Study limitations
The main limitations of our study are related to the retrospective and
single-centre nature of the study, which cannot therefore be compared to
randomized trials. Furthermore, the numerosity of the population was
partly limited due to lack of sufficient preoperative and postoperative
data. A larger sample size might have been useful in identifying more
preoperative predictors of unfavourable outcomes, making analyses and
comparisons more effective. Larger multicentre studies on this topic are
therefore warranted.
Acknowledgements: This paper was written with the support of
the Alfieri Heart Foundation.
Conflicts of interest : none declared.