Radiation Therapy-Induced Cardiovascular Disease Treated by a Percutaneous Approach

We report the case of a 51-year-old woman, treated with radiotherapy at the age of two years, for a pulmonary sarcoma. Subsequently she developed severe aortic stenosis and bilateral ostial coronary artery disease, symptomatic for dyspnea (NYHA III functional class). Due to the prohibitive surgical risk, she underwent successful stenting in the right coronary artery and left main ostia with drug eluting stents and, afterwards, transcatheter aortic valve replacement with transfemoral implantation of a 23 mm Edwards SAPIEN XT valve. The percutaneous treatment was successful without complications and the patient is in NYHA II functional class at 2 years’ follow-up, fully carrying out normal daily activities

Increased duration and similar outcomes of V-V ECLS in patients with Covid-19 Ards compared to non-Covid ards: single center experience

Veno-venous extracorporeal life support (V-V ECLS or V-V ECMO) has been adopted as a rescue support in severe cases of COVID-19 ARDS. Initial reports on the use of V-V ECLS in COVID-19 patients reported very high mortality rates (57-94%), but subsequent studies showed much lower rates (30-40%). The aim of this study is to analyze demographic features, clinical course and outcomes of COVID-19 treated with V-V ECLS during the Italian 'third wave', in which the alpha variant was prevalent in the country

How should I treat a challenging case of MitraClip implantation?

BACKGROUND: A 71-year-old woman affected by idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy with normal coronary arteries and permanent atrial fibrillation was found to have severe mitral regurgitation at transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), due to annular dilatation and restricted motion of the posterior leaflet. Because of poor quality of life, high functional class (NYHA Class III) and the high risk of surgery, the patient agreed to undergo the implantation of a MitraClip device. During the procedure, the transoesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) images were of a poor quality since the view of the mitral valve in the mid-oesophageal and transgastric projections did not accurately show the valve leaflets and the convergence area of the regurgitation at colour Doppler, which is indispensable for the correct positioning of the clip. INVESTIGATION: Physical examination, transthoracic echocardiography, transoesophageal echocardiography. DIAGNOSIS: Severe mitral regurgitation suitable for MitraClip implantation. MANAGEMENT: Transthoracic, and not transoesophageal, echocardiography approach during MitraClip procedure