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Biomedical subjects

A Figini

Publications and source records attributed to A Figini.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Late reoperations after repair of tetralogy of Fallot.

Twenty-two patients underwent 23 late reoperations after total correction of tetralogy of Fallot from 1965 to 1990. Indications for reoperation included: isolated ventricular septal defect (VSD) in 9 patients (41%), isolated right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) obstruction in 3 patients (13.7%), VSD associated with a RVOT obstruction in 7 patients (31.8%), aneurysm of the pericardial RVOT patch in 1 patient (4.5%), aortic insufficiency with a residual VSD in 1 patient (4.5%), and tricuspid regurgitation in 1 patient (4.5%). The reoperation consisted of closure of a residual VSD in 17 patients, relief of a RVOT gradient in 11, insertion of a RVOT valve in 4, tricuspid valve replacement in 1 (reoperated twice), aortic valve replacement in 1, and excision of a RVOT aneurysm in 1. Two patients died in hospital (9%) but there were no early deaths in the 11 patients reoperated upon after 1978. Mean follow-up period was 135 months. There were 2 late deaths. The actuarial 20-year survival was 87%. Of the surviving patients, 16 (89%) were in New York Heart Association class I, 1 (5.5%) was in class II, and one (5.5%) was in class III. One patient required a second reoperation for tricuspid bioprosthesis degeneration and 1 patient had moderate recurrent RVOT gradient due to calcified pulmonary bioprosthesis. This study tends to support the policy of recommending reoperation in the presence of surgically significant residual defects. Reoperation is associated with a low early mortality and good long-term results.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Transoesophageal electrophysiological evaluation of paediatric patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Forty-one consecutive children with the Wolff-Parkinson-White (1-15 years: mean 8 years), 22 symptomatic [including 20 with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and one with ventricular fibrillation (VF) episode--Group A) and 19 asymptomatic (Group B)], underwent transoesophageal electrophysiological examination. The mean anterograde effective refractory period of the anomalous connection (AERPAC) was 249 +/- 34 ms with no significant difference between the two groups. However, values of less than 220 ms were more frequently observed in Group A than in Group B (23% vs 11% Pns). The effective atrial refractory period was significantly shorter in Group A (183 +/- 34 ms) than in Group B (220 +/- 24 ms) (P less than 0.02). The refractory period of the AV node was 205 +/- 41 ms in Group A and 244 +/- 63 ms in Group B. Orthodromic SVT was induced exclusively in 75% of Group A patients. Atrial fibrillation (AF) was induced in a total of 46% of patients (45% of Group A, 47% of Group B) and was considered easily induced in 37%. The minimum RR interval between pre-excited beats was significantly shorter in Group A (221 +/- 23 ms) than in Group B (321 +/- 143 ms) (P less than 0.04). Four of the patients in whom AF was easily inducible had an RR interval less than 250 ms; three were symptomatic (one with VF). While the AERPAC is generally short in children, and atrial vulnerability generally slight, 9% of children with a short AERPAC had high atrial vulnerability, thus placing them at risk for life-threatening arrhythmias.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Complications and sequelae of cardiac electrostimulation in children. Our experience with 47 children].

Permanent cardiac pacing is now easily feasible in children and even in small infants, but the long-term results of this procedure are not well known. We analyzed our experience to determine the morbidity of pacing in children. Over the past 10 years, 47 pediatric patients (pts) required pacemaker implantation in our institution. The mean age was 8.3 +/- 4 years (1 day-17 years) and mean body weight was 23 +/- 14 Kg (2.2-60 Kg). 25 pts had heart disease. 40 children had an A-V block (congenital in 22 cases, post-operative in 17 pts, and secondary to a systemic disease in 1 case); 7 pts had a sick sinus syndrome, primitive in 4 and postoperative in 3 cases. The first pacemaker implantation was epicardial in 17 and transvenous in 30 pts. The pacing was single-chamber in 45 pts (VVI 32, VVIr 7, AAI 5, AAIr 1) and dual-chamber in 2 pts (DDD 1, VDD 1). Two newborns, both with a congenital A-V block and severe heart failure, died in the first hours after epicardial pacing. Two other children, both with congenital heart disease, died during follow-up, but the death was not pacemaker-related. Finally, two children were lost to follow-up. The mean follow-up of the 41 remaining pts was 5.2 +/- 3.5 years (4 months-10 years). Twelve children (29%) required 19 implant revisions and the causes were: lead fracture (26%), rising stimulation threshold (26%), growth problems (21%), erosion and/or pocket infection (21%). Revisions were more common in epicardial (52%) than in endocardial (22%) implantation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Pulmonary hypertensive vascular disease in patients with interventricular defect or complete atrioventricular canal].

In 34 patients operated on the morphological and morphometric patterns of the pulmonary vascular bed on lung biopsies, performed during the operation for ventricular septal defect or complete atrio-ventricular septal defect were studied. These patterns were related to the preoperative hemodynamic data. Ages ranged from 2 to 20 months. There were 16 ventricular septal defect (mean age 10 +/- 4 months) and 18 complete atrio-ventricular septal defect (mean age 9.8 +/- 1.2 months). Furthermore, of the latter 15/18 (83%) patients had Down's syndrome. The following hemodynamic data were considered: a) ratio between the pulmonary systolic artery pressure and the systemic systolic artery pressure; b) diastolic pulmonary artery pressure; c) pulmonary vascular resistance; d) ratio between pulmonary and systemic flow. The lung specimens obtained at surgery were routinely processed and embedded in paraffin. Sections measuring 4 microns were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Masson's thricrome and Miller's elastin. The status of the small pulmonary arteries was assessed according to the Heath-Edwards classification and to the morphometric parameters proposed by Rabinovitch and coll. Ratio between the pulmonary systolic artery pressure and the systemic systolic artery pressure ranged from 0.48 to 1 (mean 0.8 +/- 0.23) in patients with ventricular septal defect, whereas in complete atrio-ventricular septal defects it ranged from 0.42 to 1 (mean 0.86 +/- 0.21). The mean diastolic pulmonary artery pressure was 20 +/- 10 mmHg (range 8-40 mmHg) in ventricular septal defects and 19.5 +/- 2.3 mmHg (range 10-35 mmHg) in complete atrio-ventricular septal defects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Pressure↗
PubMed1990

[Fontan's operation: results, immediate and long-term postoperative complications].

The Fontan operation and its modifications can be relatively safely performed in the treatment of many complex congenital heart diseases, such as univentricular heart and tricuspid atresia. The main postoperative complications following the Fontan procedure and the incremental risk factors involved in their development are investigated. Between January 1984 and January 1988 eleven patients (6 females and 5 males), ranging in age from 2 to 15 years (mean age: 7.3 +/- 3.7) and in weight from 10.8 to 50 Kg (mean weight 22.3 +/- 12.7) underwent the Fontan operation in our Department. No hospital death occurred. The mean postoperative stay in the Intensive Care Unit was 6.3 +/- 3.9 days. There were two surgical re-entries for the same patient: cardiac tamponade (the day of operation) and residual atrial septal defect (2 days following the operation). Eight patients had significant signs of venous stasis, with severe hepatomegaly and pleural effusion. The 11 patients discharged were followed-up for a period of between 3 and 48 months (mean follow-up: 26.4 +/- 18). There were 2 cases of recurrent pleural effusion, 10 to 15 days after discharge. One late death occurred 2 years after the Fontan procedure (massive pulmonary embolism after re-operation). Short and medium-term rate of complications is related to increased post-operative values of mean right atrial pressure (greater than 15 mmHg). Mean right atrial pressures greater than 15 mmHg appear to be correlated with Nakata index values less than 250 mm2/m2. The experience reviewed confirms the excellent results of the Fontan operation, as regards survival and functional recovery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Cardiac relapses in myeloid leukemia: case report and review of the literature.

Granulocytic sarcoma (GS) is a localized destructive tumor mass composed of immature cells of the granulocytic series, occurring before, concomitantly, or after the overt development of acute or chronic myelogenous leukemia. Although this tumor is known to occur in almost every site of the body, cardiac involvement is rare. We report a case of a 12-year-old female previously treated for 28 months with chemotherapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia, who presented with GS in the left mastoid 3 months after discontinuing treatment. The patient was treated with local radiotherapy only. Thirty months later she presented with heart failure, the result of a right-sided intracardiac mass, while in continuous hematological remission of the primary disease and off therapy. The cardiovascular, hematological, and postmortem findings are described and the literature is reviewed. This is the first clinicopathologic report of GS involving the heart in which the echocardiographic and pathologic findings are detailed.

Cardiomyopathies↗
PubMed1987

[Defects of the interatrial septum: surgical correction without the hemodynamic test. Analysis of 145 cases operated on].

Surgical correction of ostium secundum atrial septal defects may be performed, in most cases, without cardiac catheterization, on the ground of clinical and two-dimensional echocardiographic (2D echo) findings. Consequently it's useful to identify the reliability of 2D echo and the indications for angiography in these patients (pts). One hundred forty-five patients operated in "A. De Gasperis" Division of Cardiac Surgery in Milan from January 1982 to December 1986 are reviewed. Patients with ostium primum atrial septal defects or subjected to cardiac catheterization and angiography in other institutions are excluded. Altogether two-dimensional echocardiography was performed in 131 pts, cardiac catheterization in 78. Sixty-four pts were studied with both 2D echo and angiography. In 35 pts (with only 2D echo examination) radionuclide angiocardiography was performed. The results of the different techniques were compared with intra-operative findings, defining sensitivity and specificity in relation to detection of the site of the defect and of the pulmonary venous return. There were no statistically significative differences between echo 2D and cardiac catheterization (Figs. 1 and 2). Two-dimensional echocardiography confirms its cost effective and psychological advantages, especially in younger patients. Hemodynamic and angiographic assessment should be performed as follows: 1) when associated anomalies are suspected; 2) in cases of non-satisfying quality of the 2D echo examination; 3) when diagnostic incoherence between clinical and instrumental data is present; 4) in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

[Amiodarone therapy in childhood: efficacy and side effects].

In the adult, Amiodarone is a very effective drug in the treatment of ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias. The presence of severe side effects such as some alterations in the thyroid function and/or pulmonary fibrosis have restricted the use in children. Nevertheless, research has shown that there is a low incidence of collateral side effects and this therapy in infancy can be very effective. For this reason we evaluated a group of 27 children with supraventricular (19 patients) and ventricular (8 patients) arrhythmias. The mean age of patients treated was 6 +/- 5 years (2 days-13 years). The follow-up period was of 13 +/- 10 months. Amiodarone has been used in 9 patients intravenously, with the loading dose of 5 mg/Kg followed by an infusion of 10 mg/Kg/day. In 18 patients we administered the drug orally with a loading dose of 10 mg/Kg/day for a period of 10 days, thereafter the maintenance was of 5-7 mg/Kg/day for 5 days every week. The patients were all checked for thyroid function and Holter monitoring quarterly; they were given an ophthalmologic examination (every 6 months) and a chest-x-ray and echocardiography annually. The efficacy of intravenous treatment was judged successful in 56% of patients, partially successful in 22% and ineffective in the remaining 22%. The oral treatment was completely effective in 77% of children, partially in 5% and ineffective in 18%. In one case we had to suspend the therapy because we found high values of T3 and T4. During the treatment, in 86% of cases, we had blood level fluctuations of T3 and T4, however these did not exceed the normal ranges. The most important side effect observed has been the photosensitivity found in 22% of children. Moreover we observed a reduction of sinusal automatism, which was more marked in patients less than year old. In 4 cases an A/V block of first degree appeared. In all patients we found changes of ventricular repolarization, while corneal deposits appeared in only one child after a year of therapy and did not cause an impairment of visual acuity. In conclusion we can assert that Amiodarone is a very effective drug in children, specially in small babies, where it can safety be used as a first choice drug.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1980

[beta-Blocking therapy in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Long term results (author's transl)].

34 patients have been controlled after beta-blocking therapy, for a mean period of 5 years. Symptoms and evolution: syncope disappeared, angoy passed from 47% to 23%, dyspnea from 65% to 47%, dizziness from 70% to 54%, weakness from 30% to 37%. A systolic murmur was present in 75% of the cases. Two patients died by heart failure. Phonocardiogram: the systolic murmur was unchanged, like the carotid pulse. Paradoxical splitting of the 2 degrees sound was more frequent, atrial sound unimodified, isometric contraction shortened (60%) and the Q-1 degree sound interval prolonged (90%). Electrocardiogram: 1 degree A/V block appeared in 24% of the cases, complete A/V block in 9%, atrial fibrillation in 3%. Left atrial enlargement was more frequent; left ventricular hypertrophy unchanged. Heart catheterization (10 cases, after a mean period of 5.5 years): left ventricular pressure gradient passed from 80% to 90%; a low cardiac index from 20% to 30%; telediastolic pressure of left ventricle was unmmodified in 10% of cases, more elevated in 50%, less elevated in 40%. Chest X ray: cardiac size was unchanged in 65% of cases, enlarged in 32%; smaller in 3%. In conclusion, symptoms improved in most of the patients; no case of sudden death was observed. Some data however show that the evolution of the myocardiopathy goes on to congestive heart failure and arise doubts on the real usefullness of beta-blocking drugs in the disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

[The incomplete atrio-ventricular canal. Operative and long term results in 100 cases (author's transl)].

100 patients with endocardial cushion defect of the partial type underwent surgical correction between the years 1957-1975. The age of patients ranged from 3 to 57 years with a mean of 18 years. In 89 patients there was a mitral insufficiency. The repair of the mitral valve was performed in 78 patients; in 21 was repaired also the tricuspidal valve. The hospital mortality was of 8 patients. The mortality was correlated with the age of the patients, the pulmonary pressure and with the presence of malformations of the tricuspid valve. A major complication was represented by a complete atrioventricular block that occurred in 8 patients, in 5 of these the block disappeared before the dimission from the hospital. 86 patients have been followed for a period variable from 2 to 228 months and an average of 61 months. The late mortality was of 4 patients. Two patients have been reoperated of mitral valve replacement because of residual important mitral insufficiency. The phonocardiographic study, done in 50 patients, showed a presence of a holosystolic murmur in 20. The standard X-ray chest and electrocardiogram iid not show important changes between the pre and post operative examination.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

[Comparative evaluation of the isometric test and of dynamic exercise in the diagnosis of coronary insufficiency (author's transl)].

Fifty patients with exertional coronary insufficiency performed an exercise test on a bicycle-ergometer and an isometric exercise with an instrument set up by the authors with the collaboration of the technical laboratory of the hospital. All cases had EKG positivity during dynamic exercise and only 2 patients had a positive EKG answer during isometric exercise. Angina occured in 70% of cases during dynamic exercise and in 12% of cases during isometric exercise. The difference in the increasing heart rate of the two types of exercise was statistically significant, as was the difference between absolute values of heart rate reached at the end of the exercise. The difference in the values of arterial pressure reached in the two types of exercise was also statistically significant. Moreover the comparison of product heart rate, time arterial pressure, time 10(-2) bordered on statistical significance. 31 of the 50 patients who underwent coronary angiography, demonstrated severe impairment. During isometric exercise a higher percentage of disturbances was observed. The authors came to the conclusion that isometric exercise is not advisable for the diagnosis of coronary insufficiency, either for the low specificity or the potential risk.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

[Influence of left anterior hemiblock on electrocardiographic indices of left ventricular hypertrophy (author's transl)].

The influence of left anterior hemiblock (LAH) on some electrocardiographic criteria of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was investigated. 131 subjects were studied: 34 of them were normal (control group); 30 were carriers of isolated LAH; 38 were carriers of isolated LVH; 29 showed a pattern of combined LVH and LAH. The maximal voltages of QRS waves in leads usually analyzed for LVH, the QRS duration and the time of onset of the intrinsicoid deflection were compared among the groups. The specificity, the sensitivity and the performance of some LVH criteria were examined as well. LAH has been shown to conceal LVH on precordial leads, while it tends to make LVH more manifest on limb leads. The Romhilt and Estes' point score system proved to be the least affected by LAH. On the grounds of theoretical considerations and of empirical trials, we suggest modifying the Romhilt and Estes' point score system; furthermore we suggest modifying Sokolow's and Grant's criteria only when LAH is present. Such modified criteria have improved the accuracy of LVH prevision.

Adult↗