[The IN-HF Registry: the history and the scientific production for the Italian cardiology community]. / Il programma IN-HF: la storia e la produzione scientifica a favore della comunità cardiologica italiana.

The Italian Network on Congestive Heart Failure (IN-CHF) project, later known as IN-HF Online, was launched in 1995 to provide the Italian cardiology community with a digital tool, standardized across the country, for managing outpatients with heart failure (HF), that enabled the creation of a database for clinical, educational and scientific purposes. During its almost three decades of activity, this observational research program has achieved highly positive scientific results. Indeed, IN-HF fostered professional relationships among individuals working in different centers, established a cultural network for the care of HF patients, periodically updated on the scientific advances, and allowed the assessment of several clinical, epidemiological, and prognostic features. These findings have been published in numerous national and international journals, as summarized in the present overview.

Clinical characteristics, treatment, trajectories and outcome of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy in a national heart failure registry.

BACKGROUND: Available data on the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF) due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) derive mainly from tertiary care centres for cardiomyopathies or from drug trial sub-studies, which may entail a referral bias. METHODS: From 2008 to 2021, we enrolled in a nationwide HF Registry 1886 DCM patients and 3899 with ischemic heart disease (IHD). RESULTS: Patients with DCM were younger, more often female, had more commonly recent onset HF, left bundle branch block, and showed higher LV end-diastolic volume and lower LVEF than IHD. With respect to IHD, DCM patients received more often mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, renin angiotensin system inhibitors and betablockers, the latter more commonly at doses ≥50% of target, and triple guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) (adjusted OR 1.411, 95% CI 1.247-1.595, p < .0001). During one-year follow-up, 819 patients (14.2%) died or were hospitalized for HF [187 (9.9%) DCM, 632 (16.2%) IHD]; DCM was associated with lower risk of the combined end-point (adjusted HR 0.745, 95% CI 0.625- 0.888, p = .0011). Among the 1954 patients with 1-year echocardiograms available, 1483 had LVEF≤40% at baseline; of these,166 (30.6%) DCM and 165 (17.5%) IHD improved their LVEF to >40% (p < .0001). DCM aetiology was associated with higher likelihood of LVEF improvement (adjusted OR 1.722, 95% CI 1.328 -2.233, p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: DCM patients have a different clinical profile, greater uptake of GDMT and better outcomes than IHD subjects. A comprehensive management approach is needed to further address the risk of unfavorable outcomes in DCM.

[ANMCO Position paper: States General 2023 - Digital medicine in cardiology: evidence and state of progress in Italy]. / Position paper ANMCO: Stati Generali 2023 ­ La medicina digitale in cardiologia: evidenze e stato di avanzamento in Italia.

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 health files in Italy, represents one of the fields of application of digital technologies in medicine. The 2023 States General of the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists (ANMCO) provided an opportunity to focus attention on the potential benefits and critical issues associated with the implementation of the aforementioned digital tools, artificial intelligence, and telecardiology. This document summarizes key aspects that emerged during the event.

[Pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart diseases: pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment]. / Ipertensione polmonare associata ad insufficienza cardiaca: fisiopatologia, diagnosi, terapia.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common complication of diseases affecting the left heart, mostly found in patients suffering from heart failure. Left atrial hypertension is the initial driver of post-capillary PH. However, several mechanisms may lead in a subset of patients to structural changes in the pulmonary vessels with development of a pre-capillary component. The right ventricle may be frequently affected, leading to right ventricular failure and a worse outcome. The differential diagnosis of PH associated with left heart disease vs pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is challenging in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities, risk factors for PAH and/or a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Multidimensional clinical phenotyping is needed to identify patients in whom hemodynamic confirmation is deemed necessary, that may be completed by provocative testing in the cath lab. In contrast with PAH, management of PH associated with left heart disease should focus on the treatment of the underlying condition. There is currently no approved therapy for PH associated with left heart disease: some PAH-specific treatments have led to an increase in adverse events in these patients.

[Management of patients with type 2 diabetes during cardiac prevention and rehabilitation. An expert opinion from the Italian Alliance for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Prevention (ITACARE-P)]. / La gestione del paziente con diabete di tipo 2 in Cardiologia Preventiva e Riabilitativa. Expert opinion della Italian Alliance for Cardiovascular Rehabilitation and Prevention (ITACARE-P).

Patients with diabetes, regardless of their cardiovascular disease and their index event, are more and more often referred to Cardiac Rehabilitation Units. These patients usually show high or very high cardiovascular risk, marked disability and poor quality of life. Furthermore, those with older age, frailty, and female sex have even more rehabilitative needs, thus requiring fine individualized approaches. Consequently, in order to identify their therapeutic goals, the glycemic target should be pursued together with the effective reduction of the global cardiovascular risk. Modern exercise protocols are based on the synergic effect of both aerobic and strength training of moderate and high effort intensities, in order to achieve improvements of cardiorespiratory fitness and glycemic values as well. Exercise training and nutritional intervention are strictly related during the rehabilitation program, thus promoting better lifestyle in the long term too. New antidiabetic drugs (such as sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) should be included into a specific "patient journey" along with other core components of the rehabilitation program. Therefore, the active role of all allied professionals (namely nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians and psychologists) is essential to the success of the cardiometabolic team. Diabetes should be routinely included in the outcome evaluation of cardiac rehabilitation programs and in every follow-up plan through a successful crosstalk among cardiologists, diabetologists and patients.

DAPA-HF applicability: the point of view of a cardiology setting.

Randomised clinical trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses have shown that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) reduce the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure (HF), chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, and mortality in patients with HF, irrespective of the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, real-world epidemiology may differ from clinical trial populations, thereby limiting generalisability and delaying the introduction of novel treatments in clinical practice.The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of DAPA-HF (Dapagliflozin and Prevention of Adverse Outcomes in Heart Failure) inclusion criteria in a population of HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients enrolled in the Italian Network on Heart Failure (IN-HF) registry.Overall, 3415 IN-HF patients matched the 4744 patients in DAPA-HF, overlapping for most baseline characteristics (e.g. similar average ejection fraction), with a slightly lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes and of HF ischaemic aetiology and a higher percentage of NYHA class II patients. The theoretical eligibility to DAPA-HF in a cardiology setting resulted to be 73%.The availability of an easily accessible database from a large nationwide prospective registry allows to provide insights to clinicians and policy makers on the applicability of the DAPA HF findings to a contemporary population of HFrEF patients followed by cardiologists. It is reasonable to assume that the results of this analysis can be applicable to the entire SGLT2-ir class of drugs.

[ANMCO Position paper in collaboration with ITACARE-P: Anti-ischemic treatment in patients with chronic coronary syndrome]. / Position paper ANMCO in collaborazione con ITACARE-P: Terapia anti-ischemica nei pazienti con sindrome coronarica cronica.

Over the last decade, pharmacological therapies for primary and secondary prevention of chronic coronary syndromes enriched with new agents have been demonstrated to be effective in reducing cardiovascular adverse events. However, currently available evidence on treatment for anginal symptom control is weaker. This position paper of the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists (ANMCO) aims to briefly report evidence that supports the use of anti-ischemic drugs for chronic coronary syndromes. Furthermore, we propose a therapeutic algorithm for the choice of the most appropriate drug on the basis of the clinical characteristics of the individual patient.

[Arrhythmias in adult congenital heart disease at the emergency department: ANMCO Tuscany clinical pathway]. / I clinical pathways dell'ANMCO Toscana: la gestione in urgenza delle aritmie nel cardiopatico congenito adulto.

Arrhythmias are a common complication in the adult population with congenital heart disease (ACHD). Arrhythmias often lead to hemodynamic instability and, on the other hand, may be a marker of hemodynamic impairment in ACHD patients, both in natural history and after cardiac surgery. Treatment requires knowledge of basic anatomy and any previous cardiac surgery; the availability of patient's health records, if possible, is therefore crucial for therapeutic choices. In the emergency setting, the first target is represented by the patient's hemodynamic stabilization; mainly in moderate or high complexity ACHD, the connection with the referral center is recommended, to which patients should be entrusted for follow-up. A regional epidemiological observatory, aiming to assess the number, type and outcomes of emergency admissions of ACHD patients could be a useful tool for analyzing the effectiveness of the collaboration network between the different structures involved and for implementing organizational pathways.

Prediction of worsening postoperative renal function in older candidates to elective cardiac surgery: Choosing the best eGFR formula may not be enough.

BACKGROUND: Though renal impairment is highly prevalent in older patients and influence post-operative outcomes in cardiac surgery; its prognostic relevance is debated and not fully assessed by surgical risk scores. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the predictive role of estimated glomerular filtration rate formulas for in-hospital worsening renal function (WRF) after cardiac surgery. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled in single-center cohort study, patients aged ≥ 75 years candidate to elective cardiac surgery. Four creatinine-based equations were used to calculate estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) formulas: Cockroft-Gault, Modification of Diet in Renal Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology, and Berlin Initiative Study 1 formulas. Each patient underwent geriatric and clinical evaluation before surgery with calculation of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons scores. In-hospital WRF was defined as a composite of an increase in SCr ≥0.5 mg/dl or the occurrence of grade III KDIGO acute kidney injury. The association between each eGFR equation, alone and in models including clinical variables, and WRF was analyzed using logistic regressions and ROC analysis. RESULTS: WRF occurred in 69 patients (19.8%), and the predictors of WRF were previous acute myocardial infarction, hypertension, 4-mt gait speed performance, and preoperative eGFR, irrespective of the equation used. With all equations, inclusion of these additional variables in the logistic regression models improved the prediction of WRF (AUCs 0.798-0.810). CONCLUSIONS: An accurate assessment of renal function and of physical performance should be incorporated into cardiac surgery risk scores to improve prediction of in-hospital WRF and, hence, risk stratification in older adults undergoing elective cardiac surgery.

Predictors of physical frailty improvement in older patients enrolled in a multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation program.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves clinical and functional recovery in older patients after acute cardiac syndromes, whose outcome is influenced by cardiac disease severity, but also by comorbidity and frailty. The aim of the study was to analyze the predictors of physical frailty improvement during the CR program. Data were collected in all patients aged > 75 years consecutively admitted from 1 January to December 2017 to our CR, consisting of 5-day-per-week of 30-min session of biking or calisthenics on alternate days for 4 weeks. Physical frailty was measured with short physical performance battery (SPPB) at the entry and the end of CR. Outcome was represented by an increase of at least 1 point in the SPPB score from baseline to the end of the CR program. In our study population of 100 patients, mean age 81 years, we demonstrated that a strong predictor of improvement in SPPB score was the poorer performance in the test at baseline; for Δ-1 point of score, we registered an OR 2.50 (95% CI = 1.64-3.85; p = 0.001) of probability to improve the physical performance at the end of CR. Interestingly those patients with worse performance at SPPB balance and chair standing task showed greater probability of ameliorating their physical frailty profile at the end of CR. Our data strongly suggest that CR program after acute cardiac syndrome produces a significant physical frailty improvement in those patients with worse frailty phenotype with an impairment in chair standing or balance at entry.

[Pulmonary hypertension clinical pathway: ANMCO Tuscany Board model]. / Clinical pathway per l'ipertensione polmonare: la proposta di ANMCO Toscana.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined by a mean pulmonary artery pressure >20 mmHg at rest during right heart catheterization. PH prevalence is about 1% of the global population. The PH clinical classification includes five groups: pulmonary arterial hypertension, PH associated with left heart disease, PH associated with lung disease, PH associated with pulmonary artery obstructions, PH with unclear and/or multifactorial mechanisms. In case of clinical suspicion, echocardiography is the first-line tool to start the diagnostic process. Right heart catheterization is the gold standard for diagnosis of PH, requires great experience and should be performed in expert centers. The classification of the PH patient in a specific subgroup requires multidisciplinary clinical and instrumental skills that only a reference center can provide. This document proposes a clinical pathway for the management of PH patients in the Tuscany region in order to standardize access to specialized care.

Cause-Specific Mortality in Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease in the ISCHEMIA-CKD Trial.

BACKGROUND: In ISCHEMIA-CKD, 777 patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and chronic coronary disease had similar all-cause mortality with either an initial invasive or conservative strategy (27.2% vs 27.8%, respectively). OBJECTIVES: This prespecified secondary analysis from ISCHEMIA-CKD (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness With Medical and Invasive Approaches-Chronic Kidney Disease) was conducted to determine whether an initial invasive strategy compared with a conservative strategy decreased the incidence of cardiovascular (CV) vs non-CV causes of death. METHODS: Three-year cumulative incidences were calculated for the adjudicated cause of death. Overall and cause-specific death by treatment strategy were analyzed using Cox models adjusted for baseline covariates. The association between cause of death, risk factors, and treatment strategy were identified. RESULTS: A total of 192 of the 777 participants died during follow-up, including 94 (12.1%) of a CV cause, 59 (7.6%) of a non-CV cause, and 39 (5.0%) of an undetermined cause. The 3-year cumulative rates of CV death were similar between the invasive and conservative strategies (14.6% vs 12.6%, respectively; HR: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.75-1.70). Non-CV death rates were also similar between the invasive and conservative arms (8.4% and 8.2%, respectively; HR: 1.25; 95% CI: 0.75-2.09). Sudden cardiac death (46.8% of CV deaths) and infection (54.2% of non-CV deaths) were the most common cause-specific deaths and did not vary by treatment strategy. CONCLUSIONS: In ISCHEMIA-CKD, CV death was more common than non-CV or undetermined death during the 3-year follow-up. The randomized treatment assignment did not affect the cause-specific incidences of death in participants with advanced CKD and moderate or severe myocardial ischemia. (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness With Medical and Invasive Approaches-Chronic Kidney Disease [ISCHEMIA-CKD]; NCT01985360).

[Ten questions on cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with heart failure: from etiological diagnosis to prognostic stratification]. / Dieci quesiti in tema di risonanza magnetica cardiaca nel paziente con scompenso cardiaco: dalla diagnosi eziologica alla stratificazione prognostica.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging has progressively become part of the imaging methods recommended in patients with heart failure. CMR represents the gold standard for assessing volumes, function, biventricular kinetics and providing tissue characterization through scans with and without contrast medium. In patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, CMR allows to search for viability, accurately estimate volumes and ejection fraction. It can assess scar extent for predicting response to cardiac resynchronization therapy and for establishing an indication for implanting a defibrillator in borderline cases. In patients with HFrEF and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, CMR helps to identify specific etiological subgroups and to estimate the arrhythmic risk beyond ejection fraction. In patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, CMR offers the possibility of diagnosing specific phenotypes, including sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis or Fabry disease, and adds prognostic information. Both clinical and scientific interest in this imaging method is constantly expanding; the clinicians dealing with heart failure cannot fail to know the technique, the indications and all the potential that CMR can offer.

[Heart failure with improved ejection fraction: practical guidance for the clinician]. / Lo scompenso cardiaco con frazione di eiezione migliorata: indicazioni gestionali per il clinico.

Heart failure with improved ejection fraction (HFimpEF) represents a nosological entity that has recently been recognized and has little evidence from the literature. Available data indicate an increasing incidence of this patient group, consistent with the progressive improvement and implementation of medical therapy of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Furthermore, it is important to underline that the therapy itself should not be suspended after ejection fraction recovery, to avoid the recurrence of worse systolic dysfunction and patient outcomes. Only recently a randomized clinical study has been published, which enrolled also this patient subgroup, the DELIVER trial. Other data will soon become available, given the interest of the scientific community for this subgroup of patients, whose best management remains controversial. Since many studies suggest that the probability of myocardial recovery in HFrEF patients might be as high as 40%, depending on the case series taken into account, whereas the time to recovery might even be 12 months, the appropriate timing of device implantation, such as the defibrillator, in this setting deserves careful consideration.

Combined Neuro-Humoral Modulation and Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure and Mildly Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction.

Pharmacotherapy of chronic heart failure with mildly reduced (HFmrEF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains challenging. We aimed to assess whether combined neuro-humoral modulation (NHM) (renin−angiotensin system inhibitors, betablockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists) was differentially associated with outcome according to phenotype and age groups. Between 1999 and 2018 we recruited in a nationwide cardiology registry 4707 patients (HFmrEF n = 2298, HFpEF n = 2409) from three age groups: <65, 65−79 and 80+ years old. We analyzed clinical characteristics and 1 year all-cause mortality/cardiovascular hospitalization according to none/single, any double, or triple NHM. Prescription rates of no/single and triple NHM were 25.1% and 26.7% for HFmrEF; 36.5% and 17.9% for HFpEF patients, respectively. Older age was associated with higher prescription of no/single NHM in HFmrEF (ptrend = 0.001); the reverse was observed among HFpEF (ptrend = 0.005). Triple NHM increased over time in both phenotypes (all p for trend < 0.0001). Compared to no/single NHM, triple, but not double, NHM was associated with better outcomes in both HFmrEF (HR 0.700, 95%CI 0.505−0.969, p = 0.032) and HFpEF (HR 0.700, 95%CI 0.499−0.983, p = 0.039), with no interaction between NHM treatment and age groups (p = 0.58, p = 0.80, respectively). In a cardiology setting, among HF outpatients with EF > 40%, triple NHM treatment increased over time and was associated with better patient outcomes.

Predictors of 1-year outcome in very old patients managed in a Heart Failure Unit after an acute decompensation.

PURPOSE: Consensus exits about the clinical benefits of an early referral to multidisciplinary Heart Failure Unit-HFU for old frail patients with HF. Nevertheless, few data are present regarding the prognosis and the predictors of outcome in oldest-old patients managed in this clinical setting. The aim of present study is to identify predictors of 1-year all-cause mortality in very old patients enrolled in our multidisciplinary HFU after an episode of acute decompensated HF. METHODS: This study is a retro-prospective, single-center cohort analysis of patients managed in our multidisciplinary HFU. Inclusion criterion was diagnosis of HF according to ESC guidelines and age ≥ 85 years, while no exclusion criteria were pre-defined. Baseline clinical and comprehensive geriatric evaluations were recorded during the first visit and follow-up visits were repeated according to our standardized timetable protocol. Primary end-point was 1-year all-cause mortality. RESULTS: We enrolled 75 patients aged 89.2 ± 2.8 years; 39 (52.0%) were females. During 1-year follow-up, seventeen patients (22.7%) died. Residual congestion with higher level (> 4) of EVEREST score (HR 1.24: 95% CI 1.04-1.47) and living alone (HR 3.34: 95% CI 1.16-9.64) resulted the two independent predictors of 1-year all-cause mortality at the multivariate Cox regression model. Finally, patients living alone and with an EVEREST score > 4 experienced a worse prognosis as clearly described by a steeper descendent Kaplan-Meier curve. CONCLUSION: In a very old population of patients after an acute decompensated HF, residual congestion and social isolation as living alone identify those with high risk of 1-year death.

BLITZ-HF: a nationwide initiative to evaluate and improve adherence to acute and chronic heart failure guidelines.

AIMS: To assess adherence to guideline recommendations among a large network of Italian cardiology sites in the management of acute and chronic heart failure (HF) and to evaluate if an ad-hoc educational intervention can improve their performance on several pharmacological and non-pharmacological indicators. METHODS AND RESULTS: BLITZ-HF was a cross-sectional study based on a web-based recording system with pop-up reminders on guideline recommendations used during two 3-month enrolment periods carried out 3 months apart (Phase 1 and 3), interspersed by face-to-face macro-regional benchmark analyses and educational meetings (Phase 2). Overall, 7218 patients with acute and chronic HF were enrolled at 106 cardiology sites. During the enrolment phases, 3920 and 3298 patients were included, respectively, 84% with chronic HF and 16% with acute HF in Phase 1, and 74% with chronic HF and 26% with acute HF in Phase 3. At baseline, adherence to guideline recommendations was already overall high for most indicators. Among acute HF patients, an improvement was obtained in three out of eight indicators, with a significant rise in echocardiographic evaluation. Among chronic HF patients with HF and preserved or mid-range ejection fraction, performance increased in two out of three indicators: creatinine and echocardiographic evaluations. An overall performance improvement was observed in six out of nine indicators in ambulatory HF with reduced ejection fraction patients with a significant increase in angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor prescription rates. CONCLUSIONS: Within a context of an already elevated level of adherence to HF guideline recommendations, a structured multifaceted educational intervention could be useful to improve performance on specific indicators. Extending this approach to other non-cardiology healthcare professionals, who usually manage patients with HF, should be considered.

[A clinical cardio-oncology pathway for the cardiology management of cancer outpatients: a joint proposal by ANMCO and AIOM Tuscany]. / Modello organizzativo e di un percorso clinico per la gestione cardiologica ambulatoriale del paziente oncologico: una proposta congiunta ANMCO e AIOM Toscana.

Cardio-oncology is now part of the standard clinical approach for patients with cancer and cannot be overlooked anymore. While its scientific background is solid and its clinical relevance is well known, its application in daily practice varies greatly among hospitals. To provide the best cardio-oncology care to cancer patients and to make cardio-oncology's clinical use uniform, we developed a shared multidisciplinary proposal for a dedicated clinical pathway. Our proposition presents the minimum requirements needed to which this path caters for, identifies patient categories to be entered into the path, highlights the role of a specific inter-hospital clinical and imaging network and indicates follow-up strategies during and after oncological treatments. The proposed pathway is based on some key elements and is easily adaptable to different hospitals with minimal changes.

Cardiac Rehabilitation in Advanced aGE after PCI for acute coronary syndromes: predictors of exercise capacity improvement in the CR-AGE ACS study.

BACKGROUND: The positive effect of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on outcomes after acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is established. Nevertheless, enrollment rates into CR programs remain low, although ACS carry a high risk of functional decline particularly in the elderly. AIM: We aimed to determine if a multidisciplinary CR improves exercise capacity in an older population discharged after ACS systematically treated with PCI. METHODS: CR-AGE ACS is a prospective, single-center, cohort study. All patients aged 75+ years consecutively referred to Cardiac Rehabilitation outpatient Unit at Careggi University Hospital, were screened for eligibility. Moderate/severe cognitive impairment, disability in 2+ basic activities of daily living, musculoskeletal diseases, contraindication to Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test, and diseases with an expected survival < 6 months, were exclusion criteria. Participants attended a CR program, based on 5-day-per-week aerobic training sessions for 4 weeks. RESULTS: We enrolled 253 post-ACS patients with a mean age 80.6 ± 4.4 years. After CR, 136 (56.2%) 77 (31.3%) patients obtained, respectively, at least a moderate (∆+5%) or an optimal (∆+15%) increase in VO2peak. Baseline VO2peak (- 1 ml/kg/min: OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.09-1.28), the number of training sessions (+1 session: OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.01-1.15), and mild-to-moderate baseline disability (yes vs. no: OR 0.22; 95% CI 0.01-0.57) were the predictors of VO2peak changes. CONCLUSIONS: A CR program started early after discharge from ACS produces a significant increase in exercise capacity in very old patients with mild-to-moderate post-acute physical impairment. Baseline VO2peak, the number of training sessions, and the level of baseline disability are the independent predictors of improvement.

Lower extremity performance predicts length of hospital stay in older candidates to elective cardiac surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Prolonged hospital stay must be considered as risk factor for poor outcomes after cardiac surgery; different variables have been advocated as predictors of in-hospital stay. Nevertheless, most patients requiring prolonged hospital stay are frail older subjects; thus, we hypothesized a significant influence of pre-operative physical performance, as a frailty measure, on in-hospital stay after elective cardiac surgery. METHODS: In a prospective, single-center, cohort study we enrolled patients aged 75+ years referred to our Division of Cardiac Surgery at Careggi University Hospital, for their first elective cardiac surgery. All participants were preoperatively evaluated by a team composed by a cardiac surgeon, a cardiologist, an anaesthesist, and a geriatrician to assess global cardiac surgery risk; lower extremity performance was measured with the Short Physical Performance Battery-SPPB. RESULTS: A total of 518 patients were included in the study. Mean age was 79.5 ±â€¯3.3 years; 256 (49.4%) were women. Isolated coronary by pass graft was performed in 37 patients (7.1%), isolated valve surgery in 115 (22.0%), and combined cardiac surgery procedures in 366 (70,9%). In a multivariable model, SPPB score was strongly associated with hospital length of stay both as continuous, categorized and dichotomous variable (p < 0.001; p = 0.002; p = 0.002 respectively) in all study population, and in subgroup of patients candidate to cardiac surgery considered by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons calculator score (p = 0.023; p = 0.056; p = 0.013 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the use of pre-operative SPPB evaluation before elective cardiac surgery based on the independent ability to predict length of hospital stay.