Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease, Volume 9, Issue 6

Background: Aortic valve and root replacement (AVRR) is a standardised procedure to treat patients with aortic valve and root disease. In centres with a well-established aortic valve and root repair program (valve repairs and Ross operations), only p...

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a female predominant disease, carries a high maternal and fetal mortality in pregnancy despite improved insight and the development of novel therapies. The high risk is attributed to the adaptive changes that ta...

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has restricted people’s activities and necessitated the discontinuation of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs for outpatients. In our hospital, CR for outpatients had to be disconti...

(1) Background: In pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), pregnancy is regarded a contraindication due to high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. We report our experience in the management of pregnancies in PAH. (2) Methods: retrospective ob...

Background: Although degenerative aortic valve stenosis (DAS) is the most prevalent growth-up congestive heart valve disease, still little known about relationships between DAS severity, vascular stiffness (VS), echocardiographic parameters, and seru...

The specific management of infective endocarditis (IE) in elderly patients is not specifically addressed in recent guidelines despite its increasing incidence and high mortality in this population. The term “elderly” corresponds to differ...

We examined whether adding robot-supported balance exercises to cardiac rehabilitation improves the ability to balance in older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We conducted a prospective study in 52 older adults who had been hospitalized fo...

Background: Literature suggests an association between shift work and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Limited evidence is available on how a cessation of shift work affects CVD risk factors. Aim: We investigated whether a five-month plant shutdown affe...

Due to shortages of medical resources during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an allocation algorithm for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) was established. We investigated the impact on patient selection and procedural r...

Cardioneuroablation (CNA) is proposed as a promising therapy for patients with sinoatrial node dysfunction (SND) that is mediated by excessive vagal tone. However, a series of urgent questions about CNA remain unanswered. From December 2020 to March...

The onset of embryonic heart beating may be regarded as the defining feature for the beginning of personal human life. Clarifying the timing of the first human heartbeat, therefore, has religious, philosophical, ethical, and medicolegal implications....

Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a syndrome with ambiguous pathophysiology. Impaired kidney function (KF) seems to impact the outcome of patients with TTS. We hypothesized that KF worsens the outcome among TTS patients and furthermore, TTS pat...

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a frequent occurrence, with a prevalence rate of almost 1% in the general population. However, the pathophysiology of the anomalous heart development is still unclear in most patients screened. A definitive genetic o...

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the most common cause of infant death in developed countries, is attributed to diverse trigger factors. Malignant cardiac dysrhythmias are potentially treatable etiologies, and congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) i...

Athlete ECG interpretation criteria have been developed and refined from research in athlete populations; however, current guidelines are based on available data primarily from Caucasian and Black athletes. This study aimed to assess the impact of et...

Purpose: The “FIDE Project” (Fitness Implantable DEvice) was organized by the Institute of Sports Medicine and Science and the World Society of Arrhythmias with the aim of demonstrating the usefulness of exercise training in improving fun...

In chronic heart failure (CHF), abnormalities in cardiac autonomic control, characterized by sympathetic overactivity, contribute to the progression of the disease and are associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Assessing cardiac autonomic status i...

Purpose: We assessed the application of appropriate use criteria of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in comparison to invasive coronary angiography results and revascularization rates in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Met...

Diabetes mellitus (pregestational (PDM) and gestational (GDM)) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). However, studies exploring the association of APOs with maternal glycemia among women without PDM/GDM are limited. We utilized data f...

The race for an ideal cardioplegic solution has remained enthusiastic since the beginning of the modern cardiac surgery era. The Bretschneider solution, belonging to the “intracellular cardioplegic” group, is safe and practical in myocard...

Background: In the rehabilitation of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and after myocardial infarction (MI), lifestyle modifications—exercise and nutritional therapy, smoking cessation, stress management—are essential and have a...

Coronary sinus (CS) catheterization is critical during catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the association of CS electrical activity with atrial substrate modification has been barely investigated and mostly limited to analys...

Background: Wearable cardioverter-defibrillators (WCDs) are a well-established tool to bridge the recovery time of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) until the implantation of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), as recommended by...

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains an enigmatic cardiovascular disease (CVD) condition characterized by contractile dysfunction of the myocardium due to dilation of the ventricles. DCM is one of the major forms of CVD contributing to heart failure....

Background: Former studies have revealed that fluoroquinolone (FQ) can induce aortic expansion and rupture. While FQ is widely used in perioperative anti-infection therapy, its impact on graft patency and patient survival is unknown. Methods: Coronar...

The purpose of this study was to compare changes in blood pressure variability (BPV) and blood pressure (BP) values occurring in response to concurrent training (CT) between the two genders. A total of 35 males and 20 women aged 55–80 ye...

Background: Several studies have shown that adult patients with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and Fontan circulation have a reduced exercise tolerance that affects daily life. Recent studies have investigated the effects of aerobic exercise...

(1) Background: Myocarditis following group A streptococcal pharyngitis and tonsillitis is a relatively rare medical condition. The aim of this systematic review was to identify specific ECG changes, laboratory parameters and signs, and symptoms asso...

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an underdiagnosed genetic heart disease with an estimated prevalence of 0.2–0.5%. Although the prognosis of HCM is relatively good, with an annual general mortality of ~0.7%, some patients have an increased...

Atherosclerotic plaque calcification directly contributes to the leading cause of morbidity and mortality by affecting plaque vulnerability and rupture risk. Small microcalcifications can increase plaque stress and promote rupture, whereas large calc...

Treatment for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and other single ventricle conditions requires a series of surgical interventions for long-term survival, typically culminating in the Fontan procedure. The result is an abnormal circulatory physio...

Several environmental and genetic factors may influence the risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs), which can have a substantial impact on pediatric morbidity and mortality. We investigated the association of polymorphisms in the genes of the folate...