Publications by authors named "L Spedicato"

Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is still the main drawback of heart transplantation (HTx) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a palliative measure because of the high incidence of failure.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of bioresorbable scaffolds (BRSs) as potential novel therapeutic tool for the treatment of coronary stenoses in CAV.

Methods: This is a multicenter, single-arm, prospective, open-label study (CART, NCT02377648), that included patients affected by advanced CAV treated with PCI and second-generation ABSORB BRS (Abbott Vascular).

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The COVID-19 global pandemic has changed considerably the way time-sensitive disorders are treated. Home isolation, people's fear of contracting the virus and hospital reorganisation have led to a significant decrease in contacts between citizens and the healthcare system, with an expected decrease in calls to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG) region. However, mortality in clinical emergencies like acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), stroke and out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest (OHCA) remained high.

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Aims: Diabetes represents a growing public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, where diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of permanent visual loss. We reported the results of a remote screening of DR among urbanized Mozambican people with diabetes.

Methods: We retrospectively collected retinal images and clinical characteristics from 536 patients screened for DR in Maputo (Mozambique), over a period of 2 years (2018-2019).

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Excimer Laser Coronary Atherectomy (ELCA) is a well-established therapy that emerged for the treatment of peripheral vascular atherosclerosis in the late 1980s, at a time when catheters and materials were rudimentary and associated with the most serious complications. Refinements in catheter technology and the introduction of improved laser techniques have led to their effective use for the treatment of a wide spectrum of complex coronary lesions, such as thrombotic lesions, severe calcific lesions, non-crossable or non-expandable lesions, chronic occlusions, and stent under-expansion. The gradual introduction of high-energy strategies combined with the contrast infusion technique has enabled us to treat an increasing number of complex cases with a low rate of periprocedural complications.

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Article Synopsis
  • SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for STEMI is linked to increased thrombotic complications due to inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.
  • In a study of 62 SARS-CoV-2 positive STEMI patients compared to 310 matched negative controls, the positive group showed significantly higher in-hospital mortality (29% vs 5.5%) and complications like stent thrombosis and heart failure.
  • The findings highlight the need for careful management of STEMI patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, as they may experience worse outcomes compared to non-infected patients.
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