Multimodality imaging approach to paradoxical embolism: a cauliflower mass on the Eustachian valve No abstract available

Echocardiographic outcomes from seven randomized trials of transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement Aims We performed meta-analyses of echocardiographic outcomes, including postprocedural aortic valve area (AVA), aortic valve mean pressure gradient (MPG), and paravalvular aortic regurgitation (PAR), exclusively from all currently available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) versus surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Methods To identify all RCTs providing echocardiographic outcomes (AVA, MPG, and PAR) up to 2 years after TAVI versus SAVR, PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched through June 2019. Mean differences in AVA (and MPG) between the TAVI and SAVR groups and odds (or hazard) ratios of at least moderate PAR for TAVI versus SAVR were pooled using the random-effects meta-analysis. Results We identified seven eligible RCTs. At 30 days (P = 0.004), 1 year (P = 0.006), and 2 years (P = 0.03), AVA was significantly larger after TAVI than after SAVR. After TAVI than after SAVR, MPG was significantly lower at 30 days (P = 0.03) and 2 years (P = 0.01), and nonsignificantly lower at 1 year (P = 0.06). At 30 days (P < 0.00001), 1 year (P < 0.00001), and 2 years (P < 0.00001), incidence of at least moderate PAR was significantly greater after TAVI than after SAVR. Conclusion On the basis of the present meta-analyses of all the seven currently available RCTs, AVA is larger, MPG is lower, and incidence of at least moderate PAR is greater 30 days, 1 and 2 years after TAVI than after SAVR. Correspondence to Hisato Takagi, MD, PhD, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Shizuoka Medical Center, 762-1 Nagasawa, Shimizu-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka 411-8611, Japan E-mail: kfgth973@ybb.ne.jp Received 2 August, 2019 Revised 19 September, 2019 Accepted 16 October, 2019 Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's Website (www.jcardiovascularmedicine.com). © 2019 Italian Federation of Cardiology. All rights reserved.

Sudden cardiac death in a girl with familiar left-dominant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: a multidisciplinary approach No abstract available

Swelling neck: a potentially fatal complication of radial access treated by covered stent No abstract available

Effects of sacubutril/valsartan on nutritional status in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction Background Malnutrition commonly occurs in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Sacubitril/valsartan, which is an AT1 neprilysin inhibitor, has been shown to reduce mortality and hospitalization in patients with HFrEF. However, its effects on nutritional status remain unclear. Methods Sacubitril/valsartan was initiated in 164 symptomatic patients with HFrEF receiving an optimal medical treatment with angiotensin inhibition (mean age: 63 ± 20 years; 120 males, 60% ischemic cause). The New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class and nutritional statuses of the patients were evaluated at the switching to AT1 neprilysin inhibitor and at the 6th-month follow-up of the maximum sacubitril/valsartan dose using the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score, prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and prealbumin. Results After the sacubutril/valsartan treatment, a significant reduction in the number (%) of malnourished patients was observed according to CONUT (before 47% vs. after 7%, P < 0.001), GNRI (before 39% vs. after 19%, P < 0.001), PNI scores (before 36% vs. after 12%, P = 0.002), and prealbumin (before 41% vs. after 12%, P < 0.001). Also significant changes were observed at the baseline and follow-up in the mean scores of the three different nutritional indexes and prealbumin levels [CONUT: 2.68 ± 2.5, 1.02 ± 1.0 (P < 0.001); GNRI: 97.1 ± 9.7, 101.2 ± 5.9 (P < 0.001); PNI: 38.8 ± 4.8, 41.6 ± 3.7 (P < 0.001); prealbumin: 14.6 ± 6.9 mg/dl, 17.1 ± 5.2 mg/dl (P < 0.001)]. Overall, the patients exhibited a significant functional improvement following the initiation of sacubitril/valsartan: 23% of the patients improved by two NYHA classes, 48% improved by one NYHA class, and 39% remained stable. Conclusion In patients with HFrEF, the switch from angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker therapy to sacubitril/valsartan resulted in a significant improvement in both nutritional and functional statuses. Correspondence to Seçkin Dereli, MD, Department of Cardiology, Ordu State Hospital, Ordu, Turkey Tel: +90 533 3760984; e-mail: drseckindereli@gmail.com Received 4 June, 2019 Revised 17 September, 2019 Accepted 5 October, 2019 © 2019 Italian Federation of Cardiology. All rights reserved.

Diabetic patients need higher furosemide doses: a report on acute and chronic heart failure patients Introduction Diuretics are first-line drugs in symptomatic heart failure treatment. Diabetes mellitus has been suggested as a determinant of diuretic resistance. Studies comparing the dose and efficacy of diuretics in patients with and without diabetes are lacking. We aimed to study if furosemide dose differed according to diabetes status. Methods We studied two cohorts of heart failure patients: a cohort of acute heart failure patients consecutively hospitalized with the primary diagnosis of heart failure and another of stable and optimized patients followed in a heart failure clinic. Data on comorbidities and medication were abstracted from patients’ files. Use and doses of furosemide were compared between diabetic and nondiabetic patients. Regression analysis was used to determine the association of variables with diuretic dose. The independent association of diabetes with furosemide dose was assessed using multivariate models. Results We studied 865 heart failure patients: 601 acute heart failure patients and 264 chronic stable heart failure patients. Acute heart failure patients with diabetes were more likely to need intravenous diuretic therapy and they were also more often discharged under higher doses of furosemide. They needed extra 6-mg furosemide at discharge in comparison with their nondiabetics counterparts and had an independent 26% higher odds of being discharged with at least 80-mg furosemide. Chronic patients were also more frequently prescribed with furosemide and on higher doses, although, diabetes was not independently associated with the use of higher furosemide doses. Conclusion Diabetic patients are more intensively treated with the loop diuretic furosemide. In acute heart failure, diabetes is an independent predictor of furosemide dose. Correspondence to Filipe M. Cunha, Endocrinology Department, Centro Hospitalar do Tâmega e Sousa, Avenida do Hospital Padre Américo 210, Guilhufe, 4564-007 Penafiel, Portugal Tel: +351 255714000; fax: +351 255 714 014; e-mail: filipemrcunha@gmail.com Received 3 February, 2019 Revised 16 May, 2019 Accepted 6 October, 2019 © 2019 Italian Federation of Cardiology. All rights reserved.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection managed with a conservative or revascularization approach: a meta-analysis Background The optimal treatment approach for spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) remains unclear. Objectives The study aims to compare in-hospital and long-term clinical outcomes of SCAD patients initially managed with medical therapy (conservative approach) versus percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting (revascularization approach) based on published data. Methods We identified relevant studies by performing a systematic search in the Ovid MEDLINE and Embase databases. Studies with N at least 10 that report in-hospital outcomes [death, myocardial infarction (MI) and revascularization] or long-term outcomes (death, MI, revascularization, SCAD recurrence, and heart failure) were included. Risk difference between conservative and revascularization approach was estimated with the inverse variance-weighted method in a fixed-effect or random-effect model. Results A total of 22 nonrandomized, observational studies were analyzed (N = 1435). Compared with the initial revascularization approach, the conservative approach was associated with a comparable risk of in-hospital outcomes [risk difference: death, −0.61% (95% confidence interval, −2.13–0.91%), P = 0.43; MI, −0.99% (−4.65–2.67%), P = 0.60; revascularization, −3.02% (−8.79–2.75%), P = 0.31] and long-term outcomes [death, −0.06% (−2.33–2.20%), P = 0.96; MI, 0.96% (−2.35–4.27%), P = 0.57; revascularization, −3.31% (−7.63–1.02%), P = 0.13; SCAD recurrence, 3.75% (−2.05–9.55%), P = 0.21; heart failure, −0.01% (−3.13–3.11%), P = 0.99]. There was no significant heterogeneity across these studies. Conclusion Pooled results suggest that SCAD patients initially managed with a conservative strategy may have similar in-hospital and long-term outcomes compared with those who received revascularization in the absence of ongoing ischemia or left main artery involvement. More data from prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings. Correspondence to Gerald Chi, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 930 Commonwealth Avenue #3, Boston, MA 02215, USA Tel: +1 617 975 9952; fax: +1 617 975 9955; e-mail: geraldcchi@gmail.com Received 4 July, 2019 Revised 29 September, 2019 Accepted 6 October, 2019 Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citations appear in the printed text and are provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal's Website (www.jcardiovascularmedicine.com). © 2019 Italian Federation of Cardiology. All rights reserved.

PrevenTion of contrast-inducEd nephropAThy with urinE alkalinization: the TEATE study design Intravascular administration of iodinated contrast media is an essential tool for the imaging of blood vessels and cardiac chambers, as well as for percutaneous coronary and structural interventions. Along with the spreading of diagnostic and interventional procedures, the increasing incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) has become an important and prognostically relevant problem. CIN is thought to be largely dependent on oxidative damage, and is a considerable cause of renal failure, being associated with prolonged hospitalization and significant morbidity/mortality. The most effective treatment strategy of this serious complication remains prevention, and several preventive measures have been extensively investigated in the last few years. Preprocedural hydration is the best-known and mostly accepted strategy. The administration of sodium bicarbonate has controversial effects, and is likely to be ineffective when the infused dose is unable to achieve adequate urine alkalinization. Since alkaline pH suppresses the production of free radicals, increasing urine pH would be an attractive goal for CIN prevention. In a prospective randomized controlled, open-label clinical trial we will test the hypothesis that urine alkalinization with either oral or intravenous bicarbonate on top of hydration alone is the main determinant of CIN prevention (primary endpoint) in a population of patients with moderate or severe chronic kidney disease scheduled for coronary angiography and/or angioplasty. If we then demonstrate nonsignificant differences in urine alkalinization and incidence of CIN between the two bicarbonate groups (secondary endpoint), a practical implication will be that oral administration is preferable for practical reasons over the administration of intravenous bicarbonate. Correspondence to Raffaele De Caterina, MD, PhD, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Department, University of Pisa, C/o Pisa University Hospital, Via Paradisa 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy Tel: +39 050 221 1848; e-mail: raffaele.decaterina@unipi.it Received 19 July, 2019 Revised 26 September, 2019 Accepted 3 October, 2019 © 2019 Italian Federation of Cardiology. All rights reserved.

Emerging clinical setting of direct oral anticoagulants: atherothrombotic events prevention Despite substantial progress in the treatment of atherosclerotic disease a non-negligible rate of acute atherothrombotic events persists. Evidence suggesting a safer profile of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) compared with vitamin K antagonists and the involvement of coagulation in the atherosclerotic process has led to exploration of the role of DOACs in the prevention of atherothrombotic events. In this review, we discuss the findings of recent studies on DOACs, particularly rivaroxaban, in atherothrombotic disease which represents a new clinical setting for oral anticoagulants. Correspondence to Stefania A. Di Fusco, Cardiology Unit, San Filippo Neri Hospial, via Martinotti, 20, 00135 Rome, Italy E-mail: stefaniaa.difusco@aslroma1.it Received 23 July, 2019 Accepted 5 October, 2019 © 2019 Italian Federation of Cardiology. All rights reserved.

Suspected Takotsubo syndrome recurrence and asymptomatic malignant ventricular arrhythmias: the possible role of wearable cardioverter defibrillators No abstract available