Critical Limb Ischemia: A Practical Up-To-Date Review.

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the most advanced form of peripheral artery disease. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and high management costs. It carries a high risk of amputation and local infection.

Incremental Value of Pocket-Sized Echocardiography in Addition to Physical Examination during Inpatient Cardiology Evaluation: A Multicenter Italian Study (SIEC).

Background: We prospectively assessed the incremental value of a pocket-sized echocardiography (PSE) device during cardiology consultations, in addition to physical examination, ECG reading, and chest x-ray.

Methods: A total of 443 consecutive patients (53% men), referred for bedside consultations, underwent physical examination, ECG, and CXR, followed by PSE examination. The physician completed a detailed questionnaire (clinical and echocardiographic data, scanning time, abnormal results).

Is the digital divide an obstacle to e-health? An analysis of the situation in Europe and in Italy.

Introduction: The digital divide affecting elderly patients may compromise the diffusion of telemedicine systems for this age segment. It might be that the difficulties in the passage from trials to the effective distribution of telemedicine systems are also due to the awareness of a personal digital divide in the target population.

Materials And Methods: The analysis aims to estimate the number of people over the age of 50 years with potential cardiovascular problems able to access the Web.

Sudden Cardiac Death: A Review Focused on Cardiovascular Imaging.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is defined as natural death due to cardiac causes, heralded by abrupt loss of consciousness within 1 h of the onset of acute symptoms; pre-existing heart disease may have been known to be present but the time and mode of death are unexpected. Prediction and prevention of SCD is an area of active investigation, but considerable challenges persist that limit the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of available methodologies. It was well-recognized that optimization of SCD risk stratification would require integration of multi-disciplinary efforts at the bench and bedside, with studies in the general population.

Professional Education, Training and Role of the Cardiac Sonographer in Different Countries.

Performing a good echocardiographic examination requires intensive training and highly qualified technical staff personnel, which, in many countries, is represented by the Cardiac Sonographer. Being an operator-dependent diagnostic method, a long debate has been held to help identifying the most appropriate curriculum for the training of this professional profile. Although guidelines for the education of the Cardiac Sonographers have been suggested by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) several years ago and many scientific publications have given credibility, trust and enhance to this professional profile in Italy, this figure is not yet recognized by the National Health System.