ray exposure for both the operator and the patient. To overcome these limitations, we described an alternative coronary angiographic view, called "reverse spider" which is able to give more information about LM body and bifurcation disease with less X-ray exposure for the operator.

Results of paclitaxel-drug-coated balloons (Pantera Lux) for coronary in-stent restenosis: Italian experience from REGistry of Paclitaxel Eluting Balloon in ISR study.

Aims: Drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is an effective treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR). However, literature data indicate that drug-coated balloons (DCBs) may be a valid alternative, particularly for recurrent ISR. We sought to evaluate clinical results on the long-term efficacy of a new DCB for ISR treatment.

Pacemaker implantation in a COVID-19 patient. Balancing the patient's needs and the team's risk of exposure.

COVID-19 patients may have cardiovascular complications requiring invasive treatment. Pacemaker implantation procedure may be challenging because of the necessity of personal protective equipment use. We report pacemaker implantation in a 78-year-old man with severe bilateral COVID-19 interstitial pneumonia, a second degree 2:1 atrioventricular block, and concomitant aortic stenosis.

Screening of unknown atrial fibrillation through handheld device in the elderly.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of unknown atrial fibrillation (AF) in the elderly population of the Veneto Region, Italy.

Methods: 1820 patients aged ≥ 65 years with no history of AF and not anticoagulated were enrolled in primary-care settings. They underwent an opportunistic electrocardiogram screening with a handheld device (MyDiagnostick) designed to specifically detect AF.

Syncope, Brugada syndrome, and COVID-19 lung disease.

A 52-year-old male with no history of familiar sudden death arrived at our Emergency Department after syncope with loss of consciousness occurred during high fever. The thoracic high-resolution computed tomography demonstrated bilateral multiple ground-glass opacities. The nose-pharyngeal swab resulted positive for SARS-CoV-2.

The hazard of (sub)therapeutic doses of anticoagulants in non-critically ill patients with Covid-19: The Padua province experience.

Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is responsible for a worldwide pandemic, with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The increasing evidence of an associated relevant prothrombotic coagulopathy has resulted in an increasing use of antithrombotic doses higher than usual in COVID-19 patients. Information on the benefit/risk ratio of this approach is still lacking.

One-year clinical performance of ABSORB bioresorbable vascular scaffold in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes: Results from the RAI registry.

Objectives: To report 1-year clinical outcomes of bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) population.

Background: BVS use has rapidly extended to high-risk patients as those presenting with ACS. To date limited data have been reported on BVS performance in ACS patients.

Impact of sex on comparative outcomes of bivalirudin versus unfractionated heparin in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing invasive management: a pre-specified analysis of the MATRIX trial.

Aims: Our aim was to assess whether bivalirudin compared with unfractionated heparin (UFH) is associated with consistent outcomes in males and females with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing invasive management.

Methods And Results: In the MATRIX programme, 7,213 patients were randomised to bivalirudin or UFH. Patients in the bivalirudin group were subsequently randomly assigned to receive or not a post-PCI bivalirudin infusion.

One-year clinical outcomes after unrestricted implantation of the Absorb bioresorbable scaffold (RAI registry).

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess outcomes following Absorb bioresorbable scaffold (BVS) implantation in an unrestricted clinical practice according to an "on-label" versus "off-label" indication.

Methods And Results: RAI is a prospective registry, investigating BVS performance in different lesion subsets. No specific exclusion criteria were applied.

APpropriAteness of percutaneous Coronary interventions in patients with ischaemic HEart disease in Italy: the APACHE pilot study.

Objectives: To first explore in Italy appropriateness of indication, adherence to guideline recommendations and mode of selection for coronary revascularisation.

Design: Retrospective, pilot study.

Setting: 22 percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)-performing hospitals (20 patients per site), 13 (59%) with on-site cardiac surgery.

Clinical outcomes of overlapping versus non-overlapping everolimus-eluting absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffolds: An analysis from the multicentre prospective RAI registry (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02298413).

Objectives: To compare clinical outcomes of patients treated with overlapping versus non-overlapping Absorb BVS.

Background: Limited data are available on the clinical impact of stent overlap with the Absorb BVS bioresorbable stent.

Methods: We compared outcomes of patients receiving overlapping or non-overlapping Absorb BVS in the multicenter prospective RAI Registry.

Thirty-Day Outcomes After Unrestricted Implantation of Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (from the Prospective RAI Registry).

The Absorb biovascular scaffold (BVS) is a bioresorbable, everolimus-eluting scaffold whose data on real-world patients with complex lesions are limited. Short-term follow-up from recent studies point to a higher rate of 30-day thrombosis than observed with drug-eluting stents. We aimed to understand the short-term safety and efficacy of BVS.