Aims Although right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction seems to be associated with adverse out... more Aims Although right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction seems to be associated with adverse outcome after transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER) with the MitraClip system, the prognostic value of RV free wall longitudinal strain (RVFWLS) in this setting has not been yet investigated. The aim of this study is to evaluate RVFWLS as predictor of outcome in patients with severe or moderate-to-severe functional MR undergoing TEER and its prognostic role compared with tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE). Methods and results 102 patients [73 (IQR: 66.8–77.0) years, 73 males (71.6%)] were retrospectively selected from March 2012 to February 2021. Echocardiograms were performed by using General Electric machines. RVFWLS was assessed through RV modified apical 4-chamber view, setting the region of interest to minimum size. Values of RVFWLS > −20% were recognized as abnormal. We considered a composite endpoint including rehospitalization for heart failure (HF...
Aims Paravalvular leaks (PVL) and conduction disorders requiring permanent pacemaker implantation... more Aims Paravalvular leaks (PVL) and conduction disorders requiring permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) in patients with severe Aortic Valvular Stenosis (SA) undergoing percutaneous aortic valve prosthesis (TAVI) still have a significant and unacceptable incidence for patients at medium and low surgical risk, who represent, with increasing scientific evidence, the prevalent population. The appearance of these complications seems to be related to clinical, anatomical and procedural factors, which influence the decision-making process of the type and size of bioprosthesis to be implanted. Particular attention has been paid to the role of the volume of calcium present at the native aortic valve (VCA) as a predictor of these complications, in order to optimize the percutaneous procedure. The VCA can be quantified using algorithms derived from Multilayer Computed Computed Axial Tomography (MSCT), an examination that has become a pivotal element in the evaluation of the patient's elig...
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2020
Background: There is an incomplete understanding of the prevalence and predictors of attainment o... more Background: There is an incomplete understanding of the prevalence and predictors of attainment of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal after myocardial infarction (MI). Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of achievement of LDL-C goal of 70 mg/dL, to identify the baseline features associated with suboptimal lipid control, and to assess the use of LDL-C-lowering drug therapies (LLT) beyond the first year after MI. Methods: The EYESHOT Post-MI was a prospective, cross-sectional, Italian registry, which enrolled patients presenting to cardiologist 1 to 3 years after MI. In this retrospective post-hoc analysis, patients were categorized in 2 groups according to the achievement or not of the LDL-C goal of 70 mg/dL. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the baseline features associate with LDL-C≥70 mg/dL. Results: The study population included 903 patients (mean age 65.5 ± 11.5 years). Among them, LDL-C was ≥70 mg/dL in 474 (52.5%). ...
Background Although generally considered a benign disease, Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) has recently ... more Background Although generally considered a benign disease, Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) has recently been associated to a substantially comparable long-term outcome than acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The use of beta-blockers (BB) has been advocated in these patients for secondary prevention after the index event, considering the presumed role of catecholamine in TTS pathophysiology. However, the effect of BB on long-term outcome remains controversial due to the paucity of data and the lack of evidence from randomized studies. Purpose To investigate the impact of BB therapy on long-term outcome in patients with TTS. Methods The study included all TTS patients enrolled in the Takotsubo Italian Network multicenter registry. Patients were divided in two study groups according to the BB therapy after discharge. The following major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were assessed at the longest available follow-up: cardiac death, TTS recurrence, rehospitalization for cardiac cause, acute or worse...
The prognostic predictors of outcome in patients with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) under... more The prognostic predictors of outcome in patients with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) undergoing MitraClip implantation (MCi) are still poorly known. The aim of our study is to identify the baseline predictors of outcome in FMR patients candidate to MCi. All patients with symptomatic moderate-to-severe or severe FMR undergoing MCi at our institution were consecutively and prospectively enrolled. Baseline clinical and instrumental data were collected. Primary endpoint was the occurrence of cardiac death; secondary endpoints were all-cause death and the composite of cardiac death or rehospitalization for heart failure. 74 patients (mean 71.6 ± 8.3 years) were enrolled. During follow-up (median 416.0 days), the primary endpoint occurred in 15 (20.3%), all-cause death in 26 (35.1%) and the composite endpoint in 25 (33.8%). At multivariate analysis, the left atrial volume index (LAVi; HR:1.02; P = 0.048) and the low peak oxygen uptake (peak VO; HR:0.73; P = 0.018) increased the ris...
In chronic heart failure (CHF), the finding of elevated levels of the N-terminal fragment of the ... more In chronic heart failure (CHF), the finding of elevated levels of the N-terminal fragment of the pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a marker of pathological increase in myocardial ventricular wall stress and detrimental rise in ventricular filling pressures. However, the ensemble of data concerning the relationship between longitudinal deformation indices and NT-proBNP is still rather vague and approximate. We carried out a retrospective study that involved 118 patients with CHF admitted to our clinic for CHF outpatients. For inclusion in the study, the CHF patients were required to have undergone at least a determination of global longitudinal strain (GLS) by means of speckle tracking echocardiography and to have practiced at least a determination of NT-proBNP. As regards the two determinations, the one echocardiographic and the other laboratory-based, the former should have been done not more than 24 hours before or after the latter. Correlation between log (NT-proBNP) ...
Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is defined as a diffuse or focal dilation of an epicardial coronary... more Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is defined as a diffuse or focal dilation of an epicardial coronary artery, which diameter exceeds by at least 1. 5 times the normal adjacent segment. The term ectasia refers to a diffuse dilation, involving more than 50% of the length of the vessel, while the term aneurysm defines a focal vessel dilation. CAE is a relatively uncommon angiographic finding and its prevalence ranges between 0.3 and 5% of patients undergoing coronary angiography. Although its pathophysiology is still unclear, atherosclerosis seems to be the underlying mechanism in most cases. The prognostic role of CAE is also controversial, but previous studies reported a high risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in these patients after percutaneous coronary intervention. Despite the availability of different options for the interventional management of patients with CAE, including covered stent implantation and stent-assisted coil embolization, there is no one standard approach, a...
Short-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are designed to provide hemodynamic suppo... more Short-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are designed to provide hemodynamic support for a wide range of clinical conditions such as high-risk cardiac surgery or interventional procedures, post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock, acute decompensated heart failure. Electrical storm (defined as three or more sustained episodes of ventricular fibrillation-VF- in a 24-h period) is a rare but critical complication following revascularization in patients with ischemic heart disease and it is associated with a very high mortality (80–90%) both during the incident alone and during further observation. Here we report the case of a 38-year-old patient affected by coronary artery disease with moderate to severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction (EF 30–35%) who underwent emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) complicated by electrical storm and severe haemodynamic instability, successfully managed with a novel approach of biventricular mechanical circulatory support with ...
Aims This study sought to determine the prevalence, clinical impact, and in-hospital outcome of m... more Aims This study sought to determine the prevalence, clinical impact, and in-hospital outcome of moderate to severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in patients with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis (LFLG-AS) hospitalized for heart failure (HF). Methods and results Patients with aortic valve thickness and aortic velocities >2.5 m/s hospitalized for heart failure in a single referral centre were prospectively enrolled from 2013 to 2021. LFLG-AS was defined as indexed aortic valve area (iAVA) ≤0.6 cm2/m2, mean transaortic gradient <40 mmHg, and stroke volume index <36 ml/m2. Complete demographic, clinical characteristics, and echocardiographic data were collected. Mitral regurgitation severity was graded according to current guidelines. Patients were divided into two subgroups according to MR severity: no/mild MR vs. moderate/severe MR. In hospital all cause death has been considered as the primary outcome. A total of 136 patients [78 ± 9 yy; 68 (50%) male] hospitalized for HF ...
BACKGROUND Approximately one-third of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) trea... more BACKGROUND Approximately one-third of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) treated with an intravenous (iv) loop diuretic at a relatively high dose (>80 mg/day of furosemide, or an equivalent dose of another loop diuretic), exhibit worsening renal function (WRF) after a single course of iv infusions or iv bolus injections maintained for several days. WRF is currently defined as an increase in serum creatinine >0.3 mg/dL (WRF-Cr) or a decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≥20% (WRF-GFR) compared to baseline measurements. Furthermore, small increases in serum creatinine in the high-normal range of its values are indicative of significant reductions in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) due to the exponential relationship between serum creatinine and eGFR. Therefore, underestimating this relationship could lead to an erroneous quantitative estimate of new-onset renal dysfunction, diuretic-related. METHODS The relationship between basel...
Aims Although right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction seems to be associated with adverse out... more Aims Although right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction seems to be associated with adverse outcome after transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER) with the MitraClip system, the prognostic value of RV free wall longitudinal strain (RVFWLS) in this setting has not been yet investigated. The aim of this study is to evaluate RVFWLS as predictor of outcome in patients with severe or moderate-to-severe functional MR undergoing TEER and its prognostic role compared with tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE). Methods and results 102 patients [73 (IQR: 66.8–77.0) years, 73 males (71.6%)] were retrospectively selected from March 2012 to February 2021. Echocardiograms were performed by using General Electric machines. RVFWLS was assessed through RV modified apical 4-chamber view, setting the region of interest to minimum size. Values of RVFWLS > −20% were recognized as abnormal. We considered a composite endpoint including rehospitalization for heart failure (HF...
Aims Paravalvular leaks (PVL) and conduction disorders requiring permanent pacemaker implantation... more Aims Paravalvular leaks (PVL) and conduction disorders requiring permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) in patients with severe Aortic Valvular Stenosis (SA) undergoing percutaneous aortic valve prosthesis (TAVI) still have a significant and unacceptable incidence for patients at medium and low surgical risk, who represent, with increasing scientific evidence, the prevalent population. The appearance of these complications seems to be related to clinical, anatomical and procedural factors, which influence the decision-making process of the type and size of bioprosthesis to be implanted. Particular attention has been paid to the role of the volume of calcium present at the native aortic valve (VCA) as a predictor of these complications, in order to optimize the percutaneous procedure. The VCA can be quantified using algorithms derived from Multilayer Computed Computed Axial Tomography (MSCT), an examination that has become a pivotal element in the evaluation of the patient's elig...
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2020
Background: There is an incomplete understanding of the prevalence and predictors of attainment o... more Background: There is an incomplete understanding of the prevalence and predictors of attainment of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal after myocardial infarction (MI). Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of achievement of LDL-C goal of 70 mg/dL, to identify the baseline features associated with suboptimal lipid control, and to assess the use of LDL-C-lowering drug therapies (LLT) beyond the first year after MI. Methods: The EYESHOT Post-MI was a prospective, cross-sectional, Italian registry, which enrolled patients presenting to cardiologist 1 to 3 years after MI. In this retrospective post-hoc analysis, patients were categorized in 2 groups according to the achievement or not of the LDL-C goal of 70 mg/dL. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the baseline features associate with LDL-C≥70 mg/dL. Results: The study population included 903 patients (mean age 65.5 ± 11.5 years). Among them, LDL-C was ≥70 mg/dL in 474 (52.5%). ...
Background Although generally considered a benign disease, Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) has recently ... more Background Although generally considered a benign disease, Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) has recently been associated to a substantially comparable long-term outcome than acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The use of beta-blockers (BB) has been advocated in these patients for secondary prevention after the index event, considering the presumed role of catecholamine in TTS pathophysiology. However, the effect of BB on long-term outcome remains controversial due to the paucity of data and the lack of evidence from randomized studies. Purpose To investigate the impact of BB therapy on long-term outcome in patients with TTS. Methods The study included all TTS patients enrolled in the Takotsubo Italian Network multicenter registry. Patients were divided in two study groups according to the BB therapy after discharge. The following major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were assessed at the longest available follow-up: cardiac death, TTS recurrence, rehospitalization for cardiac cause, acute or worse...
The prognostic predictors of outcome in patients with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) under... more The prognostic predictors of outcome in patients with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) undergoing MitraClip implantation (MCi) are still poorly known. The aim of our study is to identify the baseline predictors of outcome in FMR patients candidate to MCi. All patients with symptomatic moderate-to-severe or severe FMR undergoing MCi at our institution were consecutively and prospectively enrolled. Baseline clinical and instrumental data were collected. Primary endpoint was the occurrence of cardiac death; secondary endpoints were all-cause death and the composite of cardiac death or rehospitalization for heart failure. 74 patients (mean 71.6 ± 8.3 years) were enrolled. During follow-up (median 416.0 days), the primary endpoint occurred in 15 (20.3%), all-cause death in 26 (35.1%) and the composite endpoint in 25 (33.8%). At multivariate analysis, the left atrial volume index (LAVi; HR:1.02; P = 0.048) and the low peak oxygen uptake (peak VO; HR:0.73; P = 0.018) increased the ris...
In chronic heart failure (CHF), the finding of elevated levels of the N-terminal fragment of the ... more In chronic heart failure (CHF), the finding of elevated levels of the N-terminal fragment of the pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a marker of pathological increase in myocardial ventricular wall stress and detrimental rise in ventricular filling pressures. However, the ensemble of data concerning the relationship between longitudinal deformation indices and NT-proBNP is still rather vague and approximate. We carried out a retrospective study that involved 118 patients with CHF admitted to our clinic for CHF outpatients. For inclusion in the study, the CHF patients were required to have undergone at least a determination of global longitudinal strain (GLS) by means of speckle tracking echocardiography and to have practiced at least a determination of NT-proBNP. As regards the two determinations, the one echocardiographic and the other laboratory-based, the former should have been done not more than 24 hours before or after the latter. Correlation between log (NT-proBNP) ...
Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is defined as a diffuse or focal dilation of an epicardial coronary... more Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is defined as a diffuse or focal dilation of an epicardial coronary artery, which diameter exceeds by at least 1. 5 times the normal adjacent segment. The term ectasia refers to a diffuse dilation, involving more than 50% of the length of the vessel, while the term aneurysm defines a focal vessel dilation. CAE is a relatively uncommon angiographic finding and its prevalence ranges between 0.3 and 5% of patients undergoing coronary angiography. Although its pathophysiology is still unclear, atherosclerosis seems to be the underlying mechanism in most cases. The prognostic role of CAE is also controversial, but previous studies reported a high risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in these patients after percutaneous coronary intervention. Despite the availability of different options for the interventional management of patients with CAE, including covered stent implantation and stent-assisted coil embolization, there is no one standard approach, a...
Short-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are designed to provide hemodynamic suppo... more Short-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are designed to provide hemodynamic support for a wide range of clinical conditions such as high-risk cardiac surgery or interventional procedures, post-cardiotomy cardiogenic shock, acute decompensated heart failure. Electrical storm (defined as three or more sustained episodes of ventricular fibrillation-VF- in a 24-h period) is a rare but critical complication following revascularization in patients with ischemic heart disease and it is associated with a very high mortality (80–90%) both during the incident alone and during further observation. Here we report the case of a 38-year-old patient affected by coronary artery disease with moderate to severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction (EF 30–35%) who underwent emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) complicated by electrical storm and severe haemodynamic instability, successfully managed with a novel approach of biventricular mechanical circulatory support with ...
Aims This study sought to determine the prevalence, clinical impact, and in-hospital outcome of m... more Aims This study sought to determine the prevalence, clinical impact, and in-hospital outcome of moderate to severe mitral regurgitation (MR) in patients with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis (LFLG-AS) hospitalized for heart failure (HF). Methods and results Patients with aortic valve thickness and aortic velocities >2.5 m/s hospitalized for heart failure in a single referral centre were prospectively enrolled from 2013 to 2021. LFLG-AS was defined as indexed aortic valve area (iAVA) ≤0.6 cm2/m2, mean transaortic gradient <40 mmHg, and stroke volume index <36 ml/m2. Complete demographic, clinical characteristics, and echocardiographic data were collected. Mitral regurgitation severity was graded according to current guidelines. Patients were divided into two subgroups according to MR severity: no/mild MR vs. moderate/severe MR. In hospital all cause death has been considered as the primary outcome. A total of 136 patients [78 ± 9 yy; 68 (50%) male] hospitalized for HF ...
BACKGROUND Approximately one-third of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) trea... more BACKGROUND Approximately one-third of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) treated with an intravenous (iv) loop diuretic at a relatively high dose (>80 mg/day of furosemide, or an equivalent dose of another loop diuretic), exhibit worsening renal function (WRF) after a single course of iv infusions or iv bolus injections maintained for several days. WRF is currently defined as an increase in serum creatinine >0.3 mg/dL (WRF-Cr) or a decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≥20% (WRF-GFR) compared to baseline measurements. Furthermore, small increases in serum creatinine in the high-normal range of its values are indicative of significant reductions in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) due to the exponential relationship between serum creatinine and eGFR. Therefore, underestimating this relationship could lead to an erroneous quantitative estimate of new-onset renal dysfunction, diuretic-related. METHODS The relationship between basel...
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