Troponin I/ejection fraction ratio: A new index to differentiate Takotsubo cardiomyopathy from myocardial infarction

2015

– Transient hypokinesis, akinesis, or dyskinesis of the left ventricular mid-segments with or without apical involvement; the regional wall motion abnormalities extend beyond a single epicardial vascular distribution; a stressful trigger is often, but not always, present; – Absence of obstructive coronary disease or angiographic evidence of acute plaque rupture; – New ECG abnormalities (either ST-segment elevation and/or T wave inversion) or modest elevation in cardiac troponin; and – Absence of pheochromocytoma or myocarditis.

Subclinical cardiovascular damage in patients with HCV cirrhosis before and after treatment with direct antiviral agents: a prospective study

2018

BACKGROUND Cirrhosis is associated with morpho-functional cardiovascular alterations. AIMS To detect early features of cardiovascular damage in HCV-compensated cirrhotic patients using myocardial deformation indices and carotid arterial stiffness, and, further, to evaluate their short-term behaviour after HCV eradication with direct antiviral agents (DAAs). METHODS Thirty-nine consecutive patients with HCV cirrhosis, without previous cardiovascular events, were studied and matched for age, gender and cardiovascular risk factors to 39 controls without liver or cardiovascular disease. Patients and controls underwent a baseline echocardiographic evaluation including global longitudinal strain …

Lower plasma testosterone levels enhance the predictive value of endothelial dysfunction for future cardiovascular events: A 5-year prospective study.

2016

LETTER TO EDITOR

Five-year prospective study on cardiovascular events, in patients with erectile dysfunction and hypotestosterone.

2017

Objective: Testosterone levels play a role in cardiac and vascular pathology. In the present study we investigated the prognostic significance of this hormone for cardiovascular outcome, in a 5-year follow-up. Materials and methods: Our cohort included 802 adult subjects, from 40 to 80 years. Patients were excluded if they had a past history of peripheral or coronary artery disease, and revascularization. A blood sample was drawn to valuate testosterone level, and we considered normal testosterone levels 300 ng/dl. FMD (flow mediated dilatation) of the brachial artery was assessed by measuring the increase of the brachial artery diameter during reactive hyperemia after transient forearm isc…

A life-threatening complication of parenteral nutrition: how to prevent cardiac tamponade?

2014

Complications caused by incorrect central venous insertion are numerous. Cardiac tamponade is a rare, but well-documented complication that is often lethal. We present the case of a patient with cardiac tamponade caused by incorrect tip position and infusion of hyperosmolar fluids such as for parenteral nutrition.

Use of wearable cardioverter‐defibrillator in association with catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation‐related tachycardiomyopathy

2019

Implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) implantation is not indicated in patients with potentially transient or reversible causes of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Wearable cardioverter‐defibrillator (WCD) is increasingly used for SCD prevention in patients who are temporary at high risk of ventricular arrhythmia. Hereby, we describe a case of tachycardiomyopathy successfully managed with ablation and WCD backup. Implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators are a Class I indication by American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association/Heart Rhythm Society guidelines to prevent SCD in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II …

Fetuin-A is Associated to Serum Calcium and AHSG T256S Genotype but Not to Coronary Artery Calcification

2015

Vascular calcification has been recently associated to an increased cardiovascular risk and mortality. In few studies, Fetuin-A showed an association to coronary artery calcification (CAC), although the physiopathological mechanism underlying this association has not been fully established yet. Seventy-four patients with one or more cardiovascular risk factor and asymptomatic for coronary vasculopathy were included in the study. CAC was evaluated by Agatston score. Serum Fetuin-A levels were determined by ELISA. Molecular analysis of AHSG T256S gene variant (rs4918) was performed by PCR-RFLP. Serum Fetuin-A was correlated to serum calcium (r = 0,321; P = 0,018), but not to serum phosphorous…

A rare case of a coronary artery anomaly detected on multidetector computed tomography

2013

An anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery arising from the opposite sinus with an interarterial course is a rare condition that is associated with a high risk of sudden cardiac death during or after strenuous exertion. We herein report the case of a 47-year-old woman presenting with chest pain, syncope and palpitations who presented with a rare coronary artery anomaly on multidetector computed tomography coronary artery (MDCT-CA) with prospective electrocardiogram (ECG) gating.

Climatic variables in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: role of temperature

2017

Background Recent studies documented a seasonal (summer) and circadian (morning) temporal distribution of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). Aim The aim of our study was to investigate whether there is a relationship among season, temperature and the occurrence of TTC. A second aim of our study was the comparison of climatic variables in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy versus acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods We enrolled consecutive patients with TTC in three Italian centres and, for comparison consecutive patients with AMI. The frequency of TTC and AMI patients according to month, season and quartiles of temperature (I quartile: 9.8–15-, II quartile: 15–19-, III quartile: 19–25- and IV quar…

Phrenic nerve displacement by intrapericardial balloon inflation during epicardial ablation of ventricular tachycardia: Four case reports

2020

BACKGROUND Phrenic nerve (PN) injury is one of the recognized possible complications following epicardial ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT). High-output pacing is a widely used maneuver to establish a relationship between the PN and the ablation catheter tip. An absence of PN capture is usually considered an indication that it is safe to ablate, and that successful ablation may be performed at adjacent sites. However, PN capture may impact the procedural outcome. Only a few cases have been reported in the literature that avoid PN injury by using different techniques. CASE SUMMARY Three patients with a previous history of myocarditis and one patient with ischemic cardiomyopathy underw…

Erectile dysfunction is associated with low total serum testosterone levels and impaired flow-mediated vasodilation in intermediate risk men accordin…

2015

Background: The role erectile dysfunction (ED) coupled with low testosterone levels as early markers of atherosclerosis is not well understood. Objectives: To analyze the relationship between serum testosterone levels with both ED and brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), in a primary prevention sample of men. Methods: We enrolled 802 asymptomatic, intermediate CV risk patients, according to the Framingham Risk Score, aged 40e80 years, who underwent the ultrasound examination of FMD, the evaluation of ED and the assessment of total serum testosterone levels. Results: Testosterone levels correlated both with FMD (r ¼ 0.85; p < 0.0001) and IIEF-5 score (rs ¼ 0.65; p < 0.0001…

Incidental Detection of a Giant Right Coronary Artery Aneurysm

2013

Troponin levels after elective percutaneous coronay intervention: outcome and follow-up

2016

Troponin is a diagnostic factor for cardiovascular disease for its specificity and myocardial tissue high sensitivy.

Relationship between epicardial fat and diastolic dysfunction in obese subjects: an echocardiographic study

2016