In-hospital prognostic role of coronary atherosclerotic burden in COVID-19 patients.

Aims: Currently, there are few available data regarding a possible role for subclinical atherosclerosis as a risk factor for mortality in Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) patients. We used coronary artery calcium (CAC) score derived from chest computed tomography (CT) scan to assess the in-hospital prognostic role of CAC in patients affected by COVID-19 pneumonia.

Methods: Electronic medical records of patients with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were retrospectively reviewed.

Trans-thoracic Echocardiography in Prone Positioning COVID-19 Patients: a Small Case Series.

During SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, several subjects were treated in our intensive care unit (ICU) because of acute respiratory failure following COVID-19 pneumonia. Most of them required mechanical ventilation and someone in prone position (PP) too, because of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). During PP, trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE) is not always easy, mainly due to the forced position of the neck of the patient.

Perforated giant mycotic aneurysm of mitral valve in a drug-addicted young man: Rare complication of infective endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis (IE) affects patients at high clinical risk and may present as an acute and rapidly progressive, subacute or chronic infection. Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography represent the key diagnostic method in IE diagnosis. In particular, three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography represents the imaging technique that allows to establish with adequate accuracy dimensions, shape, and localization of endocarditis vegetations.

An Unusual Left Ventricular Apical Mass.

Left ventricular apical masses constitute a rare finding. Imaging properties together with the clinical history of the patient usually allow an etiologic definition. We report a challenging case of an ambiguous left ventricular apical mass of uncertain nature till histological examination.

[CircuLite Synergy ventricular assist device: a new approach to end-stage congestive heart failure].

Background: The Synergy system, a miniature partial circulatory support device, is implanted by an off-pump, minimally invasive surgical approach. The system has been optimized to improve performance in an EU clinical trial for chronic ambulatory heart failure. This therefore offers the possibility of treating elderly chronic heart failure patients who might not usually be considered for long-term circulatory support.