Atherosclerosis remains the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide characterized by the deposition of lipids and fibrous elements in the form of atheroma plaques in vascular areas which are hemodynamically overloaded. The global burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is steadily increasing and is considered the largest known non-infectious pandemic. The management of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is increasing the cost of health care worldwide, which is a concern for researchers and physicians and has caused them to strive to find effective long-term strategies to improve the efficiency of treatments by managing conventional risk factors. Primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the preferred method to reduce cardiovascular risk. Fasting, a Mediterranean diet, and caloric restriction can be considered useful clinical tools. The protective impact of physical exercise over the cardiovascular system has been studied in recent years with the intention of explaining the mechanisms involved; the increase in heat shock proteins, antioxidant enzymes and regulators of cardiac myocyte proliferation concentration seem to be the molecular and biochemical shifts that are involved. Developing new therapeutic strategies such as vagus nerve stimulation, either to prevent or slow the disease’s onset and progression, will surely have a profound effect on the lives of millions of people.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent occurrence and a negative prognostic indicator in patients with mitral regurgitation. Preoperative PH causes higher early and late mortality rates after heart surgery, adverse cardiac events, and postoperative systolic dysfunction in the left ventricle (LV). Methods: The research consisted of a retrospective study of a group of 171 consecutive patients with mitral regurgitation and preoperative PH who had undergone mitral valve surgery between January 2008 and October 2011. The PH diagnosis was based on echocardiographic evidence (systolic pulmonary artery pressure [sPAP] >35 mm Hg). The echocardiographic examination included assessment of the following: LV volume, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), sPAP, right ventricular end-diastolic diameter, right atrium area indexed to the body surface area, the ratio of the pulmonary acceleration time to the pulmonary ejection time (PAT/PET), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), determination of the severity of the associated tricuspid regurgitation, and presence of pericardial fluid. Surgical procedures consisted of mitral valve repair in 55% of the cases and mitral valve replacement in the remaining 45%. Concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery was carried out in 52 patients (30.41%), and De Vega tricuspid annuloplasty was performed in 29 patients (16.95%). The primary end point was perioperative mortality. The secondary end points included the following: pericardial, pleural, hepatic, or renal complications; the need for a new surgical procedure; postoperative mechanical ventilation >24 hours; length of stay in the intensive care unit; duration of postoperative inotropic support; need for an intra-aortic balloon pump; and need for pulmonary vasodilator drugs. Results: The mortality rate was 2.34%. In the univariate analysis, the clinical and echocardiographic parameters associated with mortality were preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV, the PAT/PET ratio, TAPSE, the indexed area of the right atrium, and concomitant CABG surgery. In the multivariate analysis, the indexed area of the right atrium and concomitant CABG surgery remained statistically significant. The multivariate analysis also showed the indexed area of the right atrium, LVEF, presence of pericardial fluid, preoperative NYHA class, and concomitant CABG surgery as statistically significant for the secondary end point. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves identified an sPAP value >65 mm Hg to have the highest specificity and sensitivity for the risk of perioperative death in mitral regurgitation patients (area under the ROC curve [AUC], 0.782; P < .001) and identified an sPAP value of 60 mm Hg as the secondary end point (AUC, 0.82; P < .001). Severe PH (sPAP >60 mm Hg) is associated with a significant increase in the mortality rate; a longer stay in the intensive care unit; a mechanical ventilation duration >24 hours; lengthy inotropic support; renal, hepatic, and pericardial complications; and a need for endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, and/or prostanoids, both in the general group and in patients with preserved systolic functioning of the left ventricle. Conclusions: PH is a strong short-term negative prognostic factor for patients with mitral regurgitation. The surgical procedure should be performed in the early stages of PH. Echocardiographic examination has useful, simple, and reproducible tools for classifying operative risks. An ischemic etiology and a need for concomitant CABG surgery are additional risk factors for patients with mitral regurgitation and PH.

Managing cardiopulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COVID-19 remains a global challenge due to the facets of this virus. The technologies used in the rehabilitation of post-COVID-19 patients fail to keep pace with the global epidemiological developments. The purpose of this article is to review the medical technologies used in post-COVID-19 cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and the innovations that have allowed us to adapt and care for our patients. The pandemic highlighted the need for seismic changes in diagnostic and rehabilitation paradigms. We discuss advances in telemedicine and telemedicine-based rehabilitation, remote patient monitoring and emerging technologies used in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. The rapid adoption of modern technologies in the practice of post-COVID-19 cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is promising and can improve patients’ access to complex rehabilitation programs with outstanding results.

Maintenance is a crucial topic in the life cycle management of medical equipment. Evidence-based maintenance consists of continuous monitoring of equipment performance, starting from evidence—the current state from the point of view of fault history—and improving its efficiency through the necessary modifications. This process is very important for optimizing the use and allocation of the resources available by the clinical engineering departments. Maintenance of medical equipment consists of two basic activities: scheduled maintenance and corrective maintenance. The purpose of this chapter is to present document-based methods to evaluate every aspect of the medical equipment maintenance process and to provide a correct, objective and standardized approach that supports clinical engineering activities. Following the analysis, the results show that the combination of the use of the two methods provides an overview, in a periodic manner, of maintenance performance that indicates the use of the most appropriate procedures.