2023 Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand Expert Position Statement on Catheter and Surgical Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation.

Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has increased exponentially in many developed countries, including Australia and New Zealand. This Expert Position Statement on Catheter and Surgical Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation from the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) recognises healthcare factors, expertise and expenditure relevant to the Australian and New Zealand healthcare environments including considerations of potential implications for First Nations Peoples. The statement is cognisant of international advice but tailored to local conditions and populations, and is intended to be used by electrophysiologists, cardiologists and general physicians across all disciplines caring for patients with AF.

Sleep habits, insomnia, and daytime sleepiness in a large and healthy community-based sample of New Zealanders.

Study Objectives: To determine the relationship between sleep complaints, primary insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, and lifestyle factors in a large community-based sample.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Blood donor sites in New Zealand.

Polysomnography in Australia--trends in provision.

Objectives: To describe the growth in the use of state-funded (Medicare) polysomnography (PSG) in Australia since 1990 and to compare PSG growth to other common diagnostic procedures and growth in total Medicare payments.

Methods: Interrogation of online database of historical census-level data routinely collected by Medicare.

Results: There has been a steady rise in the number of PSGs performed in Australia since 1990; the growth has been faster than overall Medicare-spending growth and faster than growth in comparable diagnostic procedures.

Respiratory events and periodic breathing in cyclists sleeping at 2,650-m simulated altitude.

We examined the initial effect of sleeping at a simulated moderate altitude of 2,650 m on the frequency of apneas and hypopneas, as well as on the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation from pulse oximetry (SpO2) during rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep of 17 trained cyclists. Pulse oximetry revealed that sleeping at simulated altitude significantly increased heart rate (3 +/- 1 beats/min; means +/- SE) and decreased SpO2 (-6 +/- 1%) compared with baseline data collected near sea level. In response to simulated altitude, 15 of the 17 subjects increased the combined frequency of apneas plus hypopneas from baseline levels.