Biagio Liccardo - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Biagio Liccardo

European Heart Journal Supplements, 2021

Myocardial work (MW) is a novel echocardiographic technique which assesses left ventricular (LV) ... more Myocardial work (MW) is a novel echocardiographic technique which assesses left ventricular (LV) performance through LV pressure-strain loops. MW corrects speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived parameters for afterload using non-invasive systolic blood pressure (SBP) as a surrogate for LV systolic pressure. In patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), the corrected MW (cMW) has been proposed, consisting in adding the mean aortic gradient in SBP. This method revealed to be feasible and reliable, demonstrating good correlation with invasively measured LV systolic pressure. To evaluate myocardial performance of patients with severe AS, before and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), by MW indices. patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI were included. Transthoracic, standard echocardiography and STE were performed the day before the procedure and within 2 days after. MW was calculated by combining STE-derived indices with non-invasively estimated LV systolic ...

European …, 2005

Methods and results Clinical status and long-term outcome were assessed in 607 patients, for a me... more Methods and results Clinical status and long-term outcome were assessed in 607 patients, for a mean period of 49.9±12.5 months. ESE was performed for the diagnosis of suspected CAD in 267 patients, and for the risk stratification in 340 patients. At baseline, the mean value ...

Background: In patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) a more depressed left atrial... more Background: In patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) a more depressed left atrial (LA) booster pump function has been observed compared to ischemic patients although under similar loading conditions, and attributed both to altered LA overload and to LA larger involvement in the myopathic process. Aim of the study: To detect by speckle-tracking two-dimensional strain (2DSE) LA systolic dysfunction in patients with either idiopathic or ischemic DCM, and to assess in these patients possible correlation between LA myocardial function and exercise capacity during cardiopulmonary test. Methods: Three-hundred-fourteen patients (52.4 ± 11.2 years) with either idiopathic (160 patients) or ischemic (154 patients) DCM underwent cardiopulmonary stress test, standard Doppler echo and 2DSE analysis of atrial longitudinal strain in the basal segments of LA septum and LA lateral wall, and in LA roof. Results: The two groups were comparable for most of clinical variables. LV volumes, ejection fraction, stroke volume, and mitral valve effective regurgitant orifice were similar between the two groups. No significant differences were evidenced in Doppler transmitral inflow measurements. Also LA diameter and maximal volume were similar between the two groups. Conversely, LA active empting volume and fraction were both lower in patients with idiopathic DCM (b0.001). Peak systolic myocardial atrial strain was significantly reduced in patients with idiopathic DCM compared with ischemic DCM at the level of all the analyzed atrial segments (p b 0.0001). By multivariable analysis, in the overall population, ischemic aetiology of DCM (p b 0.0001) and LA volume (p b 0.001) were the only independent determinants of LA lateral wall systolic strain. On the other hand, LA lateral wall systolic strain (p b 0.0001) and LA volume (p b 0.001) were powerful independent predictors of peak oxygen consumption during cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Conclusions: Two-dimensional strain represents a promising non-invasive technique to assess LA atrial myocardial function in patients with DCM. LA systolic deformation is more depressed in idiopathic compared with ischemic DCM, and is closely associated with functional capacity during effort. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to further our understanding of the natural history of LA myocardial function, the extent of reversibility of LA dysfunction with therapy, and the possible prognostic impact of such indexes in patients with congestive heart failure.

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently encountered arrhythmic complication as... more Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently encountered arrhythmic complication associated with coronary surgery. The aim of this paper was then to identify the clinical predictors of post-CABG AF occurrence. Methods: 150 consecutive patients were included in this study and divided into two groups according to the absence (SR group, 104 male and 22 female, age 58.4 ^ 8.8

European Heart Journal Supplements, 2021

Myocardial work (MW) is a novel echocardiographic technique which assesses left ventricular (LV) ... more Myocardial work (MW) is a novel echocardiographic technique which assesses left ventricular (LV) performance through LV pressure-strain loops. MW corrects speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived parameters for afterload using non-invasive systolic blood pressure (SBP) as a surrogate for LV systolic pressure. In patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS), the corrected MW (cMW) has been proposed, consisting in adding the mean aortic gradient in SBP. This method revealed to be feasible and reliable, demonstrating good correlation with invasively measured LV systolic pressure. To evaluate myocardial performance of patients with severe AS, before and after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), by MW indices. patients with severe AS undergoing TAVI were included. Transthoracic, standard echocardiography and STE were performed the day before the procedure and within 2 days after. MW was calculated by combining STE-derived indices with non-invasively estimated LV systolic ...

European …, 2005

Methods and results Clinical status and long-term outcome were assessed in 607 patients, for a me... more Methods and results Clinical status and long-term outcome were assessed in 607 patients, for a mean period of 49.9±12.5 months. ESE was performed for the diagnosis of suspected CAD in 267 patients, and for the risk stratification in 340 patients. At baseline, the mean value ...

Background: In patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) a more depressed left atrial... more Background: In patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) a more depressed left atrial (LA) booster pump function has been observed compared to ischemic patients although under similar loading conditions, and attributed both to altered LA overload and to LA larger involvement in the myopathic process. Aim of the study: To detect by speckle-tracking two-dimensional strain (2DSE) LA systolic dysfunction in patients with either idiopathic or ischemic DCM, and to assess in these patients possible correlation between LA myocardial function and exercise capacity during cardiopulmonary test. Methods: Three-hundred-fourteen patients (52.4 ± 11.2 years) with either idiopathic (160 patients) or ischemic (154 patients) DCM underwent cardiopulmonary stress test, standard Doppler echo and 2DSE analysis of atrial longitudinal strain in the basal segments of LA septum and LA lateral wall, and in LA roof. Results: The two groups were comparable for most of clinical variables. LV volumes, ejection fraction, stroke volume, and mitral valve effective regurgitant orifice were similar between the two groups. No significant differences were evidenced in Doppler transmitral inflow measurements. Also LA diameter and maximal volume were similar between the two groups. Conversely, LA active empting volume and fraction were both lower in patients with idiopathic DCM (b0.001). Peak systolic myocardial atrial strain was significantly reduced in patients with idiopathic DCM compared with ischemic DCM at the level of all the analyzed atrial segments (p b 0.0001). By multivariable analysis, in the overall population, ischemic aetiology of DCM (p b 0.0001) and LA volume (p b 0.001) were the only independent determinants of LA lateral wall systolic strain. On the other hand, LA lateral wall systolic strain (p b 0.0001) and LA volume (p b 0.001) were powerful independent predictors of peak oxygen consumption during cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Conclusions: Two-dimensional strain represents a promising non-invasive technique to assess LA atrial myocardial function in patients with DCM. LA systolic deformation is more depressed in idiopathic compared with ischemic DCM, and is closely associated with functional capacity during effort. Future longitudinal studies are warranted to further our understanding of the natural history of LA myocardial function, the extent of reversibility of LA dysfunction with therapy, and the possible prognostic impact of such indexes in patients with congestive heart failure.

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently encountered arrhythmic complication as... more Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequently encountered arrhythmic complication associated with coronary surgery. The aim of this paper was then to identify the clinical predictors of post-CABG AF occurrence. Methods: 150 consecutive patients were included in this study and divided into two groups according to the absence (SR group, 104 male and 22 female, age 58.4 ^ 8.8