Claudio Bilato

West Vicenza General Hospitals, ULSS 8 Berica · Division of Cardiology

Obesity is a chronic and relapsing disease characterized by the interaction between individual predispositions and an obesogenic environment. Recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of energetic homoeostasis paved the way to more effective therapeutic approaches compared with traditional treatments. Since obesity is a complex disease, it ne...

The issue of suboptimal drug regimen adherence in secondary cardiovascular prevention presents a significant barrier to improving patient outcomes. To address this, the utilization of drug combinations, specifically single pill combinations (SPCs) and polypills, was proposed as a strategy to simplify treatment regimens. This approach aims to enhanc...

In recent decades, an incredible evolution in antithrombotic therapies used for treating patients with atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, and venous thromboembolism has been observed, leading to the availability of increasingly safe drugs. Nonetheless, bleeding complications remain a significant concern, with considerable health, social, and eco...

A 66-year-old patient with recent instrumental findings (echocardiogram, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging) of right ventricular failure was hospitalized due to worsening signs and symptoms of right heart failure, while waiting for diagnostic definition. Pulmonary computed tomography angiography revealed findings compatible with bilateral pulmonar...

Scientific societies promote numerous activities, including the training of professionals. With the continuous growing of knowledge and the availability of new evidence in the cardiological field, the achievement and maintenance of knowledge and know-how is difficult. The evolving educational needs of professionals in cardiology have been analyzed...

We sought to assess the sex- and age-specific trends in venous thromboembolism (VTE) mortality in the 27 European Union Member States (EU-27) between years 2012 and 2020. Data on cause-specific deaths and population numbers by sex for each country of the EU-27 were retrieved through the publicly available European Statistical Office (EUROSTAT) data...

Technological innovation provides easily accessible tools capable of simplifying healthcare processes. Notably, digital technology application in the cardiology field can improve prognosis, reduce costs, and lead to an overall improvement in healthcare. The digitization of health data, with the use of electronic health records and of electronic hea...

For over 40 years, clinical research has been one of the most important aims of the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists (ANMCO), being an essential tool in pursuing promotion and fulfillment of good clinical practices in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases. Since 1992, with the creation of the Research Cent...

Aims Data regarding hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)-related mortality in United States young adults, defined as those aged between 25 and 44 years, are lacking. We sought to assess the trends in HCM-related mortality among US young adults between 1999 and 2019 and determine differences by sex, race, ethnicity, urbanization and census region. Met...

Over the last two decades, cardiovascular diseases have become the leading cause of chronic disease morbidity and mortality in Italy. Therefore, the chronic cardiovascular care landscape has evolved rapidly in an era of unprecedented demand. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted significant deficiencies in existing health and social ca...

Up-to-date population-based data on pulmonary embolism (PE)-related sudden cardiac death (SCD) mortality trends in the United States (US) are scant. We assess the current trends in PE-related SCD mortality in US over the past two decades and determine differences by sex, race, ethnicity, age, and census region. We extracted PE-related SCD mortality...

In recent decades, an incredible evolution in antithrombotic therapies for the treatment of patients suffering from atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism occurred, leading to the availability of increasingly safe drugs. However, bleeding complications associated with these drugs still have an important health, social and e...

We sought to analyse the incidence of sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs) amongst subjects aged less than 39 years in Italy and its time trend between 2013 and 2019. Data regarding cause-specific mortality and population size by sex in 5-year age groups were extracted from the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database. Decedents reporting the cod...

Aims The current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines provide clear indications for the treatment of acute and chronic heart failure (HF). Nevertheless, there is a constant need for real‐world evidence regarding the effectiveness, adherence, and persistence of drug therapy. We investigated the use of sacubitril/valsartan for the treatmen...

We assess the prognostic role of a new index (Age-T index), based on age and the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) for the estimation of 30-day mortality and risk of 48-h clinical deterioration since admission, in intermediate-high risk Pulmonary Embolism (PE) patients. A post-hoc analysis of intermediate-high risk PE patients enro...

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases remain the main cause of mortality worldwide, due to a poor control of modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis. High levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol represent the most relevant actor in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, as well as the main target of prevention strat...

Aims: Data regarding the risk of incident pericarditis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recovered patients are lacking. We determined the risk of incident pericarditis after COVID-19 infection by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of available data. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched MEDLINE and Scopus to l...

Background: Remote monitoring of patients with chronic heart failure (HF) can prevent acute episodes of HF, optimize treatment, reduce emergency room (ER) visits and hospitalizations, and improve quality of life of patients and caregivers. In current clinical practice, however, the most appropriate model is still under debate. We aimed to evaluate...

Aims: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is associated with a substantial rate of adverse events. We sought to design a machine-learning (ML) based model to predict the risk of in-hospital death and to perform a clustering of TTS patients to identify different risk profiles. Methods and results: A Ridge Logistic Regression-based ML model for predicting in...

Background: Data regarding the risk of ischemic stroke within 1 year after the post-acute phase of COVID-19 remain scant. We assess the risk of ischemic stroke in COVID-19 survivors after SARS-CoV-2 infection by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available data. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched Medline a...

A concerning increase in mortality from acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in young adults in the United States has been reported. We extracted PE-related mortality rates (number of deaths per US population) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database from 1999 to 2019, focusing on sub...

Aims: To assess the sex- and age- specific trends in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) mortality in the modern European Union (EU-27) member states between years 2012 and 2020. Methods and results: Data on cause-specific deaths and population numbers by sex for each country of the EU-27 were retrieved through publicly available European Statisti...

Aims: Data regarding the dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)-related mortality and relative time trends in the Italian population remain scant. We sought to assess the DCM mortality rates and relative trends among the Italian population between 2005 and 2017. Methods: Annual death rates by sex and 5-year age group were extracted from the WHO global mor...

Background: The Ventricular fibrillation and flutter (VF/VFL)-related mortality trends in the United States (US) population have not yet been investigated. We aimed to assess the trends of VT/VFL-related mortality from 1999 to 2019 among subjects aged more than 15 years old in the US. Methods: Data derived from the Centers for Disease Control an...

Background: Previous investigations have analysed the relationship between weekend (WE) admission and early death in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) patients without reaching univocal results. We systematically reviewed the available literature and performed a meta-analysis of data from cohort studies to estimate the association between WE...

Data on mortality trends in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with cardiogenic shock (CS) are scant. This study aimed to assess the trends in CS-AMI-related mortality in United States (US) subjects over the latest 21 years. Mortality data of US subjects with AMI listed as the underlying cause of death and CS as contributing cause were...

Background: Population-based data on high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) mortality trends in the United States (US) are scant. Objectives: To assess current trends in US mortality related to high-risk PE over the past 21 years and determine differences by sex, race, ethnicity, age and census region. Methods: Data were extracted from the Centers...

Background Among patients with non–ST–segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) the presence of a bifurcation left main (LM) disease represents a particular subset graved by both clinical and technical challenges. We sought to assess the long–term outcomes of patients with NSTEMI treated either by single or double stent strategy, having an L...

Background Thrombocytopenia represents an important issue in patients undergoing Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) due to severe aortic stenosis. We performed a systematic review and meta–analysis to establish the pooled prevalence and the in–hospital outcomes of Chronic thrombocytopenia (cTCP) in patients after TAVR. Methods PubMed an...

Aims The current European Society of Cardiology guidelines provide clear indication for the treatment of acute and chronic heart failure (HF).Nevertheless,there is the constant need of real–world evidence concerning the effectiveness,adherence and persistence to drug therapy.We investigated the use of sacubitril/valsartan for the treatment of HF wi...

Background Sacubitril/valsartan reduced heart failure (HF)–related hospitalizations and cardiovascular mortality in PARADIGM–HF and has become a foundational treatment for HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, data of its routine real–world use is limited, and evidence from Italian settings is lacking. Aim of the study. The REAL.IT st...

Aims: Dyspnoea is a well known symptom of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). We assess the prognostic role of different patterns of dyspnoea onset regarding in-hospital mortality, clinical deterioration and the composite of the outcomes in PE patients, according to their haemodynamic status at admission. Methods: Patients from the prospective Italia...

Background: Update data regarding acute myocardial infarction (AMI)-related mortality in Italy remain scant. We assessed AMI-related mortality and time trends in Italy from 2007 to 2017 by using the Eurostat Mortality Database. Methods: The vital registration data of Italy from the publicly free-available OECD Eurostat website database were anal...

Background: The gap between the targets recommended by current guidelines and the lipid values observed in the real world among patients at very high or extreme cardiovascular risk has called into question the effectiveness of the stepwise lipid-lowering strategy. The BEST (Best Evidence with Ezetimibe/statin Treatment) project supported an expert...

Aims: Data regarding the premature mortality (<65 years of age) due to ischemic heart disease (IHD) in Italy are scant. We sought to analyze the incidence of premature death due to IHD in Italy and its time trend between years 2011 and 2017. Methods and results: We used the free publicly available EUROSTAT death certificate database to examine p...

Introduction: Arterial Hypertension (HT) has been described as a common comorbidity and independent risk factor of short-term outcome in COVID-19 patients. However, data regarding the risk of new-onset HT during the post-acute phase of COVID-19 are scant. Aim: We assess the risk of new-onset HT in COVID-19 survivors within one year from the inde...

The occurrence of acute myocarditis following the administration of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 remains relatively rare, and it is associated with a very low mortality rate. The incidence varied by vaccine type, sex, and age and after the first, second, or third vaccination dose. However, the diagnosis of this condition often remains challengi...

Aims: Data regarding the pulmonary hypertension (PH)-related mortality and relative trends in the Italian population remain scant. We sought to assess the PH mortality rates and relative trends among the Italian population between 2005 and 2017. Methods: Data regarding the cause-specific mortality and population size by sex in 5-year age groups...

Background: The association between QRS narrowing and response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been investigated by several studies, but their findings remain inconclusive. Aim of our study was to explore the relationship between QRS Index and echocardiographic response to CRT. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective analysis inc...

Data regarding the mortality rate in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) experiencing sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains scant. To further elucidate this issue in the US population, we analyzed the death records provided in the publicly available Multiple Cause of Death Dataset of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER (Wide-Ra...

Sacubitril/valsartan reduces heart failure (HF)-related hospitalizations and cardiovascular mortality in PARADIGM-HF and has become a foundational treatment for HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, data of its routine real-world use are limited, and evidence from Italian settings is lacking. The REAL.IT study aimed to characterize th...

Current guidelines on the management of dyslipidemias of the European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society recommend reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) by ≥50% compared to baseline values with a LDL-C level below 1.4 mmol/l (55 mg/dl) (class I recommendation, lev...

Current guidelines on the management of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) of the European Society of Cardiology recommend the administration of systemic thrombolysis in hemodynamically unstable patients (defined as high risk - class I, level of evidence A). However, in the real world, systemic thrombolysis remains underused in hemodynamically unstable...

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare genetic disease characterized by high plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and massive risk of premature atheromasia and cardiovascular events. HoFH is caused by mutations in several genes, such as LDLR, APOB, PCSK9 and LDLRAP1. If untreated, the average age of death...

Aims: We assess the prognostic role of mean arterial pressure (MAP) for 48-h clinical deterioration in intermediate-high risk pulmonary embolism (PE) patients after admission. Methods and results: A post-hoc analysis of intermediate-high risk PE patients enrolled in the Italian Pulmonary Embolism Registry (IPER) (Trial registry: ClinicalTrials.g...

Patients recovered from COVID-19 have an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease and heart structural changes. The aim of the present manuscript is to assess the risk of incident heart failure (HF) after COVID-19 infection. Data were obtained searching MEDLINE and Scopus for all studies published at any time up to September 1, 2022 reporting...

Background: Acute myocarditis has been described as a relatively rare cardiovascular complication of COVID-19 infection. However, data regarding the risk of myocarditis during the post-acute phase of COVID-19 are scant. We assess the risk of incident myocarditis in COVID-19 survivors within one year from the index infection by a systematic review...

Background: Few studies have analyzed the incidence and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during the post-acute phase of COVID-19 infection. Objective: To assess the incidence and risk of AMI in COVID-19 survivors after SARS-CoV-2 infection by a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available data. Methods: Data were obtained...

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is characterized by a large heterogeneity of clinical presentation and disease course. We investigate whether different symptom PE phenotypes in hemodynamically stable PE could be associated with 30-day mortality risk. Hemodynamically stable patients from the multicentre, prospective Italian Pulmonary Embolism Registry...

Background HF can be encountered at different stages in the course of COVID-19 disease. However, data regarding the HF-related mortality during COVID-19 pandemic are scant Objective We investigate the heart failure (HF)-related mortality rate in the US among patient with or without COVID-19 infection during the first two pandemic waves in 2020 and...

Background A better selection of patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) might increase the response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The aim of the study was to investigate the association between the Strauss criteria, absence of S wave in V5-V6, the Selvester score and response to CRT. Methods and results The retrospective analy...

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the public health measures of social distancing, the freedom limitations, quarantine, and the enforced homeworking under the lockdown period, as well as medical causes including COVID-19 infection per se, may have caused major emotional distress, especially in the most vuln...

Background: The present study aimed to examine longitudinal trends in hospitalizations for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, by reviewing the data from 13 hospitals of the Veneto Region, in the north-east of Italy. Methods: We performed a multicenter, retrospective analysis including all the consecutive patie...

Background: Acute pulmonary embolism has been recognized as a frequent complication of COVID-19 infection influencing the clinical course and outcomes of these patients. Objectives: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the mortality risk in COVID-19 Italian patients complicated by acute pulmonary embolism in the short-t...

Aims: The prevalence and prognostic implications of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients infected by the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease remain unclear. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence and mortality risk in COVID-19 patients with preexisting CAD. We searched Medline and Sco...

Background The prognostic role of serial electrocardiographic modifications in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) have been poorly investigated. We evaluate the electrocardiographic changes in PE patients during their hospitalization and the prognostic role of such ECG modifications in respect to 30-day mortality in patients enrolled in th...

Introduction This study aims to assess prevalence and prognostic implications of pre-existing peripheral artery disease (PAD) in patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 by means of a systematic review and meta-analysis. Material and methods We searched MEDLINE and Scopus to locate all the articles published up to 10 December 2021, reporting data on pr...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background The antiarrhythmic therapy of recurrent ventricular arrhythmias in patients having undergone catheter ablation and in whom amiodarone and/or beta blockers were ineffective or contraindicated, is a controversial issue. Purpose The present study sought to compare the efficacy and to...

Background We sought to examine the impact of gender differences in clinical outcomes at 3 years also comparing the role of double versus single stenting approach for the treatment of coronary unprotected LM bifurcation lesions. Methods We retrospectively analyzed both the procedural and medical data of patients referred to our hub center for comp...

Background Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) continues to represent the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality in Italy, with important prognostic and health consequences both in the short and long term. The aim of the study is to evaluate the long–term variation in the daily hospitalization rate for AMI in the Veneto region. Materials and Meth...

Background The continuous aging of the population and the impact of cardiovascular diseases in terms of morbidity and mortality require a continuous and constant increase in health personnel throughout the country. The aim of the study is to evaluate the trend of cardiologist specialists available for the population living in the Veneto Region betw...

Background The prevalence and prognostic implications of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients infected by the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID–19) disease remain unclear. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta–analysis to investigate the prevalence and mortality risk in COVID–19 patients with pre–existing CAD. We searched Medline and...

Background The potential prognostic role of ECG changes during the course of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) has been poorly investigated over the years. Methods Data of patients prospectively enrolled in the IPER registry, having three ECGs (the first perfromed on admission, the second after three days of hospitalization and the third at discharge)...

Background/Aim The prognostic value of the exercise stress after complex stenting of left main (LM) coronary artery bifurcations (LM) disease has been poorly investigated in the modern era. Methods We retrospectively analysed the procedural and medical data of patients referred to our center for complex LM bifurcation diseas, treated using either...

Background Systemic thrombolysis (ST) remains the treatment of choice in haemodynamically unstable patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). However, it remains frequently underused in clinical practice. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the use of ST in hemodynamically unstable PE patients with aand without acute cardiac arrest using the...

Background Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) has been recognized as a frequent complication of COVID–19 infection influencing the clinical course and outcomes of these patients. Objectives We performed a systematic review and meta–analysis to evaluate the mortality risk in COVID–19 Italian patients complicated by acute PE in the short–term period. Me...

Nowdays a small proportion of patients with high/very high/extreme atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk achieves the optimal target of LDL-cholesterol, because of drug intolerance, poor adherence to the therapy, or inapplicability of the stepwise strategy in lipid lowering therapy, recommended by the current guidelines. The new oral agent be...

Background: Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) represents a frequent and prognostically relevant complication of COVID-19. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, according to the PRISMA guidelines to determine the in-hospital incidence of acute PE, based on Italian studies published on this issue. We searched PubMed and Scopus t...

To date, the actual prevalence of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unknown, as systematic screening for PE is cumbersome. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on autoptic data to estimate the prevalence of histopathologic findings of acute PE and its relevance as a cause of death on patients...

Backgrounds: Coronary cavitation is supposed to be generated by both concentric and eccentric coronary artery stenosis which propagates downstream the vessel, creating microbubbles which exploded when the fluid pressure was lower than the vapor pressure at a local thermodynamic state. Objective: To assess, using numerical and computational fluid...

Background Ethnic disparities have been reported in cardiovascular disease. However, ethnic disparities in takotsubo syndrome (TTS) remain elusive. This study assessed differences in clinical characteristics between Japanese and European TTS patients and determined the impact of ethnicity on in-hospital outcomes. Methods TTS patients in Japan were...

Atrial septal aneurysms (ASA) play an important role in cryptogenic stroke (CS) in patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) but its contribution remains still not fully clarified in current literature. We sought to evaluate the contribution of ASA to the risk of CS in PFO patients based on studies published so far by means of a systematic review an...

Cardiac alterations are frequently observed after acute neurological disorders. Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) represents an acute heart failure syndrome and is increasingly recognized as part of the spectrum of cardiac complications observed after neurological disorders. A systematic investigation of TTS patients with neurological disorders has not been...

Purpose The impacts of pre-existing atrial fibrillation (AF) on COVID-19-associated outcomes are unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the pooled prevalence of pre-existing AF and its short-term mortality risk in COVID-19 patients. Methods Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guide...

Bempedoic acid (BA) is a novel first-in-class oral lipid-lowering therapy. BA has been approved by the European Medicinal Agency and Food and Drug Administration and has been commercialised throughout Europe since the end of 2020 as an add-on therapy in patients at high/very-high cardiovascular risk that are not at LDL-C goals with current lipid-lo...

Background: The prevalence and prognostic implications of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 remain unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and mortality risk in COVID-19 patients with MetS. Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were...

Background Compared to angiotensin inhibition, angiotensin-neprilysin “blockade” improves mortality and reduces hospitalizations in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (EF). Sacubitril/valsartan is known to influence left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling with systolic function improvement, although underlying mechanis...

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for mortality. The prevalence, clinical correlates, and prognostic impact of AF in Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) have not yet been investigated in a large patient cohort. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, clinical correlates, and prognostic impact of AF in patients with TTS. Metho...

In modern Medicine, team working has become crucial to guarantee favorable outcomes in most therapeutical procedures. Electrophysiology (EP) represents an exemplary paradigm of it. Herein, the role of the EP staff members and the importance of cooperation before, during and after the procedure is highlighted. Moreover, the strategies and the future...

Background/objectives The prevalence and prognostic implications of heart failure (HF), as a complication of COVID-19 infection remains unclear. We performed a systematic review and metanalysis aimed to evaluate the pooled incidence of acute HF as a cardiac complication of COVID-19 disease and to estimate the related mortality risk in these patient...

Background The pharmacological therapy of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with unsuccessful or not feasible catheter ablation and contraindication or inefficacy to amiodarone and beta-blockers, is controversial. The present study investigated the effectiveness and tolerability of mexiletine in patients with recurrent ventricular arrhythmias and...

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading life-threatening complications in hemodialysis patients. In this scenario, both tachy-arrhythmias and brady-arrhythmias are involved with related hemodialysis and nonhemodialysis-dependent mechanisms; moreover, those arrhythmias usually occur in different time intervals before sudden cardiac death (SCD). Furt...

Background: Prevalence of the major risk factors in patients with Left Main (LM) bifurcation disease has not been yet clearly assessed, although it would important for building up bifurcation computational models. We perform a systematic review and metaanalysis on the three major cardiovascular risk factors in patients treated for LM bifurcation d...

Objective: The prevalence and prognostic implications of pre-existing dyslipidaemia in patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 remain unclear. To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and mortality risk in COVID-19 patients with pre-existing dyslipidaemia. Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analy...