Estimation of Right Atrial Pressure by Ultrasound-Assessed Jugular Vein Distensibility in Patients With Heart Failure.

Background: Clinical evaluation of central venous pressure is difficult, depends on experience, and is often inaccurate in patients with chronic advanced heart failure. We assessed the ultrasound-assessed internal jugular vein (JV) distensibility by ultrasound as a noninvasive tool to identify patients with normal right atrial pressure (RAP ≤7 mm Hg) in this population.

Methods: We measured JV distensibility as the Valsalva-to-rest ratio of the vein diameter in a calibration cohort (N=100) and a validation cohort (N=101) of consecutive patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction who underwent pulmonary artery catheterization for advanced heart failure therapies workup.

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training Using the 3/7 Resistance Training Method on Metabolic Stress in People with Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease: A Randomized Cross-Over Study.

The 3/7 resistance training (RT) method involves performing sets with increasing numbers of repetitions, and shorter rest periods than the 3x9 method. Therefore, it could induce more metabolic stress in people with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) or coronary artery disease (CAD). This randomized cross-over study tested this hypothesis.

Informing preconception counseling: Outcomes among female heart transplant recipients in the ISHLT registry.

Background: The numbers of women of child-bearing age undergoing heart transplantation (HT) and female pediatric HT recipients surviving to child-bearing age have increased, along with improvements in post-transplant survival. Data regarding life expectancy and comorbidities in reproductive-aged female HT recipients are needed to inform shared decision-making at the time of preconception counseling.

Methods: The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) Thoracic Organ Transplant Registry was investigated for HT recipients between January 1, 2000 and June 30, 2017.

Cardio-Obstetrics and Heart Failure: JACC: Heart Failure State-of-the-Art Review.

Heart failure and cardiomyopathy are significant contributors to pregnancy-related deaths, as maternal morbidity and mortality have been increasing over time. In this setting, the role of the multidisciplinary cardio-obstetrics team is crucial to optimizing maternal, obstetrical and fetal outcomes. Although peripartum cardiomyopathy is the most common cardiomyopathy experienced by pregnant individuals, the hemodynamic changes of pregnancy may unmask a pre-existing cardiomyopathy leading to clinical decompensation.

Reproductive health after thoracic transplantation: An ISHLT expert consensus statement.

Pregnancy after thoracic organ transplantation is feasible for select individuals but requires multidisciplinary subspecialty care. Key components for a successful pregnancy after lung or heart transplantation include preconception and contraceptive planning, thorough risk stratification, optimization of maternal comorbidities and fetal health through careful monitoring, and open communication with shared decision-making. The goal of this consensus statement is to summarize the current evidence and provide guidance surrounding preconception counseling, patient risk assessment, medical management, maternal and fetal outcomes, obstetric management, and pharmacologic considerations.

Management of Pulmonary Hypertension in Left Heart Disease.

Pulmonary hypertension due to left heart diseases (PH-LHD) is the most prevalent form of pulmonary hypertension. It frequently complicates heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and negatively impacts prognosis, particularly when a precapillary component is present. PH-LHD is distinctive from pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) even though both conditions may share some common characteristics.

Would You Prescribe Mobile Health Apps for Heart Failure Self-care? An Integrated Review of Commercially Available Mobile Technology for Heart Failure Patients.

Treatment of chronic diseases, such as heart failure, requires complex protocols based on early diagnosis; self-monitoring of symptoms, vital signs and physical activity; regular medication intake; and education of patients and caregivers about relevant aspects of the disease. Smartphones and mobile health applications could be very helpful in improving the efficacy of such protocols, but several barriers make it difficult to fully exploit their technological potential and produce clear clinical evidence of their effectiveness. App suppliers do not help users distinguish between useless/dangerous apps and valid solutions.

[ANMCO/FADOI/SIAARTI/SIC/SIMG/SIMI/SIMEU consensus document: The clinical care pathway of acute heart failure patients from symptom onset to discharge from the emergency department].

Acute heart failure (AHF) represents a relevant burden for emergency departments worldwide. AHF patients have markedly worse long-term outcomes than patients with other acute cardiac diseases (e.g.

A New Life: Motherhood After Heart Transplantation. A Single-center Experience and Review of Literature.

Background: Pregnancy after heart transplantation (HTx) may expose the recipient to hemodynamic and immunologic risks and the newborn to toxic effects of immunosuppressive therapy. Adequate preconception counseling is crucial to identify optimal timing and to modify immunosuppressive therapy to minimize risks for both the mother and the fetus.

Methods: We describe our experience with 12 pregnancies occurred in 11 women who had undergone HTx at our center.

ANMCO/AIOM/AICO Consensus Document on clinical and management pathways of cardio-oncology: executive summary.

Cardiovascular disease and cancer are leading causes of death. Both diseases share the same risk factors and, having the highest incidence and prevalence in the elderly, they often coexist in the same individual. Furthermore, the enhanced survival of cancer patients registered in the last decades and linked to early diagnosis and improvement of care, not infrequently exposes them to the appearance of ominous cardiovascular complications due to the deleterious effects of cancer treatment on the heart and circulatory system.

HeartWare-HVAD for end-stage heart failure: a review of clinical experiences with ≥50 patients.

Despite the improvements in medical and surgical treatments, the incidence of end-stage heart failure (ESHF) continues to increase. Different mechanical systems have been adopted to support failing left ventricles. Among continuous-flow devices, the HeartWare-HVAD was the first to use a centrifugal pump rather than an axial one.

[ANMCO/AICO/AIOM Consensus document: Clinical and management pathways in cardio-oncology].

In Italy, cardiovascular diseases and cancer are the leading causes of death. Both diseases share the same risk factors and, having the highest incidence and prevalence in the elderly, they often coexist in the same individual. Furthermore, the enhanced survival of cancer patients registered in the last decades and linked to early diagnosis and improvement of care, not infrequently exposes them to the appearance of ominous cardiovascular complications due to the deleterious effects of cancer treatment on the heart and circulatory system.

[Psychological evaluation and support in patients with left ventricular assist devices: preliminary data at 6-month follow-up].

Background: Heart disease has an impact on patient's identity and self-perception. Taking into account the wide literature about psychological aspects before and after heart transplant, it clearly emerges that there is a lack of data and results for patients up to implantation of ventricular assist devices (VAD). The aim of the present study was to explore quality of life and factors correlated with psychological adjustment in patients supported with VAD.

[Treatment of advanced heart failure in women: heart transplantation and ventricular assist devices].

Women candidates for heart transplantation are definitely less than men, just 20% of all patients transplanted; even in the INTERMACS registry they represent only 21% of all ventricular assist devices (VAD) implanted. The reasons for this big difference are discussed in this article. Why women are less frequently assessed for unconventional therapies? Are they sicker or just less regarded? Our experience and the literature show us clear epidemiological, clinical and treatment differences that could lead to a lower prevalence of end-stage disease in women of an age suitable for unconventional therapies.

Percutaneous coronary interventions in cardiac allograft vasculopathy: a single-center experience.

Objective: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy represents an accelerated form of obstructive coronary disease. It is the main cause of late death following heart transplantation. Percutaneous coronary intervention is considered a palliative procedure due to high restenosis rates.

Combined heart and kidney transplantation: long-term analysis of renal function and major adverse events at 20 years.

Background: Combined heart-kidney transplantation (HKTx) is an accepted therapeutic option for patients with end-stage heart disease associated with severely impaired renal function. We report our long-term follow-up with this combined procedure.

Patients And Methods: Between April 1989 to November 2009, nine patients underwent combined simultaneous (HKTx) at our center.

[Management of advanced chronic heart failure].

Because of the progressive ageing of the population and the extensive use of recommended drugs, the number of patients with advanced chronic heart failure constantly increases. Several studies showed the efficacy of neurohormonal antagonists and electric devices in NYHA class III-IV patients; however, there is no agreement on the management of refractory heart failure, especially for patients who are not candidates for heart transplantation, because of age or comorbidity. The treatment with intravenous inotropic agents is considered a palliative care.

[Changes in patient survival and quality of life after heart transplantation].

Heart transplantation was performed firstly in 1967, but it became a valuable option in the 1980s, due to the availability of cyclosporine and of the technique for rejection monitoring by means of serial endomyocardial biopsies. Post-transplant survival improved over the years, mainly due to a reduction in early mortality for infection or acute rejection. Expected 1-year and 5-year survivals are around 85% and 70%, respectively.

EEG recordings in the course of recovery from stroke.

Background And Purpose: This study was designed to assess the value of quantified electroencephalography (EEG) in the follow-up of stroke and its possible correlation with other measures of recovery.

Methods: EEGs were recorded over a period of 6 months in 34 patients with ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory who underwent spectral analysis. Two groups were formed: (1) 28 patients with a Barthel Index score of less than 60 at admission and (2) 6 patients with a Barthel score of over 60 and therefore with a much better prognosis.