No abstract

Myopericarditis following mRNA Covid-19 vaccination has recently been reported to health authorities in a lot of countries. They can occur in very rare cases after either the Moderna (mRNA-1273 - Spikevax) or Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2 - Comirnaty) vaccination. Cases predominately occur in younger adult men within 14 days following the second dose. In this article, we present a 56-year-old man with no prior medical history, whit the exception of a mild Covid-19 infection 4 months earlier, who experienced an episode of acute epigastric pain, profuse sweating, tachycardia, hypotension 4 days after the first dose of BNT162b2 vaccine. Troponin I level was elevated. Chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, coronary angiography didn't show significant abnormalities. Cardiac Magnetic Resonance showed a pattern of acute myocarditis. The condition appeared to be self-limited and the patient recovered without specific therapy. No report of acute myocarditis was observed in the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 trials and very rare cases, in comparison to given doses, have been reported to pharmacovigilance systems worldwide. Further surveillance and evaluation of this side effect are warranted to establish the correct balance of benefits and risks of Covid-19 mRNA vaccines, above all in children and younger people (categories with the higher reactogenicity and the lower risk of Covid-19 complications). At the present time the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination significantly exceed possible risks.

An elderly-centered stratification based on functional frailty is useful to identify patients with more dependency and greater needs. A consequent personalized physiotherapy program designed to enhance independent mobility soon after cardiac surgery is safe and well accepted, and is more effective then usual physiotherapy.

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is known as a rare and severe cancer-related pulmonary complication. Nowadays, fewer than 80 cases have been reported in the literature and very few cases have been diagnosed antemortem. We describe an autopsy case of PTTM associated with cancer of unknown origin. A 56-year-old male patient came to our attention due to a 2-day history of dyspnea. Analysis of the clinical context in combination with laboratory and imaging tests led us to suspect acute pulmonary thromboembolism. However, the computed tomography pulmonary angiogram was negative for thromboembolism; on the contrary it revealed multiple lymphadenopathy. Microscopic pulmonary tumor embolism was suspected and a lymph node biopsy was planned. However, the patient's condition progressively worsened; death occurred 3 days after admission. After autopsy, histologically extensive neoplastic emboli involved the small pulmonary arteries and arterioles, often admixed with fibrin thrombi. The involved and noninvolved arteries also demonstrated fibrocellular intimal proliferation causing marked luminal stenosis and occlusion. These pathological features were characteristic of PTTM, which should be distinguished from microscopic tumor embolism and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute/subacute cor pulmonale and pulmonary hypertension in cancer as well as in noncancer patients. We propose a review of the literature and an algorithm to improve PTTM antemortem diagnosis.