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Patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) present a high risk of recurrence and new adverse cardiovascular events after hospital discharge. Elevated plasma LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels have been shown to be a causal factor for the development of coronary heart disease, and robust clinical evidence has documented that LDL-C levels decrease linearly correlates with a reduction in cardiovascular events. Recent studies have also demonstrated the safety and efficacy of an early and significant reduction in LDL-C levels in patients with ACS. In this position paper, Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists proposes a decision algorithm on early adoption of lipid-lowering strategies at hospital discharge and short-term follow-up of patients with ACS, in the light of the multiple evidence generated in recent years on the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia and the available therapeutic options, considering current reimbursement criteria.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) accounts for 2% of the total presentations to the emergency department (ED) and represents the most frequent arrhythmic cause for hospitalization. It steadily increases the risk of thromboembolic events and is often associated with several comorbidities that negatively affect patient's quality of life and prognosis. AF has a considerable impact on healthcare resources, making the promotion of an adequate and coordinated management of this arrhythmia necessary in order to avoid clinical complications and to implement the adoption of appropriate technological and pharmacological treatment options. AF management varies across regions and hospitals and there is also heterogeneity in the use of anticoagulation and electric cardioversion, with limited use of direct oral anticoagulants. The ED represents the first access point for early management of patients with AF. The appropriate management of this arrhythmia in the acute setting has a great impact on improving patient's quality of life and outcomes as well as on rationalization of the financial resources related to the clinical course of AF. Therefore, physicians should provide a well-structured clinical and diagnostic pathway for patients with AF who are admitted to the ED. This should be based on a tight and propositional collaboration among several specialists, i.e. the ED physician, cardiologist, internal medicine physician, anesthesiologist. The aim of this ANMCO-SIMEU consensus document is to provide shared recommendations for promoting an integrated, accurate, and up-to-date management of patients with AF admitted to the ED or Cardiology Department, in order to make it homogeneous across the national territory.

Background: Psychoactive substances have toxic effects resulting different cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular organ damage. Through a variety of mechanisms, they can trigger the onset of various forms of cardiovascular disease: acute or chronic, transient or permanent, subclinical or symptomatic. Hence, a thorough knowledge of the patient’s drug habits is essential for a more complete clinical-etiopathogenetic diagnosis and consequent therapeutic, preventive, and rehabilitative management. Summary: The prime reason for taking a Psychoactive Substance Use History in the cardiovascular context is to identify those people who use substances (whether habitual or occasional users, symptomatic or not) and adequately assess their overall cardiovascular risk profile in terms of user status and type of substance used. And, finally, to assess the likelihood of persistence in the habit or relapse, which would maintain their cardiovascular risk profile high. A psychoactive substance history could also alert the physician to suspect, and eventually diagnose, cardiovascular disease related to the intake of psychoactive substances, so optimizing the medical management of users. Taking such a history should be mandatory when a causal connection is suspected between intake of psychoactive substances and the observed symptoms or pathology, regardless of whether the individual is a declared user or not. Key Messages: The purpose of this article is to provide practical information on when, how and why to perform a Psychoactive Substance Use History.

The appropriateness of prescribing direct oral anticoagulants [dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban (DOACs)] is regulated on the criteria established in Phase III trials. These criteria are reported in the summary of the product characteristics of the four DOACs. In clinical practice, prescriptions are not always in compliance with established indications. In particular, the use of lower doses than those recommended in drug data sheets is not uncommon. Literature data show that the inappropriate prescription of reduced doses causes drug underexposure and up to a three-fold increase in the risk of stroke/ischaemic transient attack, systemic thromboembolism, and hospitalization. Possible causes of the deviation between the dose that should be prescribed and that prescribed in the real world include erroneous prescription, an overstated haemorrhagic risk perception, and the presence of frail and complex patients in clinical practice who were not included in pivotal trials, which makes it difficult to apply study results to the real world. For these reasons, we summarize DOAC indications and contraindications. We also suggest the appropriate use of DOACs in common clinical scenarios, in accordance with what international guidelines and national and international health regulatory bodies recommend.

In patients with atherosclerotic disease, the occurrence of atherothrombotic events is the main determinant of morbidity and mortality. Growing evidence suggests the involvement of the coagulation pathway in the atherosclerotic process and the benefit of antithrombotic agents, such as direct oral anticoagulants, which interfere with both platelet aggregation and the coagulation cascade. The COMPASS trial has shown that in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD), low-dose rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) added to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) 100 mg reduces major vascular events and mortality, with an increase in major bleeding but not in fatal bleeding or involving a critical organ. The reduction in major cardiovascular events has been confirmed in the overall population with CAD and in both patients with and without a previous percutaneous coronary revascularization, and also in patients with previous coronary bypass surgery. In patients with PAD, the combination of rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily and ASA was found to reduce both major adverse cardiovascular events and major adverse limb events, including major limb amputations. In clinical practice, the use of rivaroxaban 2.5 mg co-administered with ASA has been approved in both patients with CAD and symptomatic PAD at high risk of ischemic events. However, in Italy, the national health system reimbursement is provided only for patients with PAD. In patients treated with rivaroxaban 2.5 mg, assessment and monitoring of bleeding risk is crucial to achieve the maximum clinical benefit.

In several clinical investigations performed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and in diabetic and non-diabetic patients with heart failure or chronic kidney disease, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) proved their benefit on cardiac and renal adverse outcomes. Although there is clear evidence regarding the clinical benefits achieved, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying their efficacy are still poorly understood. Some favorable mechanisms are likely related to the induced glycosuria and natriuresis. Both have been observed since the early stages of the molecule action and can drive beneficial hemodynamic changes, resulting in a decline of glomerular hyperfiltration and activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. In addition to the improvement of cardiocirculatory regimen and renal performance, SGLT2i have an important role in cardio-renal protection by improving the metabolism of cardiomyocytes, carrying out anti-fibrotic and anti-inflammatory action and increasing the expression of cardio-protective adipokines. Further studies are needed to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the favorable effects of these drugs in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The purpose of this review article is to analyze the molecular mechanisms underlying the cardiovascular benefits of SGLT2i in each of the main organs involved in the cardio-renal axis. Furthermore, the manuscript aims to analyze the extent of the beneficial effects of SGLT2i on heart failure in the different populations investigated in the most recent clinical studies.

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with or without acute coronary syndromes (ACS) represent a subgroup with a challenging pharmacological management. Indeed, if on the one hand, antithrombotic therapy should reduce the risk related to recurrent ischaemic events and/or stent thrombosis; on the other hand, care must be taken to avoid major bleeding events. In recent years, several trials, which overall included more than 12 000 patients, have been conducted demonstrating the safety of different therapeutic combinations of oral antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents. In the present ANMCO position paper, we propose a decision-making algorithm on antithrombotic strategies based on scientific evidence and expert consensus to be adopted in the periprocedural phase, at the time of hospital discharge, and in the long-term follow-up of patients with AF undergoing PCI with/without ACS.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a common cardiac abnormality with a prevalence of 25% in the general population. PFO has been associated with the paradoxical embolism causing cryptogenic stroke and systemic embolization. Results from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and position papers support percutaneous PFO device closure (PPFOC), especially if interatrial septal aneurysms coexist and in the presence of large shunts in young patients. Remarkably, accurately evaluating patients to refer to the closure strategy is extremely important. However, the selection of patients for PFO closure is still not so clear. The aim of this review is to update and clarify which patients should be considered for closure treatment.

Aims: Using data from the nationwide prospective START registry that enrolled a large cohort of patients with chronic coronary syndromes (CCS), we aimed to investigate whether the presence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and pre-DM independently affected the risk of cardiovascular events at 1-year follow-up. Methods: We assessed the impact of DM and pre-DM on all-cause mortality and a composite of all-cause mortality and hospitalization for cardiovascular causes at 1-year follow-up. Results: Among the 3,778 patients with available fasting plasma glucose data at study entry, 37% were classified as DM, 25% as pre-DM, and 38% as no DM. At 1 year, patients with DM had higher rates of all-cause death (p = 0.004) and death/cardiovascular hospitalization (p = 0.003) than those with pre-DM or without DM. Conversely, no significant differences in the adverse event rate were found between patients with pre-DM and those without DM. At unadjusted Cox analysis, DM resulted as a predictor of both death for any cause (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.41; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.34–4.34; p = 0.003) and all-cause death/hospitalization for cardiovascular causes (HR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.02–1.62; p = 0.03). However, DM did not result as an independent predictor of either endpoint at multivariate analysis. Conclusions: The risk of 1-year major events among patients with CCS and pre-DM is comparable to that of patients with CCS and normoglycemic status and is lower than that of patients with DM.

AIMS We sought to assess the proportion of patients eligible for the ISCHEMIA trial and to compare the characteristics and outcomes of these patients with those without ISCHEMIA inclusion or with ISCHEMIA exclusion criteria in a contemporary, nationwide cohort of patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS AND RESULTS Among the 5,070 consecutive patients enrolled in the START registry, 4,295 (84.7%) did not fulfil the inclusion criteria (ISCHEMIA-Not Included or ISCHEMIA-Unclassifiable), 582 (11.5%) had exclusion criteria (ISCHEMIA-Excluded), and the remaining 193 (3.8%) were classified as ISCHEMIA-Like. At one year, the incidence of the primary outcome, a composite of death from cardiovascular (CV) causes, myocardial infarction (MI), or hospitalisation for unstable angina and heart failure, was 0.5% in the ISCHEMIA-Like versus 3.3% in other patients (p=0.03). The composite secondary outcome of CV mortality and MI occurred in 0.5% of the ISCHEMIA-Like patients and in 1.4% of the remaining patients (p=0.1). CONCLUSIONS In a contemporary real-world cohort of stable CAD patients, only 4% resulted in being eligible for the ISCHEMIA trial. These patients presented an extremely low annual risk of adverse events, especially when compared with other groups of stable CAD patients.

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Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, dapagliflozin, and empagliflozin, first developed as glucose-lowering agents for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, have been demonstrated to improve prognosis in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) regardless of the presence of diabetes. Since these drugs have only recently been included among the four pillars of HFrEF treatment, cardiologists are still unfamiliar with their use in this setting. This article provides an up-to-date practical guide for the initiation and monitoring of patients treated with SGLT2 inhibitors.

This document addresses the evaluation of the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) of multimodality imaging in the diagnosis and management of aortic valve disease. The goal of this AUC document is to provide a comprehensive resource for multimodality imaging in the context of aortic valve disease, encompassing multiple imaging modalities. Clinical scenarios are developed in a simple way to illustrate patient presentations encountered in everyday practice.

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with or without acute coronary syndromes (ACS) represent a subgroup with a challenging pharmacological management. Indeed, if on the one hand antithrombotic therapy should reduce the risk related to recurrent ischemic events and/or stent thrombosis, on the other hand care should be taken to avoid major bleeding events. In recent years, several trials, which overall included more than 12 000 patients, have been conducted demonstrating the safety of different therapeutic combinations of oral antiplatelet and anticoagulant agents. In the present ANMCO position paper we propose a decision-making algorithm on antithrombotic strategies based on scientific evidence and expert consensus to be adopted in the periprocedural phase, at the time of hospital discharge and in the long-term follow-up of patients with AF undergoing PCI with/without ACS.

Cancer patients have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and, notably, a significant prevalence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). It has been shown that an elevated presence of cardiovascular risk factors in this setting leads to an interaction between these two conditions, influencing their therapeutic strategies and contributing to higher mortality. Nonetheless, cancer patients have generally not been evaluated in ACS trials, so that the treatment in these cases is still not fully known. We reviewed the current literature and discussed the best management for these very high-risk patients. The treatment strategy must be tailored based on the cancer type and stage, balancing thrombotic and bleeding risks. When the prognosis is longer than six months, especially if a clinical instability coexists, patients with ACS and cancer should be referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as soon as possible. Moreover, an invasive strategy should be preferred in STEMI patients as well as in NSTEMI patients who are considered as high risk. On the contrary, in clinically stable NSTEMI patients, a conservative non-invasive strategy could be adopted, especially in cases of a poor life expectancy and/or of high risk of bleeding. Drug-Eluting-Stents (DES) should be the first choice if an invasive strategy is adopted. Conservative therapy could instead be considered in cancer patients with more stable CAD at an increased risk of major bleeding complications. However, the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel is recommended, but it should be as short as possible, whereas triple antithrombotic therapy is non-advised because it significantly increases the risk of bleeding. ACS management among cancer patients should be based on an accurate evaluation of the risk of thrombosis and bleeding. Future studies focused on choosing optimal strategies in tumor patients with ACS should be performed to treat this subset of patients better.

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is an established cardiovascular risk factor, and growing evidence indicates its causal association with atherosclerotic disease because of the proatherogenic low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-like properties and the prothrombotic plasminogen-like activity of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)]. As genetics significantly influences its plasma concentration, Lp(a) is considered an inherited risk factor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), especially in young individuals. Moreover, it has been suggested that elevated Lp(a) may significantly contribute to residual cardiovascular risk in patients with coronary artery disease and optimal LDL-C levels. Nonetheless, the fascinating hypothesis that lowering Lp(a) could reduce the risk of cardiovascular events - in primary or secondary prevention - still needs to be demonstrated by randomized clinical trials. To date, no specific Lp(a)-lowering agent has been approved for reducing the lipoprotein levels, and current lipid-lowering drugs have limited effects. In the future, emerging therapies targeting Lp(a) may offer the possibility to further investigate the relation between Lp(a) levels and cardiovascular outcomes in randomized controlled trials, ultimately leading to a new era in cardiovascular prevention. In this review, we aim to provide an updated overview of current evidence on Lp(a) as well as currently investigated therapeutic strategies that specifically address the reduction of the lipoprotein.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a deadly pandemic that has affected millions of people worldwide, is associated with cardiovascular complications, including venous and arterial thromboembolic events. Viral spike proteins, in fact, may promote the release of prothrombotic and inflammatory mediators. Vaccines, coding for the spike protein, are the primary means for preventing COVID-19. However, some unexpected thrombotic events at unusual sites, most frequently located in the cerebral venous sinus but also splanchnic, with associated thrombocytopenia, have emerged in subjects who received adenovirus-based vaccines, especially in fertile women. This clinical entity was soon recognized as a new syndrome, named vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, probably caused by cross-reacting anti-platelet factor-4 antibodies activating platelets. For this reason, the regulatory agencies of various countries restricted the use of adenovirus-based vaccines to some age groups. The prevailing opinion of most experts, however, is that the risk of developing COVID-19, including thrombotic complications, clearly outweighs this potential risk. This point-of-view aims at providing a narrative review of epidemiological issues, clinical data, and pathogenetic hypotheses of thrombosis linked to both COVID-19 and its vaccines, helping medical practitioners to offer up-to-date and evidence-based counseling to their often-alarmed patients with acute or chronic cardiovascular thrombotic events.

The favorable effects of physical activity on the cardiovascular system have been well described in scientific literature. Physical activity reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in both healthy subjects and in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, different intensity levels of physical activity have a different impact on the cardiovascular system. Some data support the hypothesis of a "physical activity paradox": repetitive exposure to vigorous physical activity may induce biological effects that counteract the benefits of moderate intensity levels of physical activity. In this review, we report the main effects of acute and chronic physical activity on the cardiovascular system and we summarize the biochemical mechanisms that may explain these effects.

Recent evidence shows that a range of persistent or new symptoms can manifest after 4-12 weeks in a subset of patients who have recovered from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, and this condition has been coined long COVID by COVID-19 survivors among social support groups. Long COVID can affect the whole spectrum of people with COVID-19, from those with very mild acute disease to the most severe forms. Like the acute form, long COVID has multisystemic aspects. Patients can manifest with a very heterogeneous multitude of symptoms, including fatigue, post-exertional malaise, dyspnea, cognitive impairment, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression, muscle pain, brain fog, anosmia/dysgeusia, headache, and limitation of functional capacity, which impact their quality of life. Because of the extreme clinical heterogeneity, and also due to the lack of a shared, specific definition, it is very difficult to know the real prevalence and incidence of this condition. Risk factors for developing long COVID would be female sex, initial severity, and comorbidities. Globally, with the re-emergence of new waves, the population of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 continues to expand rapidly, necessitating a more thorough understanding of potential sequelae of COVID-19. This review summarizes up to date definitions and epidemiological aspects of long COVID.

COVID-19, a deadly pandemic that has affected millions of people worldwide, is also associated with cardiovascular complications, such as venous and arterial thromboembolic events. The viral spike protein, in fact, may promote the release of prothrombotic and inflammatory mediators. Vaccines, coding for the spike protein, are the primary measure for preventing COVID-19. However, some unexpected thrombotic events at unusual sites, most frequently the cerebral venous and splanchnic districts, with associated thrombocytopenia, have emerged in subjects who received adenovirus-based vaccines, especially in fertile women. This clinical entity has been rapidly recognized as a new syndrome, named vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, probably caused by cross-reacting antiplatelet factor 4 antibodies activating platelets. This prompted the regulatory agencies of various countries to restrict the use of adenovirus-based vaccines to specific age groups. The prevailing opinion of most experts, however, is that the risk of developing COVID-19 disease, including thrombosis, clearly outweighs this potential extremely low risk.This paper aims at providing a comprehensive review of epidemiological issues, clinical data and pathogenetic hypotheses of thrombosis linked to both COVID-19 and its vaccines, helping cardiologists to offer an up-to-date and evidence-based counseling to their often-alarmed patients with acute or chronic coronary syndromes.

The prescription appropriateness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs [dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban]) is carefully regulated, taking into account the criteria established in phase III trials and listed in the summary of the product characteristics of the four DOACs. In clinical practice, prescriptions are not always in compliance with established indications. In particular, the use of doses lower than those recommended in drug data sheets is relatively frequent. Literature data show that the inappropriate prescription of DOAC doses causes drug underexposure and an up to three-fold increase in the risk of stroke/transient ischemic attack, systemic thromboembolism, and hospitalizations. Possible causes of the deviation between the dose that should be prescribed and that actually employed may include erroneous prescriptions, an overstated bleeding risk perception, and the presence of frail patients, who were not included in pivotal trials. For these reasons, we summarize DOAC indications and contraindications and suggest the appropriate use of DOACs in common clinical scenarios, in accordance with what international guidelines and national and international health regulatory agencies recommend.

Our review specifically focuses on virtual visit (televisit) in cardiology. Telemedicine comes as a response to the challenge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the many possibilities offered by telemedicine, one is the videoconference modality which consists of an online consultation, where a live interaction is created in real time through a video call system: recent studies confirm the rapid increase in video consultations during the pandemic. Despite the ongoing debate around the effectiveness of telemedicine in cardiology, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary to move more or less immediately towards remote modalities to guarantee the continuation of care for cardiological patients. The transition generated many important questions about quality of care and patient and medical use. Most patients would benefit from virtual visit, as its implementation has shown similar results to face-to-face consultation, improving patient health and satisfaction, and improving access to health services. Virtual visit programming and regulation will be required, with a homogeneous system of platforms within which the services will operate, integrated with the "normal" diagnosis and therapy paths. Virtual visit must be an ordinary way of providing services and not an exception. Finally, the use of digital systems cannot be limited to the experienced citizen, but must be adapted to the skills of younger and less competent patients.

The combination of oral anticoagulants (OAC) and dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is the mainstay for the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and/or undergoing PCI. However, this treatment leads to a significant increase in risk of bleeding. In most cases, according to the most recent guidelines, triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT) consisting of OAC and DAPT, typically aspirin and clopidogrel, should be limited to one week after ACS and/or PCI (default strategy). On the other hand, in patients with a high ischemic risk (i.e., stent thrombosis) and without increased risk of bleeding, TAT should be continued for up to one month. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) in triple or dual antithrombotic therapy (OAC and P2Y12 inhibitor) should be favored over vitamin K antagonists (VKA) because of their favorable risk/benefit profile. The choice of the duration of TAT (one week or one month) depends on a case-by-case evaluation of a whole series of hemorrhagic or ischemic risk factors for each patient. Likewise, the specific DOAC treatment should be selected according to the clinical characteristics of each patient. We propose a series of paradigmatic clinical cases to illustrate the decision-making work-up in clinical practice.

To the Editor COVID-19 (COrona VIrus Disease) patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease, multiple CV risk factors or comorbidities (i.e., arterial hypertension and diabetes) were shown to be more prone to a worse prognosis. SARS-CoV-2 is a still unknown enemy and the role of concomitant cardiovascular therapies has been controversial in the early stages, particularly with regard to Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitors...

Current European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) guidelines for the management of dyslipidemias have further reduced low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) targets, as compared to the guidelines released in 2016. These targets are particularly restraining for patients at very high risk (VHR).Using the data from a nationwide, prospective registry on patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), we sought to assess: 1) the contemporary use of conventional cholesterol-lowering therapies and the achievement of LDL-C goals according to previous and current ESC guidelines in subjects at VHR; 2) the proportion of VHR patients potentially eligible for proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor (PCSK9i) treatment.Among the 5053 patients with data available, 4751 (94.0%) were deemed as VHR. Among these patients, the mean LDL-C levels were 62.4 ± 47.7 mg/dl at enrollment. A high dose of statin was used in 54.9%, while the association of high dose statin and ezetimibe was prescribed in 4.8% of VHR patients. A target level of LDL-C 70 mg/dl recommended by 2016 ESC guidelines was reached by 58.1%, while a target of55 mg/dl and LDL-C reduction ≥50% recommended by 2019 ESC guidelines, would be reached by 3.2% of patients at VHR. Accordingly, 9.4% and 1.4% of VHR patients would be eligible for PCSK9i according to ESC guidelines and Italian regulations, respectively.In VHR patients enrolled in this large cohort of established ASCVD managed by cardiologists, the lipid management and LDL-C targets attainment is largely suboptimal.

The complexity of cardiovascular diseases has led to an extensive use of technological instruments and the development of multimodality imaging. This extensive use of different cardiovascular imaging tests in the same patient has increased costs and waiting times.The concept of appropriateness has changed over time. Appropriateness criteria address the need for specific cardiovascular imaging tests in well-defined clinical scenarios, and define the kind of cardiovascular imaging that is appropriated for each clinical scenario in different stages of the disease. The concept of appropriateness criteria has replaced the old idea of appropriate use criteria and reflects the increasing effort of the international Scientific Societies to create and review in a critical way the management of diagnostic tests used by clinicians.The aim of this Italian consensus document is to address the use of multimodality imaging in the diagnosis and management of the major cardiovascular clinical scenarios, taking into consideration not only the international guidelines and scientific documents already published, but also the reality of Italian laws as well as the various professional profiles involved in patient management and availability of technological diagnostic instruments.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have a lower prevalence in women than men; although, a higher mortality rate and a poorer prognosis are more common in women. However, there is a misperception of CVD female risk since women have commonly been considered more protected so that the real threat is vastly underestimated. Consequently, female patients are more likely to be treated less aggressively, and a lower rate of diagnostic and interventional procedures is performed in women than in men. In addition, there are substantial sex differences in CVD, so different strategies are needed. This review aims to evaluate the main gender-specific approaches in CVD.