Lower Levels of Vitamin D Are Associated with Higher Vasoactive-Inotropic Scores in Major Cardiac Surgery.

Background: The vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) predicts unfavorable outcomes after cardiac surgery in both children and adults. In our adult population, we investigated whether preoperative levels of vitamin D can predict the VIS and whether both vitamin D and the VIS can predict adverse outcomes following major heart surgery.

Methods: Between 1 October 2021 and 28 February 2022, 300 patients underwent major cardiac surgery at our institution.

An unusual complication of myocardial infarction.

Despite medical and interventional advances, the mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction are associated with high mortality. Timely surgical therapy requires a prompt and accurate diagnosis. Multimodality imaging has become the standard of care in modern cardiology.

Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Biomarkers, Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines, and Histological Changes in Experimental Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

The present study aims to compare the oxidative stress biomarkers, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and histological changes induced by three cardiovascular risk factors, namely, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Hypertension was induced with 40 mg/kg body weight (b.w.

Recommendations for the use of electrophysiological study: Update 2018.

The field of cardiac electrophysiology has greatly developed during the past decades. Consequently, the use of electrophysiological studies (EPSs) in clinical practice has also significantly augmented, with a progressively increasing number of certified electrophysiology centers and specialists. Since Zipes et al published the Guidelines for Clinical Intracardiac Electrophysiology and Catheter Ablation Procedures in 1995, no official document summarizing current EPS indications has been published.

Sheep can be used as animal model of regional myocardial remodeling and controllable work.

Background: Pacing the right heart has been shown to induce reversible conduction delay and subse-quent asymmetric remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) in dogs and pigs. Both species have disadvantages in animal experiments. Therefore the aim of this study was to develop a more feasible and easy-to-use animal model in sheep.

Relationship Between Ventricular Arrhythmias, Conduction Disorders, and Myocardial Fibrosis in Patients With Systemic Sclerosis.

Background: Delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI) is a noninvasive diagnostic tool able to identify myocardial fibrosis. In patients with scleroderma, its relationship with arrhythmias and conduction disorders has not been fully explored.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible correlations between ventricular arrhythmias, conduction disorders, and myocardial fibrosis in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Right ventricular remodelling after transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation.

Objectives: To define the optimal timing for percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation (PPVI) in patients with severe pulmonary regurgitation (PR) after Fallot's Tetralogy (ToF) correction.

Background: PPVI among the aforementioned patients is mainly driven by symptoms or by severe right ventricular (RV) dilatation/dysfunction. The optimal timing for PPVI is still disputed.

New Automatic Tools to Identify Responders to Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy.

Background: New echocardiographic parameters (apical rocking [AR], septal flash [SF]) are intended to detect patterns specific to responders to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The patterns are visually recognized and qualitatively described, requiring experience and training. Speckle-tracking echocardiography can reflect SF and AR by using newly developed, dedicated parameters, such as start systolic index (SSI) and peak longitudinal displacement (PLD).

How to define end-diastole and end-systole?: Impact of timing on strain measurements.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate to what extent timing definitions influence strain measurements and which surrogates are reliable and feasible to define end-diastole (ED) and end-systole (ES) during speckle-tracking (STI) analysis.

Background: Current STI-based strain measurements are highly automated. It remains unclear when a particular analysis software defines the zero baseline and the systolic strain measurement position.

Tissue Doppler, strain and strain rate in ischemic heart disease "how I do it".

Echocardiography is the standard method for assessing myocardial function in patients with ischemic heart disease. The acquisition and interpretation of echocardiographic images, however, remains a highly specialized task which often relies entirely on the subjective visual assessment of the reader and requires therefore, particular training and expertise. Myocardial deformation imaging allows quantifying myocardial function far beyond what can be done with sole visual assessment.