Significant burden of post-COVID exertional dyspnoea in a South-Italy region: knowledge of risk factors might prevent further critical overload on the healthcare system.

Background: Exertional dyspnoea in post-COVID syndrome is a debilitating manifestation, requiring appropriate comprehensive management. However, limited-resources healthcare systems might be unable to expand their healthcare-providing capacity and are expected to be overwhelmed by increasing healthcare demand. Furthermore, since post-COVID exertional dyspnoea is regarded to represent an umbrella term, encompassing several clinical conditions, stratification of patients with post-COVID exertional dyspnoea, depending on risk factors and underlying aetiologies might provide useful for healthcare optimization and potentially help relieve healthcare service from overload.

Relevance of comorbidities on initial combination therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Rationale: Demographic characteristics of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) patients have changed over time, but the effects of cardiovascular risk factors on risk status and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) reduction with initial oral combination therapy are not known. Therefore, we tested the relevance of cardiovascular comorbidities in this setting.

Methods: The study enrolled 181 treatment-naive PAH patients with a 6-month (IQR 144-363 days) right heart catheterisation and risk assessment after initial oral combination therapy.

The paradox of pulmonary arterial hypertension in Italy in the COVID-19 era: is risk of disease progression around the corner?

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to significant restrictions on routine medical care. We conducted a multicentre nationwide survey of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) to determine the consequences of governance measures on PAH management and risk of poor outcome in patients with COVID-19.

Materials And Methods: The present study, which included 25 Italian centres, considered demographic data, the number of in-person visits, 6-min walk and echocardiographic test results, brain natriuretic peptide/N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide test results, World Health Organization functional class assessment, presence of elective and non-elective hospitalisation, need for treatment escalation/initiation, newly diagnosed PAH, incidence of COVID-19 and mortality rates.

Authors' response to the Letter to the Editor regarding: Post severe COVID-19 infection lung damages study. The experience of early three months multidisciplinary follow-up.

To the Editor, we thank Dr Ruggeri et al. for their interest in our previously published manuscript focused on lung damages after severe respiratory COVID-19 infection..

Post severe COVID-19 infection lung damages study. The experience of early three months multidisciplinary follow-up.

The correct type and time of follow-up for patients affected by COVID19 ARDS is still unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate at the survivors to COVID19 ARDS requiring non-invasive respiratory support (NRS) admitted to a Respiratory Intensive care unit (RICU) from March 8th till May 31th 2020 looking at all sequelae via a comprehensive follow up. All patients underwent a multi-disciplinary instrumental and clinical assessment within three months form admission to evaluate all infection related sequelae.

Inadvertent left ventricular placement of ICD lead through the left subclavian artery right positioned in a patient with situs viscerum inversus and Kartagener syndrome.

Inadvertent placement of pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads in the left ventricle is a rare but well-recognized complication of device implantation. We report a case of an unicameral ICD lead inadvertently placed through the left subclavian artery right positioned, across the aortic valve into the left ventricle, in a patient with situs viscerum inversus. A transthoracic echocardiogram about a month after the procedure showed an unusual course of the lead.

A Rare Case of Mitral Prosthesis Dislocation Due to a Circumferential Left Atrial Dissection.

Left atrial dissection is a rare entity mostly associated with mitral valve surgery and revealed in early post-operative period. This case report discusses a case of left atrial dissection associated with dislocation of the mechanical mitral prosthesis in the left atrium, which was peculiar in its anatomy and pathophysiology, occurred 12 years after surgery. ().

Lung ultrasonography for long-term follow-up of COVID-19 survivors compared to chest CT scan.

Background: While lung ultrasonography (LUS) has utility for the evaluation of the acute phase of COVID-19 related lung disease, its role in long-term follow-up of this condition has not been well described. The objective of this study is to compare LUS and chest computed tomography (CT) results in COVID-19 survivors with the intent of defining the utility of LUS for long-term follow-up of COVID-19 respiratory disease.

Methods: Prospective observational study that enrolled consecutive survivors of COVID-19 with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (HARF) admitted to the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit.

Risk Reduction and Hemodynamics with Initial Combination Therapy in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

An initial oral combination of drugs is being recommended in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but the effects of this approach on risk reduction and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) are not known. To test the hypothesis that a low-risk status would be determined by the reduction of PVR in patients with PAH treated upfront with a combination of oral drugs. The study enrolled 181 treatment-naive patients with PAH (81% idiopathic) with a follow-up right heart catheterization at 6 months (interquartile range, 144-363 d) after the initial combination of endothelin receptor antagonist + phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor drugs and clinical evaluation and risk assessments by European guidelines and Registry to Evaluate Early and Long-Term PAH Disease Management scores.

[Diagnostic and therapeutic models for the management of acute pulmonary embolism: an issue of local available resources].

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) still represents the third leading cause of cardiovascular mortality in developed countries. In this regard, the last European guidelines offer important suggestions on the management of the disease in daily clinical practice but, at the same time, they do not take into account the feasibility of the recommendations according to the local available resources, including the presence or lack of adequate healthcare facilities (cardiological intensive care unit, cath-lab) or specialists (cardiologist available on a 24 h basis, interventional cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, etc.) all over the day.

[ANMCO statement: Arterial and venous thromboembolism: what implications for clinical practice?].

Acute myocardial infarction, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and pulmonary embolism share thrombosis as a common mechanism. Some well-known risk factors for arterial thromboembolism are recognized as "weak risk factors" of venous one, too. Arterial and venous thrombosis share also some pathophysiological mechanisms, including inflammation, endothelial damage, and hypercoagulability.

Multifactorial Genesis of a Seeming Case of Pulmonary Hypertension.

Herein, we report the case of a 44-year-old female with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis. She was admitted to our hospital to evaluate if she was eligible for a kidney transplant. Transthoracic echocardiography showed a markedly dilated coronary sinus and an unexpected finding of increased right ventriculoatrial gradient.