Publications by authors named "Sara Rettegno"
Background: Heart transplantation and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implementation are effective treatments for advanced heart failure (HF), although their use is limited by organ availability and the high incidence of adverse events. The efficacy of mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) as a bridge to transplantation or as a destination therapy in advanced HF is still debated.
Methods: A total of 63 patients with INTERMACS class 3 or 4 with contraindications for LVAD and severe functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) were evaluated for TEER implantation eligibility.
Article Synopsis
- The Italian Society of Echography and Cardiovascular Imaging (SIECVI) conducted a national survey to investigate stress echocardiography (SE) practices across Italy, collecting data from 228 laboratories in November 2022.
- The survey revealed that out of 179 centers performing SE, most were located in northern Italy, and the study categorized them into low, moderate, and high volume of activity based on the number of SE examinations.
- Key findings indicated differences in the use of stressors, with a tendency for high-volume centers to employ multiple stress techniques and incorporate advanced evaluations like coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) more frequently than low and moderate volume centers.
Background: The Italian Society of Echocardiography and Cardiovascular Imaging (SIECVI) conducted a national survey to understand better how different echocardiographic modalities are used and accessed in Italy.
Methods: We analyzed echocardiography laboratory activities over a month (November 2022). Data were retrieved via an electronic survey based on a structured questionnaire, uploaded on the SIECVI website.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed the risks of recurring ischemia and bleeding in patients treated for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) over the first year after the procedure.
- Two large registries, BleeMACS and RENAMI, were used to compare the average daily ischemic risk (ADIR) and average daily bleeding risk (ADBR) among nearly 20,000 patients receiving different antiplatelet therapies.
- Results showed that while ADIR was generally greater than ADBR in the initial weeks post-PCI (especially for severe cases), this trend shifted, with higher bleeding risks found in specific groups like non-ST-segment elevation ACS patients and those on ticagrelor after three months
Background: The optimal approach to guide percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has yet to be defined. The aim of this study was to compare functional driven (fractional flow reserve) versus intravascular imaging (intravascular ultrasound, IVUS, and/or optical coherence tomography, OCT) versus standard (coronary angiography only, CA)-guided PCI.
Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and propensity score weight-matched studies (PSWMs) comparing FFR versus IVUS versus OCT versus CA-guided PCI were included.
Is pericardial effusion a negative prognostic marker? Meta-analysis of outcomes of pericardial effusion.
J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown)
January 2019
Article Synopsis
- A meta-analysis reviewed 23 studies involving 17,022 patients to assess the prevalence and outcomes of pericardial effusion across various diseases.
- The analysis found that the overall prevalence of pericardial effusion was 19.5%, and patients with this condition had a significantly higher risk of death after a mean follow-up of 36 months (hazard ratio of 1.59).
- Pericardial effusion was linked to worse outcomes in diseases like pulmonary arterial hypertension, chronic heart failure, myocardial infarction, and certain malignancies, while the prognosis for idiopathic pericardial effusion remains uncertain.
Beta-blocker therapy reduces mortality in patients with coronary artery disease treated with percutaneous revascularization: a meta-analysis of adjusted results.
J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown)
July 2018
Aims: The long-term impact of beta blockers on prognosis in patients treated with contemporary therapies for coronary artery disease remains to be defined.
Methods And Results: All observational studies evaluating the impact of beta blockers in patients treated with coronary revascularization and contemporary therapies and adjusted with multivariate analysis were included. All-cause death was the primary endpoint, while Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE) (composite endpoint of all-cause death or myocardial infarction, MI) and MI were secondary endpoints.
Diagnostic accuracy of functional, imaging and biochemical tests for patients presenting with chest pain to the emergency department: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care
August 2019
Article Synopsis
- Non-invasive ischaemia tests and biomarkers are commonly used in emergency departments to rule out acute coronary syndrome, but their diagnostic accuracy is still not fully established.
- A systematic review analyzed 77 studies with over 49,000 patients comparing various tests for diagnosing chest pain, revealing that fast and six-hour highly sensitive troponin T protocols have similar sensitivity and specificity.
- Among non-invasive tests, coronary computed tomography and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy for patients without elevated troponin levels, while stress echography was less effective and exercise testing performed the worst.
Impact of design of coronary stents and length of dual antiplatelet therapies on ischaemic and bleeding events: a network meta-analysis of 64 randomized controlled trials and 102 735 patients.
Eur Heart J
November 2017
Aims: The differential impact on ischaemic and bleeding events of the type of drug-eluting stent [durable polymer stents [DES] vs. biodegradable polymer stents vs. bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS)] and length of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) remains to be defined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncidence, predictors, and impact on prognosis of target lesion revascularization (TLR) for patients treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) on unprotected left main (ULM) remain to be defined. The present study is a multicenter study including patients treated with a second-generation DES on ULM from June 2007 to January 2015. Rate of TLR was the primary end point.
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