Publications by authors named "Jessica Forcillo"

Background: Cardiovascular disease continues to be the primary cause of premature mortality in women, who previously have been overlooked in clinical trials. Several studies showed that women undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) present more cardiovascular risk factors at baseline, develop more postprocedural complications, and have a higher mortality rate than men. The goal of this review is to analyze the difference between men and women in terms of the prevalence of individual cardiovascular risk factors.

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Background: Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA) is defined as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with angiographically nonobstructive coronary artery disease. MINOCA represents 6% of all AMI cases and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. However, the wide array of pathophysiological factors and causes associated with MINOCA presents a diagnostic conundrum.

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Article Synopsis
  • The PERFORM-TAVR trial aims to explore the combined effects of exercise and protein supplementation on older adults with frailty undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), which currently shows high procedural success but still leaves many patients with poor health outcomes.
  • This multicentre trial will enroll 200 frail adults aged 70 and older, randomly assigning them to either standard lifestyle education (control) or a regimen involving protein-rich supplements and supervised exercises post-TAVR.
  • The main goal is to measure physical performance improvements at 3 months, along with secondary outcomes like health-related quality of life and safety assessments over a year, potentially reshaping approaches to treating frailty alongside heart valve diseases.
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Background: Data comparing valve systems in the valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV-TAVR) field have been obtained from retrospective studies.

Objectives: The authors sought to compare the 1-year hemodynamic performance and clinical outcomes between balloon-expandable valves (BEV) SAPIEN 3/ULTRA (Edwards Lifesciences) and self-expanding valves (SEV) Evolut R/PRO/PRO+ (Medtronic) in ViV-TAVR.

Methods: Patients with a failed small (≤23 mm) surgical valve undergoing ViV-TAVR were randomized to receive a SEV or a BEV.

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Background: The optimal treatment in patients with severe aortic stenosis and small aortic annulus (SAA) remains to be determined. This study aimed to compare the hemodynamic and clinical outcomes between transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients with a SAA.

Methods: This prospective multicenter international randomized trial was performed in 15 university hospitals.

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Background: Data regarding the reliability of predicted effective orifice area indexed (pEOAi) is scarce in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Aims: To assess the validity of the pEOAi in TAVR by correlating its value with echocardiography-derived hemodynamic data.

Methods: A single-center retrospective cohort study of TAVR patients from 2012 to 2021 with available echocardiograms was conducted.

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Objective: Three-dimensional printing (3DP), or additive fabrication, is a process in which a physical 3D model is created using a multitude of 2-dimensional images. This process has been applied to numerous surgical subspecialties with growing interest for the use of 3DP in adult structural heart disease. This scoping review evaluates the use of 3DP in transcatheter and surgical aortic and mitral valve interventions as well as left atrial appendage occlusion in terms of its practical and clinical application.

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Objectives: The main objective was to assess whether a composite coronary artery bypass grafting strategy including a saphenous vein graft bridge to distribute left internal mammary artery outflow provides non-inferior patency rates compared to conventional grafting surgery with separated left internal mammary artery to left anterior descending coronary graft and aorto-coronary saphenous vein grafts to other anterolateral targets.

Methods: All patients underwent isolated grafting surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and received ≥2 grafts/patients on the anterolateral territory. The graft patency (i.

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Amyloidosis concomitant to aortic stenosis usually occurs with myocardial infiltration by the transthyretin protein. To our knowledge, this is the first report of localized amyloidosis of indeterminate type in a severely calcified and functionally unicuspid aortic valve. Isolated dystrophic valvular amyloidosis is believed to be related to fibrocalcific valve disease.

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Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease in women. Both traditional and sex-specific risk modifiers occurring from menarche to pregnancy to menopause modulate the risk of hypertension and adverse cardiovascular events. This review provides a narrative summary of risk and treatment of hypertension in women across the lifespan, from adolescence to the post-menopausal period, where each period represents a potential window for risk assessment, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment.

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Article Synopsis
  • - In a study of patients with moderate to severe aortic stenosis (AS), researchers examined the relationship between two biomarkers, GDF-15 and sST2, and indicators of cardiovascular risk and LV function.
  • - Elevated levels of GDF-15 were linked to worse left ventricular (LV) function and decreased functional capacity, as measured by tests like the 6-minute walk test and gait speed.
  • - Although GDF-15 did not predict AS severity, its high levels may serve as a potential single biomarker to identify patients at greater risk for poor outcomes in AS.
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Left ventricular outflow tract pseudoaneurysm is a rare and potentially fatal complication of aortic valve replacement. Surgical repair is the most common treatment and is particularly suitable for large pseudoaneurysms. Recently, there has been significant breakthroughs in the management of postoperative pseudoaneurysms via endovascular techniques.

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Aortic interventions remain the most effective treatment for severe aortic stenosis. In the recent years, advances in bioprosthetics and newer data have reduced the cut-off age for the use of bioprosthetic valves in younger patients, but the debate on whether to favor mechanical valves in younger patients remains a constant, especially with the undesired effects and considerations of anticoagulation therapy with vitamin K antagonists in this age group. Other options like the Ross procedure are gaining traction, despite still being undervalued and necessitating expertise centers.

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Background: Data comparing valve systems in the valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV-TAVR) field have been obtained from retrospective studies.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the hemodynamic results between the balloon-expandable valve (BEV) SAPIEN (3/ULTRA, Edwards Lifesciences) and self-expanding valve (SEV) Evolut (R/PRO/PRO+, Medtronic) in ViV-TAVR.

Methods: Patients with a failed small (≤23 mm) surgical valve were randomized to receive a BEV or an SEV.

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The gold standard for the treatment of pure aortic insufficiency (PAI) is surgical valve repair or replacement. With the newest transcatheter heart valve technologies and the accumulating years of experience of heart teams with the current transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) prostheses, implanters have pushed the envelope with off-label use of those valves designed and approved for aortic stenosis, in patients with PAI especially those at higher risks or for compassionate use. However, new prostheses are currently under investigation in clinical use and evidence is provided on the safety and efficacy of those latter.

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In 1960, Dr Nina Starr Braunwald became the first woman to perform open heart surgery. Sixty years later, despite the fact that women outnumbered men in American medical school in 2017, men still dominate the field of cardiac surgery. Women surgeons remain underrepresented in cardiac surgery; 11% of practicing cardiac surgeons in Canada were women in 2015, and 6% of practicing adult cardiac surgeons in the US were women in 2019.

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Background: Data is controversial regarding the existence of an "obesity paradox" in patients undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). We sought to investigate the prognostic value of the body mass index (BMI) on outcomes following TAVR.

Methods: This is an observational, single-center study involving all patients who underwent TAVR from 2009 to 2019.

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Purpose: Although rare in occurrence, symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and large thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) found in combination pose a real therapeutic challenge, especially in elderly frail patients. Surgical approaches for combined treatment are complex and at high risk of complications while staged procedures carry the risk of an unfavorable evolution of the condition temporarily left untreated. Minimally invasive approaches may therefore prove a more suitable strategy for these patients.

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