3D Printing-A Cutting Edge Technology for Treating Post-Infarction Patients.

The increasing complexity of cardiovascular interventions requires advanced peri-procedural imaging and tailored treatment. Three-dimensional printing technology represents one of the most significant advances in the field of cardiac imaging, interventional cardiology or cardiovascular surgery. Patient-specific models may provide substantial information on intervention planning in complex cardiovascular diseases, and volumetric medical imaging from CT or MRI can be translated into patient-specific 3D models using advanced post-processing applications.

The Link between SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Inflammation and Hypercoagulability-Impact of Hemorheologic Alterations on Cardiovascular Mortality.

The link between severe forms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and cardiovascular diseases has been well documented by various studies that indicated a higher risk of cardiovascular complications in COVID-19 patients, in parallel with a higher risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients with underlying cardiovascular diseases. It seems that inflammation, which is a major pathophysiological substrate for both acute myocardial infarction and severe forms of COVID-19, may play a pivotal role in the interrelation between these two critical conditions, and hypercoagulability associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection could be responsible for acute cardiovascular complications. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) proved to be independent predictors for prognosis in acute coronary syndromes and systemic inflammatory diseases; therefore, they may be used as independent prognostic markers of disease severity in COVID-19 infection.

Imaging Cardiovascular Inflammation in the COVID-19 Era.

Cardiac complications are among the most frequent extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and are associated with high mortality rates. Moreover, positive SARS-CoV-2 patients with underlying cardiovascular disease are more likely to require intensive care and are at higher risk of death. The underlying mechanism for myocardial injury is multifaceted, in which the severe inflammatory response causes myocardial inflammation, coronary plaque destabilization, acute thrombotic events, and ischemia.