Abstract Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) provides a temporary support system for patients with cardiogenic shock refractory to conventional medical therapies. It has been reported that levosimendan may facilitate VA-ECMO..
Read MoreAbstract Purpose: To evaluate the daily values and trends over time of relevant clinical, ventilatory and laboratory parameters during the intensive care unit (ICU) stay and their association with outcome..
Read MoreAbstract Aims Women’s participation is steadily growing in medical schools, but they are still not sufficiently represented in cardiology, particularly in cardiology leadership positions. We present the contemporary distribution of..
Read MoreAbstract OBJECTIVES: Neonates with respiratory failure are ideally supported with veno-venous rather than veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation due to the reduced rate of neurologic complications. However, the proportion of neonates..
Read MoreAbstract Objective: Zone 0 thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is associated with a high incidence of cerebral infarction mostly due to the embolic shower of a plaque from the aortic arch..
Read MoreAbstract Extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is growing in adoption and popularity, as demonstrated by the international registry maintained by the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). While initially an adaptation of..
Read MoreAbstract Heparin has served as a mainstream for over eight decades. Clinically heparin-derived compounds significantly contribute to prevention and treatment of thrombotic events complicated in numerous medical conditions such as , and processes. Moreover..
Read MoreAbstract Background RotaFlow and Levitronix CentriMag veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support systems have been investigated as treatment for refractory cardiogenic shock (CS). Methods Between 2004 and 2012, 119 consecutive..
Read MoreAbstract Purpose of the Review The present review addresses clinicians and gives an overview about the experimental rationale for pharmacological conditioning associated with volatile anesthetics, opioids, and propofol; the current..
Read MoreAbstract Background Pulsatile flow protects vital organ function and improves microcirculatory perfusion during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Studies revealed that pulsatile shear stress plays a vital role in microcirculatory function..
Read MoreAbstract Problem: Formative feedback, which is given in an ongoing fashion during the learning process, is fundamental to clinical education. However, dissatisfaction with formative feedback among residents is common. Difficulties..
Read MoreAbstract Background Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection (TAAD) is a life-threatening condition. Surgery is usually performed as a salvage procedure and is associated with significant postoperative early mortality and..
Read MoreAbstract Purpose To confirm and illustrate the great variability of morphology of the Cerebral Arterial Circle (CAC)—also commonly called “Circle of Willis”—in current clinical Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) practice. Methods..
Read MoreAbstract The pericardium is a double-layered fibro-serous sac that envelops the majority of the surface of the heart as well as the great vessels. Pericardial fluid is also contained within..
Read MoreAbstract Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is often used in the management of COVID-19-related severe respiratory failure. We report the first case of a patient with COVID-19-related ARDS on ECMO support..
Read MoreAbstract Background One of the challenges during cardiac surgery is to keep patients fully anticoagulated during the time and reversing at the end of surgery. For that purpose, heparin and its approved..
Read MoreAbstract Objective: Risk assessment tools typically used in congenital heart surgery (CHS) assume that various possible risk factors interact in a linear and additive fashion, an assumption that may not..
Read MoreAbstract OBJECTIVES Recent data suggested that off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) may carry a higher risk for mortality in the long term when compared to on-pump coronary artery..
Read MoreAbstract OBJECTIVES We investigated the anatomical evolution of residual aortic dissection after type A repair and factors associated with poor prognosis at a high-volume aortic centre. METHODS Between..
Read MoreAbstract Arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy secondary to frequent ventricular premature contractions is a well-studied phenomenon; however, there is a paucity of data showing a similar association with frequent atrial premature contractions (APCs)...
Read MoreReferring to the discussion on effective methods of treatment for patients with a post-infarction left ventricular aneurysm and a ventricular septal defect (VSD) [1], we present the case of a..
Read MoreAbstract Background Little is known regarding whether hyperoxic reoxygenation was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disorder following tetralogy of Fallot repair. Methods We performed a nested case–control study among..
Read MoreAbstract A simplified delivery technique for the frozen elephant trunk procedure allows the distal suture to be performed on a perfused and loaded aorta in moderate hypothermia—or even normothermia—reducing circulatory..
Read MoreAbstract The goals of mitral valve (MV) and tricuspid valve (TV) repair are to restore leaflet motion, to increase leaflet coaptation and to stabilize the annulus with preservation of an..
Read MoreAbstract Background Data about the right ventricular (RV) mechanics adaptation to volume overload in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (rToF) are limited. Accordingly, we sought to assess the mechanics..
Read MoreAbstract Background: Axial flow pumps are standard treatment in cases of cardiogenic shock and high-risk interventions in cardiology and cardiac surgery, although the optimal anticoagulation strategy remains unclear. We evaluated whether..
Read MoreAbstract Background Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are subject to severe alterations of the coagulation system. The four cardiac surgery centers in Tuscany (Italy) structured and shared an algorithm (Granducato Patient..
Read MoreAbstract Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation is challenged by several potential complications. Adverse neurologic events such as intracranial hemorrhages, strokes, seizures, and brain death are among the most detrimental and even catastrophic..
Read MoreAbstract The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in patients with severe cardiorespiratory failure has seen significant growth in the last decade. Despite this, there is paucity of data surrounding..
Read MoreAbstract COVID-19 can be associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which increases the likelihood of morbidity and mortality. Ventilator-induced lung injury (VLI) is a known complication of mechanical ventilation (MV) and..
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