[Paclitaxel-coated balloons for in-stent restenosis treatment: long-term clinical results and predictors of recurrent target lesion revascularization].

Background: The aim of this study was to report clinical outcomes in patients treated with paclitaxel-coated balloons (PCB) for in-stent restenosis (ISR) in both bare metal (BMS) and drug-eluting stent (DES).

Methods: Between May 2009 and December 2015, we treated 155 ISR in 140 patients. At recruitment, 35% of patients had diabetes.

Arterial Stiffness in Aortic Stenosis: Relationship with Severity and Echocardiographic Procedures Response.

Introduction: Aortic stenosis (AS) is more than only a degenerative disease, it could be also an atherosclerotic-like process involving the valve instead of the vessels. Little is known about the relation of arterial stiffness and AS.

Aim: We sought to determine wether pulse wave velocity (PWV), is related to AS severity and to the procedures response, both as surgical aortic-valve-replacement (AVR) and trascatheter-aortic-valve-implantation (TAVI).

The failing right heart: implications and evolution in high-risk patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Aims: Right ventricular dysfunction (RVdy) is negatively associated with survival after left heart valve surgery. It is unclear whether RVdy has the same impact in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We sought to evaluate the prognostic impact of different grades of RVdy on TAVI, with and without concomitant left ventricular dysfunction (LVdy), and the possible impact of TAVI on RVdy.

One-Year Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Using the Direct Aortic Approach.

Background: The direct aortic (DA) approach allows for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with difficult peripheral vascular anatomy. The CoreValve ADVANCE Direct Aortic (ADVANCE DA) study was performed to assess the outcomes of DA TAVI with the CoreValve System (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) in routine practice.

Methods: Patients were selected for the DA approach by local cardiac surgical teams, and TAVI was performed with patients under general anesthesia.

Mast cells and acute coronary syndromes: relationship between serum tryptase, clinical outcome and severity of coronary artery disease.

Objective: To assess the relationship between serum tryptase and the occurrence of major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) at 2-year follow-up in patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). To compare serum tryptase to other validated prognostic markers (maximum high-sensitivity troponin (hs-Tn), C reactive protein (CRP) levels at admission, Synergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score).

Methods: We measured serum tryptase at admission in 140 consecutive patients with ACS and in 50 healthy controls.

Impact of severe left ventricular dysfunction on mid-term mortality in elderly patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background: Whether patients with reduced left ventricular function present worse outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of baseline severe impairment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on mortality after TAVI.

Methods: Six-hundred-forty-nine patients with aortic stenosis underwent TAVI with the CoreValve system (92.

Persistence of Severe Pulmonary Hypertension After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Incidence and Prognostic Impact.

Background: Severe pulmonary hypertension (PH) is considered to negatively affect the outcome after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. However, a clear understanding of the pattern, evolution, and clinical impact of different grades of PH in this setting is lacking.

Methods And Results: A total of 990 consecutive patients were enrolled in 6 high-volume centers and analyzed as follows: group 1, systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) <40 mm Hg (346 patients; 35%); group 2, sPAP 40 to 60 mm Hg (426 patients; 43%); and group 3, sPAP >60 mm Hg (218 patients; 22%).

Allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation and accelerated atherosclerosis: An intriguing association needing targeted surveillance. Lessons from a rare case of acute anterior myocardial infarction.

We report the case of a 23-year-old man who developed an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction secondary to acute thrombotic occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending coronary artery five years after undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and bulky mediastinal mass involving the pleura and pericardium. His medical history also included Graft versus Host Disease developed 13 months after transplantation and acute myocarditis three months before the actual hospital admission. To the best of our knowledge, coronary artery disease as a complication of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and low-dose mediastinal radiation therapy in young patients has been rarely reported in the medical literature.

Direct Flow Implantation in a Patient With Mechanical Mitral Prostheses.

We describe a case of Direct Flow (Direct Flow Medical Inc, Santa Rosa, CA) transcatheter aortic valve implantation in a patient with a mechanical valve in a mitral position.

Prospective Multicenter Evaluation of the Direct Flow Medical Transcatheter Aortic Valve System: 12-Month Outcomes of the Evaluation of the Direct Flow Medical Percutaneous Aortic Valve 18F System for the Treatment of Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis (DISCOVER) Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the 1-year outcome after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) of the Direct Flow Medical (DFM) valve in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who were contraindicated or high risk for surgery.

Background: The DFM transcatheter heart valve is a new-generation, nonmetallic aortic valve with a pressurized support structure and conformable double-ring annular sealing delivered through an 18-F sheath. The device allows repositioning, retrieval, and assessment of valve performance before permanent implantation.

Everolimus-Eluting Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold System in the Treatment of Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy: the CART (Cardiac Allograft Reparative Therapy) Prospective Multicenter Pilot Study.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a form of accelerated atherosclerosis, which represents the leading cause of late morbidity and mortality after heart transplantation. The recent bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) technology represents a potential novel therapeutic tool, in the context of CAV, by allowing transient scaffolding and concomitant vessel healing. Eligible subjects will be treated by using the Absorb Everolimus-Eluting BVS (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA, USA), and evaluated at pre-determined time points, up to 3 years since the index procedure.

Bridge therapy or standard treatment for urgent surgery after coronary stent implantation: Analysis of 314 patients.

Intravenous administration of a short acting glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor has been proposed as a bridge to surgery in patients on dual antiplatelet treatment, but data in comparison with other treatment options are not available. We conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who underwent un-deferrable, non-emergency surgery after coronary stenting. The bridge therapy was performed after discontinuation of the oral P2Y12 inhibitor by using i.

Effects of Renal Sympathetic Denervation on Arterial Stiffness and Blood Pressure Control in Resistant Hypertensive Patients: A Single Centre Prospective Study.

Renal denervation (RD) is an intriguing treatment strategy for resistant hypertension. However, limited data are available about its long time efficacy as well as its effects on intermediate phenotypes like arterial stiffness and carotid IMT. 12 patients (9 males, mean 69 years) with resistant hypertension underwent bilateral RDN (Medtronic System) since April 2012 in Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital (Milan).

[A novel standard protocol of long-term follow-up shared with general practitioners after percutaneous coronary intervention: appropriateness and economic impact].

Background: Follow-up modalities for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined and standard protocols have been not established. The purpose of this study was to assess: a) the frequency and patterns of cardiology visits, echocardiographic examinations and stress tests after PCI in clinical practice; b) the impact of a multidisciplinary protocol of long-term follow-up after PCI shared with general practitioners on the appropriateness and reduction in healthcare costs.

Methods: A total of 780 patients who underwent PCI in 2010 in two Italian hospitals were analyzed.

[The conundrum of therapeutic management in acute myocardial infarction complicated by endoventricular thrombosis: moving between different risks].

Coronary artery disease is a rare entity in young patients and accurate assessment of its prevalence is difficult. Although coronary artery disease is frequently a silent process, it may also acutely present with myocardial infarction (MI). One of the most feared complications of MI is left ventricular thrombus formation.

Direct Flow valve-in-valve implantation in a degenerated mitral bioprosthesis.

Aims: Mitral valve reoperations due to failing bioprostheses, in patients affected by multiple comorbidities, are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Transcatheter techniques may evolve as complementary approaches to surgery in these patients at high risk for surgery.

Methods And Results: We describe a case of Direct Flow 25 mm transcatheter valve implantation as valve-in-valve in a degenerated mitral bioprosthesis through a transapical approach in a 63-year-old man affected by dilated cardiomyopathy.

Self-expandable CoreValve implantation without contrast media.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation has been designed to treat high-risk surgical patients affected by severe aortic stenosis, many of whom are affected by chronic kidney disease. To perform transcatheter self-expandable valve implantation, multiple contrast injections are required to monitor the procedure, so these patients are at increased risk of acute kidney injury. We described self-expandable transcatheter aortic valve implantation without contrast media in an 80-year-old man affected by severe aortic stenosis and endstage chronic kidney disease.

Serum tryptase detected during acute coronary syndrome is significantly related to the development of major adverse cardiovascular events after 2 years.

Background: One of the greatest challenges in cardiovascular medicine is to define the best tools for performing an accurate risk stratification for the recurrence of ischemic events in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.

Methods: We followed 65 ACS patients enrolled in a previous pilot study for 2 years after being discharged, focusing on the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). The relationship between serum tryptase levels on admission, SYNergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with the TAXUS drug-eluting stent and the cardiac surgery score (SX-score), cardiovascular complexity and MACE at 2 years follow-up were analyzed.

[A simple but very complicated angioplasty: management of coronary artery perforation and dual antiplatelet therapy. A case report and literature review].

Coronary artery perforation is a rare but potentially fatal complication. Therefore, it is crucial for interventional cardiologists to have knowledge of this condition and what management strategies are available, particularly in the case of procedures with a high level of complexity. Notwithstanding this, even simple procedures are not immune to serious complications, as described in this case report where coronary angioplasty was complicated by left anterior descending artery perforation with cardiac tamponade, giving rise to multiple complications of difficult management.

Anaesthetic management of transcatheter aortic valve implantation: results from the Italian CoreValve registry.

Aims: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) represents a valid therapeutic alternative for patients with severe aortic stenosis at high surgical risk. However, there is no general consensus regarding the role of anaesthesia in TAVI management. The goal of this clinical project was to assess the safety and non-inferiority of local anaesthesia (LA) versus general anaesthesia (GA) in a large cohort of patients undergoing TAVI.