Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan on Exercise Capacity in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction and the Role of Percentage of Delayed Enhancement Measured by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Predicting Therapeutic Response: A Multicentre Study.

: This study aims to evaluate the cardiopulmonary effects of sacubitril/valsartan therapy in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), investigating a possible correlation with the degree of myocardial fibrosis, as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance. : A total of 134 outpatients with HFrEF were enrolled. : After a mean follow-up of 13.

Conversion of spinal anesthesia into general anesthesia: an evaluation of more than 35,000 spinal anesthetics.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the number of conversions from spinal anesthesia (SA) into general anesthesia (GA) in a large number of patients who underwent surgery over a period of twenty-one years.

Methods: From the hospital's database, all surgical procedures performed under SA between January 1, 1988 and December 31, 2008 were retrieved. From this file, all SA cases converted into GA cases requiring endotracheal intubation were selected.

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: Prognostic Comparison from Peak VO2 and VE/VCO2 Slope.

Background: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing with ventilatory expired gas analysis (CPET) has proven to be a valuable tool for assessing patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The maximal oxygen uptake (peak V02) is used in risk stratification of patients with CHF. The minute ventilation-carbon dioxide production relationship (VE/VCO2 slope) has recently demonstrated prognostic significance in patients with CHF.

Usefulness of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels in predicting residual myocardial ischemia in patients with ST elevation acute myocardial infarction.

Aim: N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (NT pro-BNP) is a neurohormone synthesized predominantly in ventricular myocardium. In patients with symptoms of heart failure, elevation in NT pro-BNP accurately identifies ventricular dysfunction. However, NT pro-BNP levels are not specific for ventricular dysfunction in patients who do not have overt symptoms of heart failure, suggesting that other cardiac processes such as myocardial ischemia may also cause elevation in NT pro-BNP.