0000000000276726

AUTHOR

Matteo Di Biase

Carotid intima media thickness and coronary atherosclerosis linkage in symptomatic intermediate risk patients evaluated by coronary computed tomography angiography.

Background: There is a growing evidence that carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and it should be used as a predictor of atherosclerotic burden of coronary arteries. However, these studies have been performed by using invasive coronary angiography (ICA) and in high-risk patients for CAD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between CIMT by ultrasound and coronary atherosclerosis in symptomatic intermediate risk patients by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Methods: We enrolled 204 consecutive symptomatic patients (mean age: 61 +/- 10; men: 118) and intermediate risk for CAD. All patients underwent CIMT ul…

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Incremental value and safety of oral ivabradine for heart rate reduction in computed tomography coronary angiography

Background: Heart rate (HR) reduction is essential to achieve optimal image quality and diagnostic accuracy with computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). Administration of ivabradine could be an attractive alternative to beta-blockade to reduce HR. Methods: One-hundred-twenty-three patients referred for CTCA were prospectively enrolled. Patients were divided in two groups depending on the absence or presence of chronic beta-blockade treatment. Within the two groups patients were randomized to either no additional premedication or oral ivabradine for 5 days prior to CTCA. In presence of chronic beta-blockade therapy it was shifted to atenolol 50 mg twice a day for 5 days prior to CTC…

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Impact of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation on all-cause mortality among patients with Takotsubo syndrome complicated by cardiogenic shock: results from the German-Italian-Spanish (GEIST) registry

Abstract Aims Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute and reversible left ventricular dysfunction and can be complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS). However, few data are available on optimal care in TTS complicated by CS. Aim of this study was to evaluate short- and long-term impact of intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) on mortality in this setting. Methods and results In a multi-centre, international registry on TTS, 2248 consecutive patients were enrolled from 38 centres from Germany, Italy, and Spain. Of the 2248 patients, 212 (9.4%) experienced CS. Patients with CS had a higher prevalence of diabetes (27% vs. 19%), male sex (25% vs. 10%), and right ventricular involvement (10% vs. 5%) (P …

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Heart rate control with oral ivabradine in computed tomography coronary angiography: a randomized comparison of 7.5 mg vs 5 mg regimen.

Background: Heart rate (HR) reduction is essential to achieve optimal image quality and diagnostic accuracy with computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). Administration of oral ivabradine seems to be more effective than beta-blockade in reducing HR in patients referred for CTCA. Methods: Two-hundred-fifty-nine consecutive patients referred for CTCA were prospectively enrolled. Patients not receiving beta-blocker at baseline (group 1) and those with beta-blocker therapy (group 2) were enrolled in the study. Each group was randomized into 3 parallel arms with 1:1:1 allocation. Patients who did not receive beta-blocker at baseline: underwent CTCA without beta blocker (n=49), and receiv…

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Assessment of the German and Italian Stress Cardiomyopathy Score for Risk Stratification for In-hospital Complications in Patients With Takotsubo Syndrome.

IMPORTANCE Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute, reversible heart failure syndrome featured by significant rates of in-hospital complications. There is a lack of data for risk stratification during hospitalization. OBJECTIVE To derive a simple clinical score for risk prediction of in-hospital complications among patients with TTS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this prognostic study, 1007 consecutive patients were enrolled in the German and Italian Stress Cardiomyopathy (GEIST) registry from July 1, 2007, through December 31, 2017, and identified as the derivation cohort; 946 patients were enrolled in the Spanish Registry for Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (RETAKO) as the external score val…

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