Physiopathology and Diagnosis of Congestive Heart Failure: Consolidated Certainties and New Perspectives.

Volume overload and fluid congestion are a fundamental issue in the assessment and management of patients with heart failure (HF). Recent studies have found that in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), right and left-sided pressures generally start to increase before any notable weight changes take place preceding an admission. ADHF may be a problem of volume redistribution among different vascular compartments instead of, or in addition to, fluid shift from the interstitial compartment.

[Iron deficiency in heart failure: beyond the anemia.].

Iron deficiency in heart failure is a frequent condition and may be a prerequisite for the development of anemia but not necessarily the two conditions coexist. Iron deficiency in itself independently of the presence of anemia, determines a series of alterations of the cellular processes of our body related to the production of energy in the form of ATP, cell proliferation and DNA synthesis. The causes of iron deficiency are several and among the various, the inflammatory state present in chronic heart failure, combined with the absorption deficit seems to play a predominant role.

[The heart failure management in Sicily: cognitive analysis of clinical features.].

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a main issue of modern healthcare system. Patient affected are continuously growing in number and age; therefore, an integrated management between different parts of healthcare system is crucial to optimize outcome and sustainability. So far, little is known about clinical pathways of HF patients in Sicily.

Surgical Treatment for Pulmonary Embolization of a Right Atrial Myxoma.

We report the case of a woman with pulmonary embolism due to a cardiac mass. Echocardiography, computed tomography scan, and cardiac magnetic resonance raised the suspicion of right atrial myxoma and confirmed the presence of pulmonary embolism. The patient was sent to the University of Pavia School of Medicine, where the atrial myxoma was excised, and, using interrupted periods of circulatory arrest, extraction of the myxoma emboli from the pulmonary arteries was performed.

Impact of insulin resistance on cardiac and vascular function.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR), constitutes an important cardiovascular risk factor and can cause ischemic heart disease. It can lead to left ventricular dysfunction with a mechanism independent of ischemic heart disease and it is closely associated with impaired vascular function. The aim of our study was to explore the impact of IR on cardiac and vascular function, in patients with cardiovascular risk factors but angiographically undamaged coronary arteries.

Cardiovascular imaging in the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiotoxicity: role of echocardiography.

The evaluation by cardiovascular imaging of chemotherapy patients became a central topic in the last several years. The use of drugs for the treatment of cancers increased, and new molecules and protocols were developed to improve outcomes in these patients. Although, these novel approaches also produced a progressive increase in side effects, particularly myocardial dysfunction.

[Association of carotid atherosclerosis with coronary artery disease: comparison between carotid ultrasonography and coronary angiography in patients with chest pain].

Background: Several studies have shown that the risk of cardiovascular events is higher in subjects with ultrasound evidence of subclinical carotid atherosclerosis. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the correlation between carotid atherosclerosis and severity of coronary artery disease in patients with typical chest pain who performed Doppler ultrasound of carotid arteries and diagnostic coronary angiography during hospitalization.

Methods: We studied 210 patients admitted to our cardiology unit for chest pain.