Diaphragmatic ultrasound evaluation in acute heart failure: clinical and functional associations.

Heart failure patients often experience respiratory symptoms due to diaphragmatic involvement, but the diaphragmatic motion in heart failure remains understudied. This research aimed to investigate the correlation between ultrasonographically assessed diaphragmatic motion and thickness with cardiac performance indexes in an emergency setting. Seventy-two acutely decompensated heart failure patients and 100 non-heart failure individuals were enrolled. Diaphragmatic motion and thickness were assessed via ultrasound. Cardiac and respiratory parameters were recorded, and regression analysis was performed. Heart failure patients exhibited reduced diaphragmatic motion at total lung capacity compared to controls, and an inverse association was found between motion and heart failure severity (NYHA stage). Diaphragmatic thickness was also higher in heart failure patients at tidal volume and total lung capacity. Notably, diaphragmatic motion inversely correlated with systolic pulmonary artery pressure. The study highlights diaphragmatic dysfunction in acutely decompensated heart failure, with reduced motion and increased thickness. These changes were associated with cardio-respiratory parameters, specifically systolic pulmonary artery pressure. Monitoring diaphragmatic motion via ultrasound may aid in evaluating heart failure severity and prognosis in emergency settings. Additionally, interventions targeting diaphragmatic function could improve heart failure management. Further research is warranted to enhance heart failure management and patient outcomes.

Safety and effectiveness of oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation and stage 4 chronic kidney disease: a real-world experience.

It is still uncertain whether direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) perform better than vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in subjects with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of the study was to compare safety and effectiveness of DOACs and VKAs in patients with NVAF and stage 4 CKD (creatinine clearance 15-29 mL/min). We searched the hospital databases of two academic centers to retrospectively identify patients with stage 4 CKD who were on treatment with DOACs or VKAs for NVAF. Safety was the primary outcome of the study and was assessed in terms of incidence of major bleeding (MB). Secondary outcomes were clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB) and death for any cause. A total of 176 patients (102 on DOACs and 74 on VKAs) were found and included in the analysis. The incidence rate of MB was not statistically different between groups (8.6 per 100 patients-year in the DOAC group and 5.6 per 100 patients-year in the VKA group). Rates of IS/SSE and CRNMB were statistically similar in the two treatment groups, as well. There were less deaths for any cause in the DOAC group than in the VKA group (8.6 and 15.8 per 100 patients-year, respectively), but the difference was not statistically significant. This study found no difference in terms of safety and effectiveness between patients with NVAF and stage 4 CKD treated with DOACs and VKAs. Larger prospective or randomized studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Acoustic Radiation Forced Impulse of the Liver and the Spleen, Combined with Spleen Dimension and Platelet Count in New Ratio Scores, Identifies High-Risk Esophageal Varices in Well-Compensated Cirrhotic Patients.

Acoustic radiation forced impulse (ARFI) is an integrated ultrasound method, measuring stiffness by point shear wave elastography. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the ARFI of the liver and the spleen, combined with spleen dimension and platelet count, in predicting high-risk esophageal varices (HRVs) in cirrhotic patients, a prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2017 and February 2021. The following ratio scores were calculated based on ARFI measurements: ALSDP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Diameter-to-Platelet Ratio Score), ASSDP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Diameter-to-Platelet Ratio Score), ASSAP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Area-to-Platelet Ratio Score), and ALSAP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Area-to-Platelet Ratio Score). In 100 enrolled subjects, spleen ARFI, ASSDP, and ASSAP were significantly associated with HRVs in the prospective short- and long-term follow-ups and in the cross-sectional study (p < 0.05), while ALSDP and ALSAP were associated with HRVs only in the prospective long-term follow-up and cross-sectional study (p< 0.05). ASSAP was the best ARFI ratio score for HRVs at the long-term follow-up [value of area under curve (AUC) = 0.88], although all the ARFI ratio scores performed better than individual liver and spleen ARFI (AUC > 0.7). In our study, ARFI ratio scores can predict, in well-compensated cirrhotic patients, the risk of developing HVRs in short- and long-term periods.

A Staphylococcus aureus Coinfection on a COVID-19 Pneumonia in a Breast Cancer Patient.

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), due to severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), comprises a broad spectrum of clinical presentation ranging from flu-like syndrome to organ failure. The risk of coinfections is high and responsible for a worse prognosis, mainly in the case of bacterial involvement and in the presence of particular comorbidity. We present the clinical, laboratory, radiologic characteristic along with therapeutic management of a patient with COVID-19 and Staphylococcus aureus coinfection. CASE PRESENTATION: A 55-year-old Caucasian woman was admitted to our hospital due to a two-day history of fever and acute dyspnea with severe respiratory failure worsened after the administration of atezolizumab and nab-paclitaxel. Her medical history comprehended a triple negative, BRCA1-related, PD-L1 positive right breast cancer with multiple bone metastasis, causing bone marrow infiltration-related severe pancytopenia. Her physical examination revealed scattered wheezes, rales, and bilateral dry crackles in the middle and lower lung fields and lower limb paresis. The body mass index was 30 kg/m2 and arterial blood gas evaluation revealed a stage III acute respiratory distress syndrome. Microbiological specimens revealed a Staphylococcus aureus positivity from endotracheal aspirate. The chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed the presence of large areas of parenchymal consolidation and aerial bronchogram, bilateral "ground glass" areas reaching the highest extension on the upper and middle zones. The high clinical and radiological suspicion of COVID-19 along with the negative result of nasopharyngeal specimen make necessary an endotracheal aspirate resulting positive for SARS-CoV2. Patient started an antimicrobial treatment and lopinavir-ritonavir plus hydroxychloroquine but, unfortunately, died five days after hospital admission. CONCLUSION: The high risk of mortality of our patient was due to viral-bacterial coinfection, advanced cancer status with active immunotherapy. This case highlights the need for a prompt clinical, laboratory, and radiological evaluation to allow a correct diagnosis and start a specific therapy.