Interdiscip Cardiovasc Thorac Surg
November 2024
Background And Objective: In the literature have been widely discussed different classification criteria for coronary artery anomalies (CAAs), some authors have tried to categorize them only as "major" or "hemodynamically significant" anomalies versus "minor" or "not hemodynamically significant" ones. However, the most recent literature has concluded that all possible coronary anatomy should be taken into consideration in a comprehensive classification of CAAs. The aim of the article is to review the most recent literature regarding CAAs to provide a comprehensive overview of this challenging topic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Venus -valve™ (Venus Medtech, Hangzhou, China) is a self-expandable bioprosthetic valve that can be transcatheter-implanted in native right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) patients. Valve implantation is technically challenging. Due to the implantation technique, left pulmonary artery (LPA) stents represent a relative contraindication to Venus -valve.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe population of adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) is constantly growing. There seems to be a consensus that these patients are difficult to manage especially if compared to patients with acquired heart disease. The aim of this study is to compare outcomes and results of cardiac surgery in ACHD patients with a reference population of adults with acquired cardiac disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with pulmonary hypertension associated with a left-right shunt include a wide spectrum of pathophysiological substrates, ranging from those characterized by pulmonary over-circulation to those with advanced pulmonary vascular disease. The former group may benefit from shunt repair in carefully selected cases but, when advanced pulmonary vascular disease has developed, defect closure should be avoided, and pulmonary vasodilators may be used to improve effort tolerance and hemodynamics. There is a paucity of evidence, however, to support decision-making in the care of these patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdvanced holographic visualization techniques are becoming increasingly important in clinical practice, not only for diagnostic purposes but also in the planning of interventional or surgical procedures. The traditional approach for visualizing anatomic structures is based on standard imaging modalities such as echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and cardiac CT scan (CCT) which, however, can only provide two-dimensional (2D) images thus limiting 3D perception. Many recent studies have shown that the use of 3D imaging modalities such as augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality and holography improve the short and long-term outcome of percutaneous or surgical procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: We present the experience and long-term results of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE)-guided closure of ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs) in two Italian centers and investigate its systematic applicability as the gold standard in routine clinical practice.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all consecutive patients who underwent an ASD percutaneous closure procedure from March 2008 to February 2020. All patients underwent a preprocedural transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) evaluation.
Aims: To evaluate the late outcomes of adults (above 35 years) with a Fontan-type circulation, for whom current data on morbidity and mortality are lacking.
Methods And Results: Data were collected retrospectively on consecutive patients with Fontan circulation above the age of 35 years followed in three European specialist centres. Overall, 115 Fontan patients were included [median age 35 (range 35-48) years, 47.
J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown)
January 2024
Aims: Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) often show a complex 3D anatomy that must be well understood to assess the pathophysiological consequences and to guide therapy. Three-dimensional imaging technologies have the potential to enhance the physician's comprehension of such spatially complex anatomies. Unfortunately, due to the new introduction in clinical practice, there is no evidence on the current applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Physical activity is recognised as an important intervention in patients with CHD. However, more data on the actual magnitude of physical training impact on functional capacity in this group of patients are still warranted. We aim to assess effort tolerance in a contemporary cohort of patients with congenital heart disease, regularly following a training programme, in comparison with a matched control group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe population of patients with a systemic right ventricle (sRV) in biventricular circulation includes those who have undergone an atrial switch operation for destro-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) and those with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA). Despite the life expectancy of these patients is significantly increased, the long-term prognosis remains suboptimal due to late complications such as heart failure, arrhythmias, and premature death. These patients, therefore, need a close follow-up to early identify predictive factors of adverse outcomes and to implement all preventive therapeutic strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this paper, we present an exploratory study on the potential impact of holographic heart models and mixed reality technology on medical training, and in particular in teaching complex Congenital Heart Diseases (CHD) to medical students. Fifty-nine medical students were randomly allocated into three groups. Each participant in each group received a 30-minute lecture on a CHD condition interpretation and transcatheter treatment with different instructional tools.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatients with congenital heart disease (CHD) seem to have a higher risk for specific malignancies. We hypothesize a pathogenetic link between particular congenital heart defects and cancer originating from specific cellular lineages. We report a series of patients, followed in two high-volume referral centers, with CHD involving neural crest-derived structures who developed cancer later in life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Myocarditis is a rare extra-intestinal complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in particular, ulcerative colitis.We report a case of acute myocarditis as first manifestation of severe ulcerative colitis. A 22-year-old man was admitted with fever, bloody diarrhea, and fatigue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProg Pediatr Cardiol
December 2022
Ellis-van Creveld syndrome (EVC) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, the features of the syndrome are: chondral and ectodermal dysplasia characterized by short ribs, polydactyly, growth retardation resulting in dwarfism, teeth and craniofacial abnormalities and heart defects (mostly endocardial cushions and atrial septal defects). We describe the first case reported of COVID-19 infection in a 24-years-old girl, diagnosed with EVC syndrome. The patient suffered only from a mild illness, she remained stable with normal saturation without need of neither respiratory support nor specific therapy and she was rapidly discharged.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagnostics (Basel)
February 2022
The diagnosis of acute myocarditis (AM) is based on a multi-parametric assessment including clinical presentation, ECG, imaging and biomarkers. Fragmented QRS (fQRS) might be an additional diagnostic sign in patients with proven AM. The main objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic yield of fQRS in patients with suspected AM presenting to the emergency department (ED).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with congenitally corrected transposition of great arteries (ccTGA) not infrequently seek medical attention for the first time late in life. Optimal management of natural history ccTGA is debated and must be tailored.
Case Summary: A 38-year-old male patient was referred to our centre because of severe cyanosis and worsening dyspnoea.