aDepartment of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, Unit of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University of Pavia

bAnesthesia and Intensive Care, Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo Hospital IRCCS, Pavia

cDepartment of Surgical, Medical, Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa

dAzienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy

eDepartment of Cardiovascular diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

fThe Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital Center, New York, New York, USA

Correspondence to Dr Guido Tavazzi, MD, PhD, Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences; Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Viale Golgi 19, 27100 Pavia, Italy. Tel: +39 382 503711; fax: +39 382 503008; e-mail: [email protected]