Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality in Europe, with potentially more than 60 million deaths per year, with an age-standardized rate of morbidity-mortality higher in men than women, exceeding deaths from cancer. Heart attacks and strokes account for more than four out of every five CVD fatalities globally. After a patient overcomes an acute cardiovascular event, they are referred for rehabilitation to help them to restore most of their normal cardiac functions. One effective way to provide this activity regimen is via virtual models or telerehabilitation, where the patient can avail themselves of the rehabilitation services from the comfort of their homes at designated timings. Under the funding of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program, grant no 769807, a virtual rehabilitation assistant has been designed for elderly patients (vCare), with the overall objective of supporting recovery and an active life at home, enhancing patients’ quality of life, lowering disease-specific risk factors, and ensuring better adherence to a home rehabilitation program. In the vCare project, the Carol Davila University of Bucharest (UMFCD) was in charge of the heart failure (HF) and ischemic heart disease (IHD) groups of patients. By creating a digital environment at patients’ homes, the vCare system’s effectiveness, use, and feasibility was evaluated. A total of 30 heart failure patients and 20 ischemic heart disease patients were included in the study. Despite the COVID-19 restrictions and a few technical difficulties, HF and IHD patients who performed cardiac rehabilitation using the vCare system had similar results compared to the ambulatory group, and better results compared to the control group.

Purpose: Despite all medical efforts and discoveries, heart failure (HF) remains one of the most important and common public health problems, with high mortality and hospitalization rates, due to decompensation of HF. In the present study, we aimed to identify a predictive factor through which we can evaluate the risk of readmission and mortality in the first year, given the initial admission of a patient with decompensated heart failure. Patients and Methods: The parameter we have investigated is the mean platelet volume (MPV). Studies have shown that there is a significant correlation between the value of MPV and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular (CV) death. In this study, we enrolled 130 patients hospitalized for decompensated chronic HF (NYHA class IV HF or acute pulmonary edema) and analyzed whether there is a relationship between the value of the MPV at admission and 6-month rehospitalization, and 1-year mortality, respectively. Results: The statistical analysis revealed significantly different values (p = 0.041) for MPV at admission between the group of patients without decompensated chronic HF compared to the group of patients with decompensated chronic HF (8.74 fl vs 9.08 fl). Also, the results of our study revealed that patients with decompensated chronic heart failure who were readmitted at 6 months and died at 1 year, respectively, had a higher MPV at admission (> 9 fl), compared to those without the above-mentioned events, with a statistical significance. Conclusion: A higher MPV at admission can be considered in our study as an independent predictor for rehospitalization and 1-year mortality of patients with decompensated chronic HF. Graphical Abstract:

Hypertension frequently coexists with obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or metabolic syndrome, anditsassociation with cardiovascular disease is well established. The identification and management of these risk factors is an important part of overall patient management. In this paper, we find the most relevant patterns of hospitalized patients with cardiovascular diseases, consideringaspects of their comorbidities, such as triglycerides, cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. To find the most relevant patterns, several clusterizations were made, playing with the dimensions of comorbidity and the number of clusters. There are three main patient types who require hospitalization: 20% whose comorbidities are not so severe, 44% with quite severe comorbidities, and 36% with fairly good triglycerides, cholesterol, and diabetes but quite severe hypertension and obesity. The comorbidities, such as triglycerides, cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, were observed in different combinations in patients upon hospital admission.

Liver transplantation is the treatment of choice for end-stage liver disease and despite accumulated experience over the years, improved surgical techniques, better immunosuppression and adequate intensive care management, it still represents the greatest challenge for anesthesiologists. The aim of the study was the characterization of the hemodynamic profile of patients with liver cirrhosis undergoing liver transplantation with the help of the PiCCO system during the three surgical stages, the impact of bleeding on hemodynamic status and correlation between the amount of bleeding, lactate levels, severity scores and survival rate and complications. Another focus of this study was the amount of transfused blood products and their impact on postoperative complications. Our study included 70 patients who underwent liver transplantation in our center and were hemodynamically monitored with the PiCCO system. Data were processed using the Python 3.9 programming language. Results: The mean MELD severity score was 18 points. During surgery, significant variations in the hemodynamic parameters occurred. All patients had a decrease in cardiac output in the anhepatic phase, with 50% presenting a decrease of more than 40%. In total, 78% of patients showed a decrease in the global ejection fraction, with a median value of 30%.Overall, 75% of patients had a total blood loss of less than 6000 mL and 31 patients developed immediate postoperative complications with a 50% probability with blood loss exceeding 6500 mL. Seven patients (10%) did not survive after 30 days. An amount of 5 mmol/L of serum neohepatic lactate determines a 50% probability of complications. Conclusions: Surgical technique causes an important decrease in cardiac output. Intraoperative bleeding has a major impact on outcome and the first month represents a critical period after liver transplantation. Statistical tests describe the probability of 30/90-day survival and the occurrence of complications according to variables such as intraoperative bleeding and MELD severity score. Intraoperative transfusion correlates with the occurrence of postoperative complications.

(1) Background: Despite advancements in medical research and discoveries, heart failure (HF) still represents a significant and prevalent public health challenge. It is characterized by persistently high mortality and morbidity rates, along with increased rates of readmissions, particularly among the elderly population. (2) Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively on 260 patients with stable or decompensated chronic HF. The parameter of interest in the study population was the mean platelet volume (MPV), and the main objective of the research was to identify a possible relationship between MPV and several variables—biological (NT-proBNP, presepsin, red cell distribution width (RDW)), electrocardiographic (atrial fibrillation (AFib) rhythm, sinus rhythm (SR)), and echocardiographic (left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), left atrial (LA) diameter, left ventricle (LV) diameter, pulmonary hypertension (PH)). (3) Results: By applying logistic and linear regression models, we assessed whether there is a correlation between MPV and biological, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic variables in patients with HF. The results revealed linear relationships between MPV and NT pro-BNP values and between MPV and RDW values, and an increased probability for the patients to have an AFib rhythm, reduced LVEF, dilated LA, dilated LV, and PH as their MPV value increases. The results were deemed statistically relevant based on a p-value below 0.05. (4) Conclusions: Through regression model analyses, our research revealed that certain negative variables in HF patients such as increased levels of NT-proBNP, increased levels of RDW, AFib rhythm, reduced LVEF, dilated LA, dilated LV, and PH, could be predicted based on MPV values.

Background: Even if the management and treatment of patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) have significantly evolved, it is still a burgeoning disease, an active volcano with very high rates of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, novel management and therapeutic strategies for this condition are urgently needed. Lately, theories related to the role of various blood cells in NSTEMI have emerged, with most of this research having so far been focused on correlating the ratios between various leukocyte types (neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio-NLR, neutrophil/monocyte ratio-NMR). But what about erythrocytes? Is there an interaction between these cells and leukocytes, and furthermore, can this relationship influence NSTEMI prognosis? Are they partners in crime? Methods: Through the present study, we sought, over a period of sixteen months, to evaluate the neutrophil/red blood cell ratio (NRR), monocyte/red blood cell ratio (MRR) and lymphocyte/red blood cell ratio (LRR), assessing their potential role as novel prognostic markers in patients with NSTEMI. Results: There was a statistically significant correlation between the NRR, LRR, MRR and the prognosis of NSTEMI patients. Conclusions: These new predictive markers could represent the start of future innovative therapies that may influence crosstalk pathways and have greater benefits in terms of cardiac repair and the secondary prevention of NSTEMI.