Flavio Bassi

• ASUFC

Introduction There is a lack of evidence for the optimal type of anesthesia technique in patients ⩾ 90 years with acute ischemic stroke undergoing mechanical thrombectomy (MT) as this subgroup of patients was often excluded or under-represented in previous trials. We aimed to compare outcomes between general anesthesia (GA) and non-GA techniques in...

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) remain a challenge after esophagectomy. Despite improvement in surgical and anesthesiological management, PPCs are reported in as many as 40% of patients. The main aim of this study is to investigate whether early application of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) after extubation will provide ben...

Our study investigates the post-mortem findings of the diaphragm's muscular structural changes in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients. Diaphragm samples of the right side from 42 COVID-19 critically ill patients were analyzed and correlated with the type and length of mechanical ventilation (MV), ventilatory parameters, prone positioning, and...

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications after esophagectomy still represent a matter of concern. High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) early after major abdominal and thoracic surgery has demonstrated some advantages over conventional oxygen therapy. Data about respiratory effect of HFNC after esophagectomy is scarce. The primary aim of this stu...

Background: Severe COVID-19 patients are characterized by a dysregulated host response to an infection, with uncontrolled pro- and anti- inflammatory pathway activation. Consistent proportion of patients require admission in intensive care units and are at risk of progression to severe forms of disease. These patients are generally admitted during...

We aimed to assess the potential role of Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in conditioning respiratory function and pulmonary vasoregulation during Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection. Within 72 h from admission, samples from 90 COVID-19 patients were assessed for ADMA, SDMA, L-arginine concentrations. In addition...

Background: Noninvasive respiratory support (NIRS) has been extensively used during the COVID-19 surge for patients with acute respiratory failure. However, little data are available about barotrauma during NIRS in patients treated outside the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. Methods: COVIMIX-2 was an ancillary analysis of the previous COVIMIX...

Abstract Thrombocytopenia is a common condition that recognizes an infinite number of possible causes, especially in specific settings like the one covered in this case report: the postoperative period of cardiac surgery. We report a case of an old male with multiple comorbidities who underwent a coronary angioplasty procedure and aortic valve rep...

Background: Investigating the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge is necessary to identify possible modifiable risk factors. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the HRQoL in COVID-19 critically ill patients one year after ICU discharge. Methods: In this multicenter prospective observation...

Thrombocytopenia is a common condition that recognizes an infinite number of possible causes, especially in specific settings like the one covered in this case report: the postoperative period of cardiac surgery. We report a case of an old male with multiple comorbidities who underwent a coronary angioplasty procedure and aortic valve replacement....

ABSTRACT Background The risk of barotrauma associated with different types of ventilatory support is unclear in COVID- 19 patients. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the different respiratory support strategies on barotrauma occurrence; we also sought to determine the frequency of barotrauma and the clinical characteristic...

Pulmonary complications (PPC) are still reported in 30% of patients also after minimally-invasive esophagectomy in high volume centers. 1–2. Prehabilitation programs are promising in ERAS protocols. 3 Open esophagectomy (OE) has the lowest anastomotic leakage rate but higher PPC.4,5. The combination of pre-habilitation and the application of High-F...

Background Mid-Regional pro-Adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is an inflammatory biomarker that improves the prognostic assessment of patients with sepsis, septic shock and organ failure. Previous studies of MR-proADM have primarily focussed on bacterial infections. A limited number of small and monocentric studies have examined MR-proADM as a prognostic...

Abstract Background Pulmonary embolism (PE) without overt deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was common in hospitalized coronavirus-induced disease (COVID)-19 patients and represented a diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic challenge. The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic role of PE on mortality and the preventive effect of heparin on PE an...

Purpose. Cardiac surgery is characterized by a high risk of complications related to perioperative bleeding. Guidelines suggest the use of local algorithms based on perioperative point-of-care tests to assess and manage potential coagulation abnormalities. We investigated whether heparin reversal administration affects the adenosine-5-diphosphate (...

Herpesviridae infection in COVID-19 patients has been reported, particularly muco-cutaneous lesions. Little is known about Herpesviridae lung infection in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Typical scattered lesions seen through fiberoptic bronchoscopy in these patients should raise the question as to whether to start empirically acyclovir treatment...

Background The incidence of cerebral fat embolism (CFE) ranges from 0.9–11%, with a mean mortality rate of around 10%. Although no univocal explanation has been identified for the resulting fat embolism syndrome (FES), two hypotheses are widely thought: the ‘mechanical theory’, and the ‘chemical theory’. The present article provides a systematic re...

Objective: This review summarizes the peri-operative anesthesiological approaches to esophagectomy considering the best up-to-date, evidence-based medicine, discussed from the anesthesiologist’s standpoint. Background: Esophagectomy is the only curative therapy for esophageal cancer. Despite the many advancements made in the surgical treatment of t...

Novel Coronavirus Disease in most cases produces mild symptoms which resolve after a few days. Some authors hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 infection could trigger excessive cytokine production leading to a severe multi-organ disease requiring intensive care admission. Respiratory and neurological symptoms are the most frequently reported manifestatio...

Background and aim: Diaphragmatic dysfunction is seen in up to 60% of critically ill patients with respiratory failure, and it is associated with worse outcomes. The functionality of the diaphragm can be studied with simple and codified bedside ultrasound evaluation. Diaphragm excursion is one of the most studied parameters. The aim of this study...

Background Following positive experience on the use of blood ozonation in SARS-CoV-2, the CORMOR randomized trial was designed to evaluate the adjuvant role of oxygen/ozone therapy in mild to moderate SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Methods The trial (ClinicalTrial.gov NCT04388514) was conducted in four different Italian centers (April-October 2020). Patien...

COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly spread worldwide causing a serious challenge to the global medical community. Italy was struck hard during the first wave earlier this year and several weaknesses as well as general unpreparedness of the national healthcare system were acknowledged. Learning essential lessons from the past, we realized how implementing...

Introduction Pediatric brain injury is a common cause of emergency department (ED) referral. Although severe traumatic brain damage is less frequent, it could be primarily managed by non-pediatric critical care physicians called in for advice. Clinical evaluation is important, but radiology is of particular value in the case of severe brain injury....

Background: Pharmacological treatments for critical processes in patients need to be initiated as rapidly as possible; for this reason, it is a standard of care to prepare the main anesthesia and emergency drugs in advance. As a result, 20%-50% of the prepared drugs remain unused and are then discarded. Decreasing waste by optimizing drug use is a...

Mid Regional pro-ADM (MR-proADM) is a promising novel biomarker in the evaluation of deteriorating patients and an emergent prognosis factor in patients with sepsis, septic shock and organ failure. It can be induced by bacteria, fungi or viruses. We hypothesized that the assessment of MR-proADM, with or without other inflammatory cytokines, as part...

The lung ultrasound score (LUS)-as far as the literature reports-provides an overall rating of pulmonary aeration loss through the examination of 12 specified thoracic regions [1]. The level of aeration loss of each examined region is rated from 0 (absence of B lines) to 3 (lung consolidation), and the sum of these ratings constitutes the overall L...

Tocilizumab is widely being used to treat COVID-19. Although reducing systemic inflammation, it also increases the risk for secondary infections as a result of the immunosuppression produced. We report the case of a 69-year-old patient admitted to the ICU with severe respiratory distress caused by COVID-19 pneumonia who developed pulmonary aspergil...

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of postoperative complications arising within 30 days of minimally invasive esophagectomy in the prone position with total lung ventilation and their relationship with 30-day and 1-year mortality. Secondary outcomes included possible anesthesia-related factors linked to the development of complications. Methods...

Objective Cardiac surgery patients have a high risk of postoperative bleeding. Historically, the platelet count has been one of the main parameters used to establish the need for platelet transfusions, and the recent introduction of point-of-care tests for platelet function has allowed clinicians to rationalize platelet transfusion needs by assessi...

An 84-year-old woman, who had been admitted to the emergency department (ED) several times because of dyspnoea, was treated for acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory failure without satisfactory clinical improvement. According to her medical history, 8 years earlier, she underwent a complicated cardiosurgical procedure that required tracheostom...

Background Approximately 5% of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) develop a life-threatening pneumonia that often occurs in the setting of increased inflammation or "cytokine storm". Anti-cytokine treatments are being evaluated but optimal patient selection remains unclear. Methods Between February 29 to April 6, 2020, 111 consecutiv...

Objective Approximately 5% of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) develop a life-threatening pneumonia that often occurs in the setting of increased inflammation or “cytokine storm”. Anti-cytokine treatments are being evaluated but optimal patient selection remains unclear, and the aim of our study is to address this point. Methods B...

Lung ultrasound (LU) has rapidly become a tool for assessment of patients stricken by the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID‐19). Over the past two and a half months (January, February and first half of March 2020) we have used this modality for identification of lung involvement along with pulmonary severity in patients with suspected or documented COV...

We report a case of a 41-year-old man, victim of accidental avalanche burial, who donated his organs for transplantation after prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

The presence of an unknown intracardiac shunt due to a patent foramen ovale may be an unusual cause of hypoxemia. We report the case of a patient who presented persistent hypoxemia after an adequate treatment for a severe asthma attack requiring intensive care unit admission. The patient underwent a transthoracic microbubbles contrast echocardiogra...

Post dural puncture is one of the most common causes of postpartum headache. Other causes are benign primary headache disorders (migraine, tension-type headache) and secondary headache disorders such as stroke, ischaemia or pituitary apoplexy and venous sinus thrombosis. Headache in the new mother after delivery, mandates a differential diagnosis b...

Pharmacologic challenge with sodium channel blockers is part of the diagnostic workout in patients with suspected Brugada syndrome. The test is overall considered safe but both ajmaline and flecainide detain well known pro-arrhythmic properties. Moreover, the treatment of patients with life-threatening arrhythmias during these diagnostic procedures...

Introduction: Surgical resection represents the only therapeutic action having a radical intent for the treatment of resectable esophageal neoplasms. Minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is being more and more frequently performed. Few cases of esophagectomy after pneumonectomy have been described in the literature, and, to our k...

The first aim of the present study was to evaluate the pre- and postoperative B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in patients undergoing surgery for repair of an infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and analyze their power as a predictor of in-hospital cardiac events. The second aim was to evaluate the association among pre- and postopera...

We reviewed our experience with the transluminal placement of the Djumbodis system in the aortic arch and isthmus in patients with type A acute aortic dissection to assess its impact on true and false aortic lumen evolution. Between January 2005 and September 2009, 50 patients underwent surgery for type A acute aortic dissection. Twenty-eight patie...

: This study was carried out with the aim of presenting our experience with minimally invasive mitral surgery and compare the endoaortic clamp with the external aortic clamp (EAC) techniques. : Between December 2002 and May 2009, 139 patients (75 men, aged 63 ± 11 years) underwent video-assisted mitral valve surgery through right thoracotomy. Twelv...

Patients undergoing elective aortic abdominal aneurysm repair are at increased risk of perioperative mortality and morbidity. The majority of deaths in this setting are related to cardiac complications. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) has recently emerged as a predictive value in this context [1]. The current study tests this hypothesis.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the haemodynamic effects of passive leg elevation on the right ventricular function in two groups of patients, one with a normal right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) and one with a reduced RVEF. Twenty coronary patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting surgery were studied by a R...

The aim of this study was to investigate the haemodynamic changes that follow the appearance of pruritus during vancomycin administration. We studied 50 patients scheduled for coronary artery bypass surgery, and we compared data from patients who exhibited pruritus with those from patients who did not. After the monitoring devices had been position...

Coronary artery disease has been reported to be accelerated in patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance dialysis. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients on long-term dialysis is still a debated issue. We retrospectively reviewed 19 patients (12 men, 7 women, mean age 64 +/- 11.2 years) with end-stage renal disease who underwen...

A 48-year-old woman who underwent emergency cardiac surgery for removal of a thrombus partially occluding the mitral valve, developed pulmonary hypertension right ventricular failure and systemic hypotension, in the immediate postoperative period, a clinical condition not well controlled by high doses of epinephrine and dobutamine. The addition of...

We observed that the administration of vancomycin (V) is sometimes accompanied by pruritus, a clinical sign which appears a few minutes after the beginning of V infusion and lasts soon after V administration has been stopped. Generally it is not associated with a cutaneous rash. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hemodynamic behaviour which...

We evaluated the effect on the respiratory gas exchange of the 30° head-down position and the complete covering of the face by sterile drapes. These are used to cannulate the internal jugular vein and position the pulmonary artery catheter in the cardiosurgical patient. During the two manoeuvres, 20 coronary patients and 10 patients with end-stage...

The Tendelenburg position (TP) and the sterile sheet covering of the face (SCF) are two manoeuvres routinely employed to cannulate a central vein and position the Swan-Ganz catheter. The two manoeuvres however can interfere with the respiratory function, decreasing the functional residual capacity, redistributing the pulmonary blood flow and favour...