Publications by authors named "Blair Halperin"
Background: The STOP AF First trial recently demonstrated that initial treatment with cryoballoon ablation (CBA) is safe and superior to antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy for preventing atrial arrhythmia recurrence in patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF).
Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in quality of life (QoL) and symptoms after first-line CBA vs AAD therapy.
Methods: Patients with symptomatic AF not previously receiving rhythm control therapy were randomized to AAD (class I or III) or CBA (Arctic Front Advance, Medtronic, Mounds View, MN).
Background: In patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation that has not responded to medication, catheter ablation is more effective than antiarrhythmic drug therapy for maintaining sinus rhythm. However, the safety and efficacy of cryoballoon ablation as initial first-line therapy have not been established.
Methods: We performed a multicenter trial in which patients 18 to 80 years of age who had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation for which they had not previously received rhythm-control therapy were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs (class I or III agents) or pulmonary vein isolation with a cryoballoon.
Context: Clinical studies of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have shown a reduction in sudden cardiac death, suggesting that omega-3 PUFAs may have antiarrhythmic effects.
Objective: To determine whether omega-3 PUFAs have beneficial antiarrhythmic effects in patients with a history of sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF).
Design And Setting: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial performed at 6 US medical centers with enrollment from February 1999 until January 2003.
Nonautomatic focal atrial tachycardia (NAFAT) is a rare and poorly understood arrhythmia either due to microreentry or triggered mechanism. NAFAT was defined as a focal atrial tachycardia which was inducible with pacing maneuvers in the electrophysiology lab. We reviewed the charts and EP study reports of all 38 patients with NAFAT, who underwent an EP study at our center between April 1994 and September 2000.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: We sought to determine the value of electrophysiology (EP) testing in patients with ventricular fibrillation (VF), ventricular tachycardia (VT) with syncope, or sustained VT in the setting of left ventricular dysfunction.
Background: Traditionally, EP testing is part of the workup of patients with sustained VT or VF. Recently, some have suggested that EP testing is unnecessary in these patients, many of whom are likely to receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
Objectives: This study compared a biphasic waveform with a conventional monophasic waveform for cardioversion of atrial fibrillation (AF).
Background: Biphasic shock waveforms have been demonstrated to be superior to monophasic shocks for termination of ventricular fibrillation, but data regarding biphasic shocks for conversion of AF are still emerging.
Methods: In an international, multicenter, randomized, double-blind clinical trial, we compared the effectiveness of damped sine wave monophasic versus impedance-compensated truncated exponential biphasic shocks for the cardioversion of AF.