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Coronary artery fistulas (CAFs) are rare congenital heart diseases in which there is a communication between a coronary artery and a cardiac chamber or a great vessel. Its diagnosis can be made noninvasively by echocardiography. We report a case of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) to right ventricle fistula where the diagnosis was made by 2D and Doppler echocardiography. The fistula was an incidental finding in an asymptomatic 5-year-old child who underwent echocardiography because of a loud cardiac murmur on physical examination. The Doppler study allowed to accurately evaluate the haemodynamic consequences of the fistula. With this case report, we want to highlight how the typical flow pattern of a left coronary artery to RV fistula can be studied by a comprehensive Doppler echocardiography examination. The knowledge of the Doppler appearance in these cases can help to appreciate the pathophysiology of the fistula and to differentiate between other concomitant abnormalities such as muscular ventricular septal defects (VSDs).

Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of cardiac diseases for which diagnosis and treatment are not always simple. The diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, in particular the etiology, comes from an integration between symptoms and results collected by several instrumental exams. The brain storming for the diagnosis includes also the identification of the "red flags", i.e. the pathognomonic features for each etiology that can drive the choice of appropriate diagnostic tests and therapy. In this review, we provide a step by step approach in order to help cardiologists, not specifically dedicated to cardiomyopathies, to draw the diagnosis, therapy and follow-up. This approach will be accompanied by the consultation of other specialists to discuss together the results of the exams performed and to deepen extracardiac signs and symptoms.

Background The number of older adults admitted to hospital for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has increased worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine which scale of frailty or physical performance provides incremental improvements in risk stratification of older adults after ACS. Methods A prospective cohort of 402 older (≥70 years) ACS patients were enrolled. Data about baseline characteristics, Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE), and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk scores were collected. Before hospital discharge, seven scales of frailty and physical performance were measured. The 1-year occurrence of adverse events (cardiac death, reinfarction, and cerebrovascular accident [MACCE] and all-cause mortality) was recorded. Results Out of the 402 patients, 43 (10.5%) had a MACCE and 35 (8.7%) died. Following adjustment for confounding factors, scales of frailty and physical performance were associated with adverse events. Among the scales, the addition of short physical performance battery (SPPB) produced the highest incremental value over the initial model generated by baseline characteristics both for MACCE (ΔC-statistic 0.043, p = .04; integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) 0.054, p = .001; net reclassification improvement (NRI) 0.752, p < .001) and all-cause mortality (ΔC-statistic 0.063, p = .02; IDI 0.061, p < .001; NRI 1.022, p < .001). The addition of SPPB scale on top of GRACE or TIMI risk scores led to a considerable improvement in the prediction of MACCE and all-cause mortality (about 15% and 20%, respectively). Conclusions The assessment of the physical performance with SPPB scale before hospital discharge increases the ability to predict adverse events in older ACS patients and may be useful in the clinical decision-making process. Clinical trial registration www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT02386124.

Background Reduced physical performance and impaired mobility are common in elderly patients after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and they represent independent risk factors for disability, morbidity, hospital readmission and mortality. Regular physical exercise represents a means for improving functional capacity. Nevertheless, its clinical benefit has been less investigated in elderly patients in the early phase after ACS. The HULK trial aims to investigate the clinical benefit of an early, tailored low-cost physical activity intervention in comparison to standard of care in elderly ACS patients with reduced physical performance. Design HULK is an investigator-initiated, prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial (NCT03021044). After successful management of the ACS acute phase and uneventful first 1 month, elderly (≥70 years) patients showing reduced physical performance are randomized (1:1 ratio) to either standard of care or physical activity intervention. Reduced physical performance is defined as a short physical performance battery (SPPB) score of 4–9. The early, tailored, low-cost physical intervention includes 4 sessions of physical activity with a supervisor and an home-based program of physical exercise. The chosen primary endpoint is the 6-month SPPB value. Secondary endpoints briefly include quality of life, on-treatment platelet reactivity, some laboratory data and clinical adverse events. To demonstrate an increase of at least one SPPB point in the experimental arm, a sample size of 226 patients is needed. Conclusions The HULK study will test the hypothesis that an early, tailored low-cost physical activity intervention improves physical performance, quality of life, frailty status and outcome in elderly ACS patients with reduced physical performance. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT03021044, first posted January, 13th 2017. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12872-018-0839-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives: To compare the elevation of the three markers total creatine kinase (CK), CK-MB mass, and troponin I (TnI) and their relationship with clinical and procedural characteristics following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: We prospectively evaluated 385 patients consecutively undergoing successful PCI. The three markers were systematically measured before and at 6, 12, and 24 hours after PCI. Any increase above the upper normal limit (UNL) of any marker has been considered abnormal when basal values were normal, while a further increase was needed when basal values were altered. Patients with ongoing acute myocardial infarction were excluded from the analysis. Results: TnI was above UNL in 183 patients (51%); in 138 (38.5%) it was the only marker altered. CK-MB mass was elevated in 12.8% patients, more than 3× UNL in 5.5% and more than 5× UNL in 2.8%. In over one half of these patients, CK-MB values peaked at 12 hours following PCI. Total CK was above UNL in 23 patients only (6.4%) and more than twice UNL in 5 (1.4%). Only 1 patient out of the 5 with CK-MB mass more than 10× UNL had total CK higher than twice UNL. In our population, post-PCI elevation of myocardial necrosis markers correlate with the occurrence of minor procedural complications (observed overall in 7.8% cases; TnI and/or CK-MB > 1×UNL 96% vs 47.5%, P < 0.001) and the presence of higher complexity clinical and/or procedural features, such as multivessel disease, multivessel or multilesion PCI, multiple stenting and use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors. Conclusions: The elevation of at least one biochemical marker of myocardial necrosis is frequent following successful PCI with routine stent implantation. CK-MB mass is the most practical marker, having optimal kinetic and peaking with the first 12–18 hours post-PCI. Definitive data on the prognostic role and the applicability for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction of minor elevation of CK-MB mass or isolated increase of TnI are lacking.

Our center routinely employs the strategy of ad hoc percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after diagnostic catheterization in previously informed and prepared patients with anatomical and clinical indications for some years. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical results and resource consumption of the ad hoc PCI strategy in our center.We evaluated the results and resource consumption of 783 PCIs performed between January 1, 1999 and June 30, 2001, divided into 642 (82%) ad hoc and 141 (18%) deferred PCIs. We analyzed the patients' in-hospital clinical and procedural characteristics, the 1 and 6-month outcomes and resource consumption (costs of materials, quantity of contrast medium, fluoroscopic time and duration of procedures) in the two groups.Patients in the ad hoc group had more frequently previous PCI, hypertension, diabetes, acute coronary syndrome, single vessel disease, single lesion and single vessel PCI, stent use and direct stenting, use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors and hemostatic devices; those in the deferred PCI group had more frequently previous myocardial infarction, stable angina, elective programmed hospital admission for PCI and multilesion single vessel PCI. The clinical results were good: clinical success in 97% of cases, in-hospital major adverse clinical events occurred in 2%, non-Q wave myocardial infarction in 3.4% (creatine-kinase-MB3 times higher than the upper normal limit in serial routine controls), major vascular complications in 0.4%, 1-month and 6-month major adverse clinical events in 4 and 9% respectively, without any difference between the two groups. Ad hoc PCI resulted in less contrast medium use, a shorter procedure duration, lower costs and shorter fluoroscopy times with respect to deferred PCI plus diagnostic catheterization, although not statistically significant.In our experience, ad hoc PCI was safe and effective. Costs were lower and less resources were required. Patients were satisfactorily assisted and the logistics and organization of the procedure were optimal.

The size of the left atrium is usually increased during atrial fibrillation (AF). The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in left atrial (LA) dimension after cardioversion for AF, and the relation between LA dimension and atrial function. The initial study population included 171 consecutive patients. Patients who had spontaneous cardioversion to sinus rhythm (56 patients) were compared with patients who had random cardio-version with drugs (50 patients) or direct-current (DC) shock (50 patients). Echocardiographic evaluations included LA size and volume. LA passive and active emptying volumes were calculated, and LA function was assessed. Atrial stunning was observed in 18 patients reverted with DC shock and in 7 patients reverted with drugs. The left atrium was dilated in all patients during AF (48 +/- 5 mm). The size of the left atrium decreased after restoration of sinus rhythm in all patients with spontaneous reversion to sinus rhythm, in 73% of patients reverted with drugs, and in 50% of patients reverted with DC shock. The comparison between patients with a normal mechanical atrial function and patients with reduced atrial function showed that a higher atrial ejection force was associated with a more marked reduction in LA size after restoration of sinus rhythm. A relation between LA volumes and atrial ejection force was observed in the group of patients with depressed atrial mechanical function (r = -0.78; p

Background and hypothesis: Antiarrhythmic drugs are widely used for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) and restoration off sinus rhythm. This prospective, randomized, and controlled study compared the efficiency and safety of propafenone versus procainamide for the treatment of acute AF. Methods: In all, 117 patients (55 women, 62 men, mean age 64.2 ± 13 years, median 63 years) who presented with AF were included in the study. Exclusion criteria were signs or symptoms of heart failure on physical examination, recent myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery, cardiogenic shock, or hypotension. Forty-one patients spontaneously recovered sinus rhythm; the remaining 76 patients were randomized to receive propafenone or procainamide. Propafenone was given at a dose of 2 mg/kg body weight intravenously (IV) over 30 min. Patients randomized to receive procainamide received a bolus of 100 mg IV administered every 5 min up to a maximum dose of 1 g. The clinical characteristics of the two groups were comparable. Results: The number of patients who recovered sinus rhythm after the treatment was larger in the procainamide-treated group (Group 1) (69.5%) than in the propafenone-treated group (Group 2) (48.7%); p < 0.05. The time required for cardioversion was significantly lower in Group 1 (mean 4.1 ± 1.3 h). than in Group 2 patients (mean 7.3 ± 2.6 h) (p

Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) usually results from coronary atherosclerotic plaque disruption with superimposed thrombus formation. Detection of coronary thrombi is a poor prognostic indicator, which is mostly proportional to their size and composition. Particularly, intracoronary thrombi impair both epicardial blood flow and myocardial perfusion, by occluding major coronary arteries and causing distal embolization, respectively. Thus, although primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the preferred treatement strategy in STEMI setting, the associated use of adjunctive antithrombotic drugs and/or percutaneous thrombectomy is crucial to optimize therapy of STEMI patients, by improving either angiographical and clinical outcomes. This review article will focus on the prognostic significance of intracoronary thrombi and on current antithrombotic pharmacological and interventional strategies used in the setting of STEMI to manage thrombotic lesions.