Effects of high-flow nasal cannula in patients with persistent hypercapnia after an acute COPD exacerbation: a prospective pilot study.

Background: Persistent hypercapnia after COPD exacerbation is associated with excess mortality and early rehospitalization. High Flow Nasal cannula (HFNC), may be theoretically an alternative to long-term noninvasive ventilation (NIV), since physiological studies have shown a reduction in PaCO2 level after few hours of treatment. In this clinical study we assessed the acceptability of HFNC and its effectiveness in reducing the level of PaCO in patients recovering from an Acute Hypercapnic Respiratory Failure (AHRF) episode.

Total aortic arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk technique: Results from two European institutes.

Objective: We report on a large series of patients treated at the S. Orsola Hospital, University of Bologna (Bologna, Italy) and Hannover Medical School (Hannover, Germany), with the aim to evaluate the early and midterm results.

Methods: Between January 2007 and March 2017, 437 patients underwent total aortic arch replacement with the frozen elephant trunk technique.

The influence of the trocar choice on post-operative acute pain after thoracoscopy.

Background: Acute post-operative pain following thoracic surgery procedures is still an unresolved problem despite the introduction of minimally invasive procedures such as video assisted surgery. Until now it is never investigated if different surgical instruments could influence post-operative pain. The aim of our study is to investigate the role of different type of trocar on post-operative pain in minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

Redefining the histopathologic profile of acute aortic syndromes: Clinical and prognostic implications.

Objectives: The study objectives were to describe the aortic histopathologic substrates in patients with type A surgically treated acute aortic syndromes, to provide clinico-pathological correlations, and to identify the possible prognostic role of histology.

Methods: We assessed the aortic wall degenerative or inflammatory alterations of 158 patients according to the histopathologic consensus documents. Moreover, we correlated these histologic patterns with the patients' clinical data and long-term follow-up for mortality, major aorta-related events, and nonaorta-related events (including cardiovascular ones).

Long-term Follow up of Patients with Acute Aortic Syndromes: Relevance of both Aortic and Non-aortic Events.

Background: The aim was to assess the long-term outcome of patients diagnosed with type A and type B acute aortic syndromes (AAS) and the mortality risk predictors.

Methods: A single centre retrospective observational study was performed on consecutive patients diagnosed with AAS and discharged between 2000 and 2016: 242 surgically treated type A, 87 uncomplicated, medically treated type B, and 80 complicated type B who received endovascular/surgical/hybrid treatment. Follow up of discharged patients (5 ± 3.

The MIDA Mortality Risk Score: development and external validation of a prognostic model for early and late death in degenerative mitral regurgitation.

Aims: In degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR), lack of mortality scores predicting death favours misperception of individual patients' risk and inappropriate decision-making.

Methods And Results: The Mitral Regurgitation International Database (MIDA) registries include 3666 patients (age 66 ± 14 years; 70% males; follow-up 7.8 ± 5.

Clinical outcomes with percutaneous coronary revascularization vs coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery disease: A meta-analysis of 6 randomized trials and 4,686 patients.

Unlabelled: Some but not all randomized controlled trials (RCT) have suggested that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents may be an acceptable alternative to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery for the treatment of unprotected left main coronary artery disease (ULMCAD). We therefore aimed to compare the risk of all-cause mortality between PCI and CABG in patients with ULMCAD in a pairwise meta-analysis of RCT.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials comparing PCI vs CABG for the treatment of ULMCAD were searched through MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, and proceedings of international meetings.

Utility of stress perfusion-cardiac magnetic resonance in follow-up of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions of the left main coronary artery.

To assess the accuracy of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for the diagnosis of angiographic stenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of left main coronary artery (LMCA). Patients undergone in the last year PCI of unprotected LMCA and scheduled for conventional X-ray coronary angiography (CXA) were evaluated with stress perfusion CMR within 2 weeks before CXA. Main contraindications to CMR were exclusion criteria.

Bleeding-Related Deaths in Relation to the Duration of Dual-Antiplatelet Therapy After Coronary Stenting.

Background: Although some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses have suggested that prolonged dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) may be associated with increased mortality, the mechanistic underpinnings of this association remain unclear.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the associations among bleeding, mortality, and DAPT duration after drug-eluting stent implantation in a meta-analysis of RCTs.

Methods: RCTs comparing different DAPT durations after drug-eluting stent placement were sought through the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases and the proceedings of international meetings.

Three, six, or twelve months of dual antiplatelet therapy after DES implantation in patients with or without acute coronary syndromes: an individual patient data pairwise and network meta-analysis of six randomized trials and 11 473 patients.

Aim: We sought to determine whether the optimal dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) duration after drug-eluting stent (DES) placement varies according to clinical presentation.

Methods And Results: We performed an individual patient data pairwise and network meta-analysis comparing short-term (≤6-months) versus long-term (1-year) DAPT as well as 3-month vs. 6-month vs 1-year DAPT.

Long-term prognostic role of cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease across the spectrum of acute coronary syndromes.

Background: In acute coronary syndromes (ACS), the influence of cerebro-vascular disease (CVD) and/or peripheral artery disease (PAD) on short-midterm outcome has been well established. Data on long-term outcome however, are limited. Our study aimed to explore the effect of CVD and PAD on long-term outcome in a cohort of unselected ACS patients, including ST-elevation (STE-ACS) and non-ST-elevation (NSTE-ACS).

Possible association between hepatitis C virus and malignancies different from hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review.

Aim: To summarize the current knowledge about the potential relationship between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the risk of several extra-liver cancers.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of the literature, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Statement. We extracted the pertinent articles, published in MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library, using the following search terms: neoplasm/cancer/malignancy/tumor/carcinoma/adeno-carcinoma and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, kidney/renal-, cholangio-, pancreatic-, thyroid-, breast-,oral-, skin-, prostate-, lung-, colon-, stomach-, haematologic.

Inferior Q waves in apparently healthy subjects: Should we take a deep breath? An electrocardiographic, echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance study.

Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of electrocardiographic inferior Q waves persistence during inspiration and echocardiographic segmental wall motion abnormalities for the detection of previously unsuspected silent myocardial infarction, by using cardiac magnetic resonance as the gold standard.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled 50 apparently healthy subjects with inferior Q waves on routine electrocardiogram and high atherosclerotic risk profile. Patients underwent electrocardiogram during deep inspiration, standard transthoracic echocardiography, and cardiac magnetic resonance.

Acute heart failure in patients with acute aortic syndrome: pathophysiology and clinical-prognostic implications.

Aims: Although acute heart failure (AHF) is a potential complication of acute aortic syndromes (AAS), its clinical details and management implications have been scarcely evaluated. This study aimed to assess prevalence, pathophysiological mechanisms, impact on treatment, and in-hospital mortality of AHF in AAS.

Methods And Results: Data were collected from a prospective AAS registry (398 patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2013).

Long-Term Safety of Drug-Eluting and Bare-Metal Stents: Evidence From a Comprehensive Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: Previous meta-analyses have investigated the relative safety and efficacy profiles of different types of drug-eluting stents (DES) and bare-metal stents (BMS); however, most prior trials in these meta-analyses reported follow-up to only 1 year, and as such, the relative long-term safety and efficacy of these devices are unknown. Many recent studies have now reported extended follow-up data.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the long-term safety and efficacy of durable polymer-based DES, bioabsorbable polymer-based biolimus-eluting stents (BES), and BMS by means of network meta-analysis.

Mortality in patients treated with extended duration dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation: a pairwise and Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Background: Despite recent studies, the optimum duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after coronary drug-eluting stent placement remains uncertain. We performed a meta-analysis with several analytical approaches to investigate mortality and other clinical outcomes with different DAPT strategies.

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane databases, and proceedings of international meetings on Nov 20, 2014, for randomised controlled trials comparing different DAPT durations after drug-eluting stent implantation.

Impact of gene polymorphisms, platelet reactivity, and the SYNTAX score on 1-year clinical outcomes in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: the GEPRESS study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HPR) and the SYNTAX (Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) score (SS) for risk prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Platelet function testing may be used to optimize antiplatelet therapy in high-risk patients, but identification of this category of patients remains challenging.

Methods: The GEPRESS (Gene Polymorphism, Platelet Reactivity, and the Syntax Score) study was a prospective, multicenter, observational study enrolling 1,053 patients with NSTEACS undergoing PCI and treated with clopidogrel.

Tensegrity model hypothesis: may this paradigm be useful to explain hepatic and pancreatic carcinogenesis in patients with persistent hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection?

Context: Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) possess well-known oncogenic properties and may promote carcinogenesis in liver. However antigens and replicative sequences of HBV/HCV have been also detected in different extra-hepatic tissues, including the pancreas. Although epidemiological studies and meta-analyses have recently suggested that HBV/HCV may be also risk factors for pancreatic cancer and several researches have investigated the possible mechanisms and intra-/extra-cellular paths involved in pancreatic and hepatic carcinogenesis, to date, these complex processes remain largely unexplained.

Spleen stiffness measurement can predict clinical complications in compensated HCV-related cirrhosis: a prospective study.

Background & Aims: Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement represents the best predictor of clinical decompensation (CD) in cirrhotic patients. Recently data show that measurement of spleen stiffness (SS) has an excellent correlation with HVPG levels. Aim of the present prospective study was to assess SS predictive value for CD compared to HVPG, liver stiffness (LS), and other non-invasive tests for portal hypertension in a cohort of patients with HCV-related compensated cirrhosis.

Evaluation of the BioPlex 2200 syphilis system as a first-line method of reverse-sequence screening for syphilis diagnosis.

Despite recent technological advances, the diagnosis of syphilis remains a challenging enterprise. Actually, most high-volume laboratories have adopted the "reverse algorithm" due several factors, including the potential to automate testing. Recently, immunoassays processed on random-access systems have been proposed as screening tests.

Carotid revascularization in patients with ongoing oral anticoagulant therapy: the advantages of stent placement.

Purpose: To assess the influence of oral anticoagulant therapy conversion to heparin (OAT-CH) on carotid endarterectomy (CEA) outcomes and the influence of unmodified oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) on carotid artery stenting (CAS) and to compare the outcomes of CEA in OAT-CH with CAS in ongoing OAT.

Materials And Methods: The 30-day results from all patients who underwent CEA and CAS in a 6-year period were analyzed for stroke, death, myocardial infarction (MI), and hematoma of the access site requiring surgical evacuation. We evaluated the influence of OAT-CH in CEA and the influence of OAT in CAS and compared CEA and CAS outcomes in patients receiving OAT-CH and OAT.

Risk of stroke with coronary artery bypass graft surgery compared with percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objectives: This study sought to determine whether coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is associated with an increased risk of stroke compared with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Some, but not all, randomized trials have reported increased rates of stroke with CABG compared with PCI. However, all these studies were powered insufficiently to examine differences in the risk of stroke reliably.

Stent thrombosis with everolimus-eluting stents: meta-analysis of comparative randomized controlled trials.

Background: Some but not all studies have reported reduced rates of stent thrombosis (ST) with everolimus-eluting stents (EES) compared with other drug-eluting stents (DES). All of these studies were insufficiently powered to reliably detect differences in ST. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing the risk of 2-year definite ST between EES and other DES.

Is time on cardiopulmonary bypass during cardiac surgery associated with acute kidney injury requiring dialysis?

It is commonly accepted that the longer the time on extracorporeal cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the higher is the likelihood of developing acute renal failure requiring dialysis (ARF-D). Nonetheless, previous works elicited conflicting evidence. We investigated the relationship between CPB duration and ARF-D occurrence.

Role of (99m)Tc-DPD scintigraphy in diagnosis and prognosis of hereditary transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis.

Objectives: In a cohort of patients with hereditary transthyretin-related amyloidosis (ATTR), we aimed to assess the role of (99m)Tc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid ((99m)Tc-DPD) in detecting myocardial amyloid infiltration across a wide spectrum of cardiac involvement and in predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACE).

Background: Hereditary transthyretin-related amyloidosis is a challenging and underdiagnosed condition where both early diagnosis and prognosis remain problematic.

Methods: We evaluated 63 patients with ATTR: 40 with and 23 without echocardiographically diagnosed amyloidotic cardiomyopathy (AC).