Publications by authors named "Giorgio J Baldereschi"

Background: In spite of the increased use of Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) due to the better patient selection, well-trained operators and improved technology, the choice of the best anesthesia regimen remains an open question. In particular, it remains to be clarified whether deep sedation (DS) in spontaneous breathing or femoral local anesthesia (LA) is best.

Objective: This study compared the hemodynamic variations determined by deep sedation (DS) with spontaneous breathing and local femoral anesthesia (LA) in 2 groups of patients submitted to TAVI with two different kinds of anesthesia, using a beat-by-beat pulse contour method (MostCare).

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First-generation drug eluting stents (DES) reduced the incidence of restenosis and need for repeated target lesion revascularization but, in autoptic studies, frequently resulted in incomplete endothelial coverage, which is an important predictor of late adverse events and increased mortality after stent implantation. More recently, not only uncovered, but also malapposed or protruding struts have been considered vulnerable structures, as they are deemed to perturb blood flow, whereas only struts well embedded into the vessel wall are considered stable. We compared the number of uncovered and of other vulnerable (protruding or malapposed) struts among three different second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) (Cre8, Biomatrix, Xience), using optical coherence tomography (OCT) 6 months after implantation.

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Aims: To compare the effects of two thrombus aspiration devices, the manual catheter Export® and the more complex and expensive mechanical Angiojet®, on several indices of reperfusion in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).

Methods And Results: Clinical, hemodynamic and procedural characteristics of 185 STEMI patients, randomized to treatment with Export (n=95) or Angiojet (n=90) during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) were analyzed. The primary endpoint was ST-segment elevation reduction 90 min after culprit vessel re-opening.

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Background: The effect of thrombus aspiration on mortality is still controversial, with results which are often inconsistent in different randomized trials, real world registries and different follow-up duration. The aim of this analysis was to assess the effect on 30-day and 1-year mortality of thrombus aspiration during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) compared with conventional PCI.

Methods: We used data from all the consecutive STEMI patients treated either with conventional PCI or thrombus aspiration between January 1, 2004 and January 1, 2012.

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Background And Purpose: Although several studies reported that drug-eluting stents (DES) are able to reduce restenosis incidence without increasing mortality, concerns still exist about their safety in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients mainly for a possible higher rate of in-stent thrombosis. Recent evidence suggests a better safety profile of second-generation DES, but data on their outcome in STEMI are still poor. In this study we evaluated the impact on mortality and target lesion revascularization (TLR) of DES or bare metal stent (BMS) implantation in STEMI patients submitted to primary angioplasty.

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Percutaneous placement of an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is indicated in patients affected by pulmonary embolism or proximal deep venous thrombosis when anticoagulation therapy is contraindicated or there is evidence of thromboembolic recurrence during anticoagulation. Several complications have been reported using IVC filters. Migration is a rare but known and potentially lethal complication of IVC filter placement.

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We compared left ventricular (LV) remodeling following a first time acute anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (aSTEMI) treated with primary coronary intervention (pPCI) in different age groups. A total of 116 patients, 61 aged <65 and 55 aged >or=65 years, who survived after a recent aSTEMI treated with pPCI, underwent dobutamine stress-echocardiography (DSE) and non-invasive measurement of left anterior descending coronary artery flow reserve (CFR) during intravenous adenosine infusion. Baseline LV dimensions and systolic function were similar between the two groups; wall motion score indices during all DSE stages and CFR were also similar.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to compare the feasibility and prognostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) and exercise stress tests (EST) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), especially across different age groups.
  • Among 323 subjects, those aged 75 and older (G2) demonstrated worse heart function during DSE and lower overall exercise capacity compared to younger patients (G1), but similar rates of inconclusive test results.
  • Key findings indicated that lower peak exercise capacity is linked to higher mortality rates, while certain heart function indicators during DSE were significant predictors of severe cardiac events.
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Background: Epidemiological estimates of left ventricular mass are based on echocardiographic imaging from the parasternal view, which is often unavailable in subjects with obesity or lung disease. This study was undertaken to assess whether the subcostal view is a valid alternative to estimate left ventricular mass in an unselected older population.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study of all the residents in Dicomano, Italy, aged > or =65 years, echocardiography was performed with a systematic attempt to obtain both the parastermal and the subcostal views.

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