Superior vena cava isolation using a pentaspline pulsed-field ablation catheter: feasibility and safety in patients undergoing atrial fibrillation catheter ablation.

Aims: Superior vena cava (SVC) isolation during atrial fibrillation catheter ablation is limited by the risk of collateral damage to the sinus node and/or the phrenic nerve. Due to its tissue-specificity, we hypothesized the feasibility and safety of pulsed-field ablation (PFA)-based SVC isolation.

Methods And Results: One hundred and five consecutive patients undergoing PFA-based AF catheter ablation were prospectively included.

Conduction system pacing in France in 2022: A snapshot survey from the Working Group of Pacing and Electrophysiology of the French Society of Cardiology.

Background: Conduction system pacing (CSP) is an emerging and promising approach for physiological ventricular pacing. While data from randomized controlled trials are scarce, use of His-bundle pacing (HBP) and left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) has increased in France.

Aim: To perform a national snapshot survey for cardiac electrophysiologists to evaluate adoption of CSP in France.

Vascular entrapment of a multipolar basket catheter (Orion ) during catheter ablation.

The IntellaMap Orion (Boston Scientific) is a 64-electrode basket catheter allowing for ultrahigh-density mapping of complex cardiac arrhythmias. We report the case of a basket catheter vascular entrapment, requiring surgical removal.

Atrial fibrillation detection by the subcutaneous defibrillator: real-world clinical performances and implications from a multicentre study.

Aims: No data exist concerning the clinical performances of the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) atrial fibrillation (AF) detection algorithm. We aimed to study the performances and implications of the latter in a 'real-world' setting.

Methods And Results: Between July 2017 and August 2019, 155 consecutive S-ICD recipients were included.

Clinical outcomes after primary prevention defibrillator implantation are better predicted when the left ventricular ejection fraction is assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Background: The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the key selection criterion for an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in primary prevention of sudden cardiac death. LVEF is usually assessed by two-dimensional echocardiography, but cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is increasingly used. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether LVEF assessment using CMR imaging (CMR-LVEF) or two-dimensional echocardiography (2D echo-LVEF) may predict differently the occurrence of clinical outcomes.

Prevalence and significance of fragmented QRS complex in lead V1 on the surface electrocardiogram of healthy athletes.

Aims: Limited data exist concerning fragmented QRS complexes (fQRSs) on the surface electrocardiogram (ECG) of apparently healthy athletes. We aimed to study the prevalence and significance of fQRS in lead V1 (fQRSV1), representing right ventricular (RV) activation, regarding training-induced RV morphological remodelling.

Methods And Results: Between January 2017 and August 2019, 434 consecutive non-sedentary subjects underwent preparticipation cardiovascular screening, including a 12-lead ECG.

Predictors of clinical outcomes after cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients ≥75 years of age: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy has been shown to benefit selected patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. Older patients have been underrepresented in randomized trials. This study was conducted to determine whether predictive factors for cardiac resynchronization therapy outcomes differ in patients older and younger than 75 years of age.

Safety of uninterrupted direct oral anticoagulants for ambulatory common atrial flutter catheter ablation: A propensity score-matched cohort study.

Background: Same-day home discharge after common atrial flutter catheter ablation (CAFCA) is a feasible, safe, and cost-effective practice, but there are currently no data for patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOAs).

Objective: We evaluated the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of ambulatory CAFCA in patients treated with DOAs compared with those treated with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs).

Methods: Patients scheduled for isolated and elective ambulatory CAFCA in our tertiary university center between 2009 and 2019 were included.

Rationale and Design for a Monocentric Prospective Study: Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Using a Novel Pacemaker Algorithm and Link With Aldosterone Plasma Level in Patients Presenting With Diastolic Dysfunction (SAPAAD Study).

Previous studies showed good agreement between pacemaker respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and polysomnography for diagnosis of severe sleep apnea (SA). The aim of this study is to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of RDI compared with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from a cardiorespiratory sleep study for the diagnosis of severe SA within patients requiring a pacemaker and meeting diastolic dysfunction criteria. Secondary objectives are as follows: correlation between plasma aldosterone level and SA severity, diagnostic accuracy of RDI for moderate SA, prevalence of SA among patients with diastolic dysfunction, occurrence of arrhythmias, and improvement of RDI with continuous positive airway pressure therapy.

Staggered Multiple-PRF Ultrafast Color Doppler.

Color Doppler imaging is an established pulsed ultrasound technique to visualize blood flow non-invasively. High-frame-rate (ultrafast) color Doppler, by emissions of plane or circular wavefronts, allows severalfold increase in frame rates. Conventional and ultrafast color Doppler are both limited by the range-velocity dilemma, which may result in velocity folding (aliasing) for large depths and/or large velocities.

Cephalic versus digital plethysmographic variability index measurement: a comparative pilot study in cardiac surgery patients.

Objectives: Noninvasive measurement of digital plethysmographic variability index (PVI(digital)) has been proposed to predict fluid responsiveness, with conflicting results. The authors tested the hypothesis that cephalic sites of PVI measurement (namely PVI(ear) and PVI(forehead)) could be more discriminant than PVI(digital) to predict fluid responsiveness after cardiac surgery.

Design: A prospective observational study.

Diagnostic value of three-dimensional contrast-enhanced echocardiography for left ventricular volume and ejection fraction measurement in patients with poor acoustic windows: a comparison of echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is a reliable and reproducible tool for assessing left ventricular (LV) function but remains sensitive to patient echogenicity. Contrast-enhanced 3DE (C3DE) has the potential to improve quantification in challenging patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of temporal resolution, spatial resolution, and image dynamic range on LV function assessed using C3DE compared with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with poor echogenicity.

Major congenital coronary artery anomalies in a paediatric and adult population: a prospective echocardiographic study.

Aims: We sought to describe our experience with major coronary anomalies (MCAs) diagnosed in transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in a large adult and paediatric population. MCAs may have serious clinical consequences. No echocardiographic studies have prospectively screened MCA in a general adult and paediatric population.

Scar extent as a predictive factor of ventricular tachycardia cycle length after myocardial infarction: implications for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator programming optimization.

Aims: After an old myocardial infarction (MI), patients are at risk for reentrant ventricular tachycardia (VT) due to scar tissue that can be accurately identified by late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR). Although the ability of LGE-CMR to predict sustained VT in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) recipients has been well established, its use to predict monomorphic VT (sustained or not) cycle length (CL) and so, optimize ICD programming has never been investigated.

Methods And Results: We included retrospectively 49 consecutive patients with an old MI who had undergone LGE-CMR before ICD implantation over a 4-year period (2006-09).