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BACKGROUND: The American College of Surgeons NSQIP surgical risk calculator provides an estimation of 30-day postoperative adverse outcomes. It is useful in the identification of high-risk patients needing clinical optimization and supports the informed consent process. The purpose of this study is to validate its predictive value in the Italian emergency setting. STUDY DESIGN: Six Italian institutions were included. Inclusion diagnoses were acute cholecystitis, appendicitis, gastrointestinal perforation or obstruction. Areas under the receiving operating characteristic curves, Brier score, Hosmer-Lemeshow index, and observed-to-expected event ratio were measured to assess both discrimination and calibration. Effect of the Surgeon Adjustment Score on calibration was then tested. A patient's personal risk ratio was obtained, and a cutoff was chosen to predict mortality with a high negative predicted value. RESULTS: A total of 2,749 emergency procedures were considered for the analysis. The areas under the receiving operating characteristic curve were 0.932 for death (0.921 to 0.941, p < 0.0001; Brier 0.041) and 0.918 for discharge to nursing or rehabilitation facility (0.907 to 0.929, p < 0.0001; 0.070). Discrimination was also strong (area under the receiving operating characteristic curve >0.8) for renal failure, cardiac complication, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism, serious complication, and any complication. Brier score was informative (<0.25) for all the presented variables. The observed-to-expected event ratios were 1.0 for death and 0.8 for discharge to facility. For almost all other variables, there was a general risk underestimation, but the use of the Surgeon Adjustment Score permitted a better calibration of the model. A risk ratio >3.00 predicted the onset of death with sensitivity = 86%, specificity = 77%, and negative predicted value = 99%. CONCLUSIONS: The American College of Surgeons NSQIP surgical risk calculator has proved to be a reliable predictor of adverse postoperative outcomes also in Italian emergency settings, with particular regard to mortality. We therefore recommend the use of the surgical risk calculator in the multidisciplinary care of patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery. The American College of Surgeons NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator was not validated in emergency surgery outside the US. External validation on 2,749 emergency procedures was performed at 6 Italian institutions. The analysis showed that the calculator is a reliable predictor of adverse postoperative outcomes, particularly mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) Registry of the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing (AIAC) monitors the main epidemiological data in real-world practice. The survey for the 2019 activity collects information about demographics, clinical characteristics, main indications for PM/ICD therapy and device types from the Italian collaborating centers., Methods: The Registry collects prospectively national PM and ICD implantation activity on the basis of European cards., Results: PM Registry: data about 22 889 PM implantations were collected (19 621 first implants and 3268 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 173. Median age of treated patients was 81 years (75 quartile I; 87 quartile III). ECG indications included atrioventricular conduction disorders in 33.3% of first PM implants, sick sinus syndrome in 16.4%, atrial fibrillation plus bradycardia in 11.6%, other in 38.7%. Among atrioventricular conduction defects, third-degree atrioventricular block was the most common type (18.3% of first implants). Use of single-chamber PMs was reported in 25.5% of first implants, of dual-chamber PMs in 67.1%, of PMs with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in 1.5%, and of single lead atrial-synchronized ventricular stimulation (VDD/R PMs) in 5.8%. ICD Registry: data about 17 328 ICD implantations were collected (12 129 first implants and 5199 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 425. Median age of treated patients was 71 years (62 quartile I; 77 quartile III). Primary prevention indication was reported in 83.1% of first implants, secondary prevention in 16.9% (cardiac arrest in 5.9%). A single-chamber ICD was used in 26.1% of first implants, dual-chamber ICD in 28.0% and biventricular ICD in 45.9%., Conclusions: The PM and ICD Registry appears fundamental for monitoring PM and ICD utilization on a large national scale with rigorous examination of demographics and clinical indications. The PM Registry showed stable electrocardiographic and symptom indications, with an important prevalence of dual-chamber pacing. The use of CRT-PM regards a very limited number of patients. The ICD Registry documented a large use of prophylactic and biventricular ICD, reflecting a favorable adherence to trials and guidelines in clinical practice. In order to increase and optimize the cooperation of Italian implanting centers, online data entry (https://www.aiac.it/riprid) should be adopted at large scale.

Background: The pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) Registry of the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing (AIAC) monitors the main epidemiological data in real-world practice. The survey for the 2018 activity collects information about demographics, clinical characteristics, main indications for PM/ICD therapy and device types from the Italian collaborating centers., Methods: The Registry collects prospectively national PM and ICD implantation activity on the basis of European cards., Results: PM Registry: data about 23 912 PM implantations were collected (20 084 first implants and 3828 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 180. Median age of treated patients was 81 years (75 quartile I; 86 quartile III). ECG indications included atrioventricular conduction disorders in 34.5% of first PM implants, sick sinus syndrome in 18.3%, atrial fibrillation plus bradycardia in 13.0%, other in 34.2%. Among atrioventricular conduction defects, third-degree atrioventricular block was the most common type (19.2% of first implants). Use of single-chamber PMs was reported in 24.9% of first implants, of dual-chamber PMs in 67.6%, of PMs with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in 1.6%, and of single lead atrial-synchronized ventricular stimulation (VDD/R PMs) in 5.9%. ICD Registry: data about 18 353 ICD implantations were collected (13 944 first implants and 4359 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 433. Median age of treated patients was 71 years (63 quartile I; 78 quartile III). Primary prevention indication was reported in 84.3% of first implants, secondary prevention in 15.7% (cardiac arrest in 5.3%). A single-chamber ICD was used in 27.9% of first implants, dual-chamber ICD in 31.9% and biventricular ICD in 40.2%., Conclusions: The PM and ICD Registry appears fundamental for monitoring PM and ICD utilization on a large national scale with rigorous examination of demographics and clinical indications. The PM Registry showed stable electrocardiographic and symptom indications, with an important prevalence of dual-chamber pacing. The use of CRT-PM regards a very limited number of patients. The ICD Registry documented a large use of prophylactic and biventricular ICD, reflecting a favorable adherence to trials and guidelines in clinical practice. In order to increase and optimize the cooperation of Italian implanting centers, online data entry (http://www.aiac.it/riprid) should be adopted at large scale.

Background: The pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) Registry of the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing (AIAC) monitors the main epidemiological data in real-world practice. The survey for the 2017 activity collects information about demographics, clinical characteristics, main indications for PM/ICD therapy and device types from the Italian collaborating centers., Methods: The Registry collects prospectively national PM and ICD implantation activity on the basis of European cards., Results: PM Registry: data about 23 457 PM implantations were collected (19 378 first implant and 4079 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 185. Median age of treated patients was 81 years (75 quartile I; 86 quartile III). ECG indications included atrioventricular conduction disorders in 37.1% of first PM implants, sick sinus syndrome in 19.5%, atrial fibrillation plus bradycardia in 13.2%, other in 30.2%. Among atrioventricular conduction defects, third-degree atrioventricular block was the most common type (21.0% of first implants). Use of single-chamber PMs was reported in 25.6% of first implants, of dual-chamber PMs in 66.7%, of PMs with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in 1.4%, and of single lead atrial-synchronized ventricular stimulation (VDD/R PMs) in 6.3%. ICD Registry: data about 19 023 ICD implantations were collected (13 898 first implants and 5125 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 437. Median age of treated patients was 71 years (63 quartile I; 78 quartile III). Primary prevention indication was reported in 81.8% of first implants, secondary prevention in 18.2% (cardiac arrest in 6.4%). A single-chamber ICD was used in 27.0% of first implants, dual-chamber in 33.6% and biventricular in 39.3%., Conclusions: The PM and ICD Registry appears fundamental for monitoring PM and ICD utilization on a large national scale with rigorous examination of demographics and clinical indications. The PM Registry showed stable electrocardiographic and symptom indications, with an important prevalence of dual-chamber pacing. The use of CRT-PM regards a very limited number of patients. The ICD Registry documented a large use of prophylactic and biventricular ICD, reflecting a favorable adherence to trials and guidelines in clinical practice. In order to increase and optimize the cooperation of Italian implanting centers, online data entry (http://www.aiac.it/riprid) should be adopted at large scale.

Background: The pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) Registry of the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing (AIAC) monitors the main epidemiological data in real-world practice. The survey for the 2014 activity collects information about demographics, clinical characteristics, main indications for PM/ICD therapy and device types from the Italian collaborating centers., Methods: The Registry collects prospectively national PM and ICD implantation activity on the basis of European cards., Results: PM Registry: data about 24 680 PM implantations were collected (19 480 first implant and 5200 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 208. Median age of treated patients was 81 years (75 quartile I; 86 quartile III). ECG indications included atrioventricular conduction disorders in 45.3% of first PM implants, sick sinus syndrome in 23.1%, atrial fibrillation plus bradycardia in 11.7%, other in 19.9%. Among atrioventricular conduction defects, third-degree atrioventricular block was the most common type (22.7% of first implants). Use of single-chamber PMs was reported in 26.9% of first implants, of dual-chamber PMs in 63.6%, of PMs with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in 1.7%, and of single lead atrial-synchronized ventricular stimulation (VDD/R PMs) in 7.8%. ICD Registry: data about 17 116 ICD implantations were collected (11 274 first implants and 5842 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 424. Median age of treated patients was 71 years (62 quartile I; 77 quartile III). Primary prevention indication was reported in 72.3% of first implants, secondary prevention in 27.7% (cardiac arrest in 10.1%). A single-chamber ICD was used in 32.2% of first implants, dual-chamber in 37.1% and biventricular in 30.7%., Conclusions: The PM and ICD Registry appears fundamental for monitoring PM and ICD utilization on a large national scale with rigorous examination of demographics and clinical indications. The PM Registry showed stable electrocardiographic and symptom indications, with an important prevalence of dual-chamber pacing. The use of CRT-PM regards a very limited number of patients. The ICD Registry documented a large use of prophylactic and biventricular ICD, reflecting a favorable adherence to trials and guidelines in clinical practice.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of mesalamine administration on inflammatory response in acute uncomplicated diverticulitis., Methods: We conducted a single centre retrospective cohort study on patients admitted to our surgical department between January 2012 and May 2014 with a computed tomography -confirmed diagnosis of acute uncomplicated diverticulitis. A total of 50 patients were included in the analysis, 20 (study group) had received 3.2 g/d of mesalamine starting from the day of admission in addition to the usual standard treatment, 30 (control group) had received standard therapy alone. Data was retrieved from a prospective database. Our primary study endpoints were: C reactive protein mean levels over time and their variation from baseline (ΔCRP) over the first three days of treatment. Secondary end points included: mean white blood cell and neutrophile count over time, time before regaining of regular bowel movements (passing of stools), time before reintroduction of food intake, intensity of lower abdominal pain over time, analgesic consumption and length of hospital stay., Results: Patients characteristics and inflammatory parameters were similar at baseline in the two groups. The evaluation of CRP levels over time showed, in treated patients, a distinct trend towards a faster decrease compared to controls. This difference approached statistical significance on day 2 (mean CRP 6.0 +/- 4.2 mg/dL and 10.0 +/- 6.7 mg/dL respectively in study group vs controls, P = 0.055). ΔCRP evaluation evidenced a significantly greater increment of this inflammatory marker in the control group on day 1 (P = 0.03). A similar trend towards a faster resolution of inflammation was observed evaluating the total white blood cell count. Neutrophile levels were significantly lower in treated patients on day 2 and on day 3 (P < 0.05 for both comparisons). Mesalamine administration was also associated with an earlier reintroduction of food intake (median 1.5 d and 3 d, study group vs controls respectively, P < 0.001) and with a shorter hospital stay (median 5 d and 5.5 d, study group vs controls respectively, P = 0.03)., Conclusion: Despite its limitations, this study suggests that mesalamine may allow for a faster recovery and for a reduction of inflammatory response in acute uncomplicated diverticulitis.

Background: The pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) Registry of the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing (AIAC) monitors the main epidemiological data in real-world practice. The survey for the 2013 activity collects information about demographics, clinical characteristics, main indications for PM/ICD therapy and device types from the Italian collaborating centers., Methods: The Registry collects prospectively national PM and ICD implantation activity on the basis of European cards., Results: PM Registry: data about 25 419 PM implantations were collected (19 134 first implant and 6285 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 275. Median age of treated patients was 80 years (74 quartile I; 86 quartile III). ECG indications included atrioventricular conduction disorders in 43.6% of first PM implants, sick sinus syndrome in 24.7%, atrial fibrillation plus bradycardia in 12.9%, other in 18.8%. Among atrioventricular conduction defects, third-degree atrioventricular block was the most common type (23.2% of first implants). Use of single-chamber PMs was reported in 27.2% of first implants, of dual-chamber PMs in 62.6%, of PMs with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in 1.8%, and of single lead atrial-synchronized ventricular stimulation (VDD/R PMs) in 8.4%. ICD Registry: data about 16 519 ICD implantations were collected (11 474 first implants and 5045 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 430. Median age of treated patients was 71 years (63 quartile I; 77 quartile III). Primary prevention indication was reported in 76% of first implants, secondary prevention in 24.0% (cardiac arrest in 7.8%). A single-chamber ICD was used in 27.2% of first implants, dual-chamber in 35.9% and biventricular in 36.8%., Conclusions: The PM and ICD Registry appears fundamental for monitoring PM and ICD utilization on a large national scale with rigorous examination of demographics and clinical indications. The PM Registry showed stable electrocardiographic and symptom indications, with an important prevalence of dual-chamber pacing. The use of CRT-PM regards a very limited number of patients. The ICD Registry documented a constant increase in prophylactic and biventricular ICD use, reflecting a favorable adherence to trials and guidelines in clinical practice.

Background: The pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) Registry of the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing (AIAC) monitors the main epidemiological data in real-world practice. The survey for the 2012 activity collects information about demographics, clinical characteristics, main indications for PM/ICD therapy and device types from the Italian collaborating centers., Methods: The Registry collects prospectively national PM and ICD implantation activity on the basis of European cards., Results: PM Registry: data about 25 611 PM implantations were collected (18 870 first implant and 6741 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 245. Median age of treated patients was 80 years (74 quartile I; 86 quartile III). ECG indications included atrioventricular conduction disorders in 41.9% of first PM implants, sick sinus syndrome in 26.0%, atrial fibrillation plus bradycardia in 13.7%, other in 18.4%. Among atrioventricular conduction defects, third-degree atrioventricular block was the most common type (21.7% of first implants). Use of single-chamber PMs was reported in 29.0% of first implants, of dual-chamber PMs in 61.3%, of PMs with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in 1.7%, and of single lead atrial-synchronized ventricular stimulation (VDD/R PMs) in 8.0%. ICD REGISTRY: data about 16 606 ICD implantations were collected (11 393 first implants and 5213 replacements). The number of collaborating centers was 427. Median age of treated patients was 71 years (62 quartile I; 77 quartile III). Primary prevention indication was reported in 68.6% of first implants, secondary prevention in 31.4% (cardiac arrest in 9.0%). A single-chamber ICD was used in 29.4% of first implants, dual-chamber in 37.6% and biventricular in 32.9%., Conclusions: The PM and ICD Registry appears fundamental for monitoring PM and ICD utilization on a large national scale with rigorous examination of demographics and clinical indications. The PM Registry showed stable electrocardiographic and symptom indications, with an important prevalence of dual-chamber pacing. The use of CRT-PM regards a very limited number of patients. The ICD Registry documented a constant increase in prophylactic and biventricular ICD use, reflecting a favorable adherence to trials and guidelines in clinical practice.