Transcatheter aortic-valve implantation with or without on-site cardiac surgery: The TRACS trial.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as an effective and safe treatment for patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis. The indication to TAVI should be agreed upon by a Heart Team, and the procedure should be performed in centers with on-site cardiac surgery. However, TAVI complications requiring emergent cardiac surgery (ECS) have become very rare.

Aortic balloon valvuloplasty outcome according to calcium distribution and valve geometry - The ABCD study.

Background: There is little data on the outcome of balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) in relation to valve dimensions and calcification patterns. The procedure is not standardized, particularly the choice of balloon size.

Methods: This retrospective multicenter study focused on BAV efficacy and safety by analyzing the relationship between balloon size, annulus geometry (i.

Airborne pathogens diffusion: A comparison between tracer gas and pigmented aerosols for indoor environment analysis.

The evaluation of airborne pathogens diffusion is a crucial practice in preventing airborne diseases like COVID-19, especially in indoor environments. Through this transmission route, pathogens can be carried by droplets, droplet nuclei and aerosols and be conveyed over long distances. Therefore, understanding their diffusion is vital for prevention and curbing disease transmission.

Zero-contrast IVUS-guided complex PCI in a patient with NSTE-ACS and severe renal impairment.

A 76-year-old male with severe comorbidities and multiple cardiovascular risk factors including stage IV chronic kidney disease presents with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. An ultra-low contrast invasive coronary angiography using the DyeVert system and iso-osmolar contrast agent revealed a multivessel disease with heavy calcifications involving the left main stem and its bifurcation requiring a complex percutaneous coronary intervention. Because of the high risk of contrast-induced acute kidney injury, a zero-contrast intervention was performed using intravascular ultrasound guidance and dedicated stenting techniques with optimal imaging, clinical, and renal outcomes.

Effects of different gasification biochar grain size on greenhouse gases and ammonia emissions in municipal aerated composting processes.

This work is aimed at investigating the effects derived from the application of minimum amounts of two different sized biochars, obtained through biomass gasification, on the greenhouse gases and ammonia emissions from a co-composting process of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. The chosen biochar-to-organic waste share is set to 3% w/w dry, and the results obtained are compared with a conventional composting process without biochar. Nine aerated static pilot-scale bins with a volume of 1.

[Beta-blockers after myocardial infarction with preserved systolic function: useful or redundant?].

Given the lack of adequately sized randomized clinical trials (RCTs) testing the value of maintenance beta-blockers for post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients without reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and treated according to current standards, several observational studies have tried to address this highly relevant issue. However, results from observational studies have yielded opposite conclusions, with some suggesting that beta-blockers are associated with clinical benefit and others suggesting that they have no benefit. Due to the observational nature of these studies, the risk of bias is very high.

Clinical governance of patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Aims: Using the principles of clinical governance, a patient-centred approach intended to promote holistic quality improvement, we designed a prospective, multicentre study in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We aimed to verify and quantify consecutive inclusion and describe relative and absolute effects of indicators of quality for diagnosis and therapy.

Methods And Results: Administrative codes for invasive coronary angiography and acute myocardial infarction were used to estimate the ACS universe.

Impact of hemoglobin levels at admission on outcomes among elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with low-dose Prasugrel or clopidogrel: A sub-study of the ELDERLY ACS 2 trial.

Unlabelled: Hemoglobin (Hb) levels have emerged as a useful tool for risk stratification and the prediction of outcome after myocardial infarction. We aimed at evaluating the prognostic impact of this parameter among patients in advanced age, where the larger prevalence of anemia and the higher rate of comorbidities could directly impact on the cardiovascular risk.

Methods: All the patients in the ELDERLY-2 trial, were included in this analysis and stratified according to the values of hemoglobin at admission.

Immediate coronary angiography and systematic targeted temperature management are associated with improved outcome in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest.

Rapid and systematic access to coronary angiography (CAG) and target temperature management (TTM) might improve outcome in comatose patients who survive cardiac arrest (CA). However, there is controversy around indicating immediate CAG in the absence of transmural ischemia on the electrocardiogram after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). We evaluated the short- and long-term outcome of patients undergoing systematic CAG and TTM, based on whether culprit lesion percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed.

Impacts of gasification biochar and its particle size on the thermal behavior of organic waste co-composting process.

This work investigates the effects of gasification biochar on the thermal behavior of organic municipal waste composting. Two different biochar granulometries were mixed in a 3% w/w share with the organic fraction of municipal waste and tested in nine (three per thesis and three as control) reactors of 1 m of volume, designed to simulate full-scale aerated static piles. The temperatures of each composter were monitored for 31 days of the active composting phase and used as key parameters for air flow tuning.

Rationale and design of the pragmatic clinical trial tREatment with Beta-blockers after myOcardial infarction withOut reduced ejection fracTion (REBOOT).

Aims: There is a lack of evidence regarding the benefits of β-blocker treatment after invasively managed acute myocardial infarction (MI) without reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods And Results: The tREatment with Beta-blockers after myOcardial infarction withOut reduced ejection fracTion (REBOOT) trial is a pragmatic, controlled, prospective, randomized, open-label blinded endpoint (PROBE design) clinical trial testing the benefits of β-blocker maintenance therapy in patients discharged after MI with or without ST-segment elevation. Patients eligible for participation are those managed invasively during index hospitalization (coronary angiography), with LVEF >40%, and no history of heart failure (HF).

Clinical governance programme in patients with acute coronary syndrome: design and methodology of a quality improvement initiative.

Introduction: Despite the availability of diverse evidence-based diagnostic and treatment options, many patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) still fail to receive effective, safe and timely diagnoses and therapies. The Association of Acute CardioVascular Care of the European Society of Cardiology has proposed and retrospectively validated a set of ACS-specific quality indicators. Combining these indicators with the principles of clinical governance-a holistic, patient-centred approach intended to promote continuous quality improvement-we designed the clinical governance programme in patients with ACS.

[A practical approach to the diagnosis of cardiomyopathy: a roadmap from the phenotype].

Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of cardiac diseases for which diagnosis and treatment are not always simple. The diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, in particular the etiology, comes from an integration between symptoms and results collected by several instrumental exams. The brain storming for the diagnosis includes also the identification of the "red flags", i.

Cardiac Arrest in a 31-Year-Old Man With Noonan Syndrome.

A 31-year-old man with Noonan syndrome who suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest presented at our institution with severe postanoxic coma (Glasgow coma scale 3), but normalized electrocardiogram and stable hemodynamics. Coronary angiography documented a giant right coronary artery supplying collateral flow to the left coronary artery, which presented a left main functional occlusion.

Rapid rule-out of suspected acute coronary syndrome in the Emergency Department by high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T levels at presentation.

The reliability of initial high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) under limit-of-detection in ruling-out short- and long-term acute coronary events in subjects for suspected non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) is not definitely settled. In a retrospective chart review analysis, 1001 subjects with hs-cTnT ≤ 14 ng/L out of 4053 subjects with hs-cTnT measured at Emergency Department (ED) presentation were recruited. The main outcome measure is fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) within 30 days; secondary outcomes are MI or major acute coronary events (MACE) as a combination of MI or re-hospitalization for unstable angina within 1 year.

[Rescue thrombolytic therapy for the treatment of ST-elevation myocardial infarction after unsuccessful primary percutaneous coronary intervention in a patient with coronary artery aneurysm].

The recommended treatment for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). However, in a non-negligible proportion of patients, pPCI is ineffective and the cardiologist must face the decision of how to achieve optimal myocardial reperfusion. Although the possibility of a rescue fibrinolytic strategy has not been evaluated yet in this clinical setting, it is a viable alternative to emergency cardiac surgery.

Reperfusion in STEMI patients: still a role for cardioprotection?

Ischemic heart disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide, responsible for an estimated 17.5 million deaths in 2012. Mortality from ST-elevation myocardial infarction STEMI have decreased over the last 3 decades.

Comparison of Reduced-Dose Prasugrel and Standard-Dose Clopidogrel in Elderly Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes Undergoing Early Percutaneous Revascularization.

Background: Elderly patients are at elevated risk of both ischemic and bleeding complications after an acute coronary syndrome and display higher on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity compared with younger patients. Prasugrel 5 mg provides more predictable platelet inhibition compared with clopidogrel in the elderly, suggesting the possibility of reducing ischemic events without increasing bleeding.

Methods: In a multicenter, randomized, open-label, blinded end point trial, we compared a once-daily maintenance dose of prasugrel 5 mg with the standard clopidogrel 75 mg in patients >74 years of age with acute coronary syndrome undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Switching from clopidogrel to prasugrel to protect early invasive treatment in acute coronary syndromes: Results of the switch over trial.

Background: Clopidogrel is used to pretreat patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS), but prasugrel provides better platelet inhibition with improved outcome. However, switching from clopidogrel at the time of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains incompletely defined. Our aim was to compare the pharmacodynamic (PD) effects of 3 prasugrel loading doses (LDs; G1:10mg, G2: 30mg, and G3: 60mg) before PCI.

Data on administration of cyclosporine, nicorandil, metoprolol on reperfusion related outcomes in ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction treated with percutaneous coronary intervention.

Mortality and morbidity in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are still high [1]. A huge amount of the myocardial damage is related to the mitochondrial events happening during reperfusion [2]. Several drugs directly and indirectly targeting mitochondria have been administered at the time of the PCI and their effect on fatal (all-cause mortality, cardiovascular (CV) death) and non fatal (hospital readmission for heart failure (HF)) outcomes have been tested showing conflicting results [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16].

Clinical benefit of drugs targeting mitochondrial function as an adjunct to reperfusion in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Aims: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCT) comparing the effectiveness of drugs targeting mitochondrial function vs. placebo in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing mechanical coronary reperfusion.

Methods: Inclusion criteria: RCTs enrolling STEMI patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and comparing drugs targeting mitochondrial function vs.