Cardiovascular effects of COVID-19 lockdown in professional football players.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic with the stay-at-home orders and lockdown has dramatically forced athletes to stop team training and competitions, causing deep changes in habits and lifestyle. Aim of this study was to evaluate in a retrospective single center study the cardiovascular (CV) health and fitness of elite football player after COVID-19 lockdown in Italy and to compare such findings with the 2019 off-season period, in order to identify potential differences in the CV features and outcomes.

Methods: All 29 professional football players of the first male team were enrolled before resuming training and competition after COVID-19 lockdown and underwent several exams including physical examination, resting and stress electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography, spirometry and blood tests.

Colon-like right coronary artery.

Coronary aneurysmatic dilatation may be localized to a segment or may involve multiple segments. We herein report a case of a diffuse aneurysmatic dilatation of the right coronary artery.

EuroSCORE predicts long-term mortality of unselected patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions.

Background: The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) is a simple risk model able to predict early and late mortality after cardiac surgery. Recent data suggest that this score may also predict early clinical outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Data regarding EuroSCORE usefulness to predict late outcome after PCI in unselected patients are lacking.

Baseline inflammatory status and long-term changes in renal function after percutaneous renal artery stenting: a prospective study.

Objectives: To investigate a possible independent predictive role of systemic inflammation markers on renal function after renal artery stenting.

Background: An elevated baseline serum creatinine has previously been shown to be the strongest predictor of improved renal function after percutaneous renal artery stenting. The inflammatory system is implicated in every stage of chronic kidney disease, and we hypothesized an additional value of markers of systemic inflammation in predicting response after renal artery stenting.

Feasibility of complex coronary and peripheral interventions by trans-radial approach using large sheaths.

Background: Trans-radial approach (TRA) reduces vascular access-site complications but has some technical limitations. Usually, TRA procedures are performed using 5 Fr or 6 Fr sheaths, whereas complex interventions requiring larger sheaths are approached by trans-femoral access.

Methods: During 4 years, at two Institutions with high TRA use, we have attempted to perform selected complex coronary or peripheral interventions by TRA using sheaths larger than 6 Fr.

Prospective randomized comparison of sirolimus- or everolimus-eluting stent to treat bifurcated lesions by provisional approach.

Objectives: This study sought to compare the procedural performance and the acute angiographic result on side-branch ostium obtained using 2 different drug-eluting stents (DES) to treat patients with bifurcated coronary lesions.

Background: Drug-eluting stents are routinely used in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) of bifurcated coronary lesions. Different DES types have major technical differences that may influence the procedural and clinical performance in bifurcation PCI.

Outcome of non-cardiac surgery after stent implantation in the DES era: results of the Surgery After Stent (SAS) registry.

Background: Optimal management of patients needing non-cardiac surgery after coronary stenting has not been established. Objective. To assess the perioperative outcome of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery after coronary bare-metal stent (BMS) or drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.

Renal artery stenting in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease.

Objectives: To investigate the role of renal stenting in selected patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and renal artery stenosis.

Methods: Consecutive patients, with chronic ischemic heart disease and severe hypertension and/or impaired renal function undergoing renal stenting, were prospectively enrolled. Mid-term (at least 2 years) follow-up was performed to assess both changes in renal function [serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtrate rate (eGFR)] and blood pressure (BP) control (number of required drugs) and to record the incidence of clinical major adverse events.

Provisional TAP-stenting strategy to treat bifurcated lesions with drug-eluting stents: one-year clinical results of a prospective registry.

Objective: To assess the clinical outcome of unselected patients undergoing drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation on bifurcated lesions using a "provisional T And small Protrusion (TAP)" stenting strategy.

Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing DES implantation on one major bifurcation lesion were treated by main-vessel (MV) stenting, followed (if needed) by side-branch (SB) rewiring (with a "pullback" technique) and kissing balloon. SB stenting was performed according to the TAP-technique in selected cases.

Evaluation of a strategy for treating bifurcated lesions by single or double stenting based on the Medina classification.

Introduction And Objectives: The Medina bifurcated lesion classification has been widely adopted because of its simplicity. However, no data are available on its use in helping select the best stenting technique for bifurcations.

Methods: Consecutive patients with bifurcated lesions (side branch >or=2.

Transradial approach to treat superficial femoral artery in-stent restenosis.

Background: Transradial access reduces the incidence of access site complications of percutaneous revascularization procedures. However, in patients with peripheral vascular disease, the adoption of transradial approach for superficial femoral artery (SFA) angioplasty is usually prevented by the distance between the vascular access and the target lesions; thus, SFA angioplasty is commonly performed by transfemoral approach. Recently, low-profile balloons with extended shaft length became available, allowing to potentially address SFA lesions by transradial approach.

Glycoprotein IIB/IIIA inhibitor to reduce postpercutaneous coronary intervention myonecrosis and improve coronary flow in diabetics: the 'OPTIMIZE-IT' pilot randomized study.

Background: Subgroup analyses of trials enrolling acute coronary syndrome patients suggest that inhibition of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa can improve the outcome of diabetic patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), possibly by improving microvascular perfusion. However, the efficacy of small-molecule IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors to improve microvascular perfusion in stable diabetic patients undergoing elective PCI has not been specifically investigated.

Methods: We randomized consecutive stable diabetic patients, undergoing elective PCI, to tirofiban or placebo groups along with double antiplatelet therapy.

Outcome of patients treated by a novel thin-strut cobalt-chromium stent in the drug-eluting stent era: Results of the SKICE (Skylor in real world practice) registry.

Objectives: To investigate the outcome of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) with implantation of a new thin-strut cobalt-chromium bare-metal-stent (BMS) in the drug-eluting-stent (DES) era.

Background: Despite the contemporary penetration of DES in the clinical practice, a relevant percentage of patients are still treated by BMS. Data on clinical outcome of novel BMSs are lacking.