Publications by authors named "Carmen Munoz Esparza"

Background: Among inherited cardiomyopathies involving the left ventricle, whether dilated or not, certain genotypes carry a well-established arrhythmic risk, notably manifested as sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT). Nonetheless, the precise localization and electrophysiological profile of this substrate remain undisclosed across different genotypes.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and left ventricle involvement due to high-risk genetic variants and SMVT treated by electrophysiological study were recruited from 18 European/US centers.

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Background: Desmin (DES) pathogenic variants cause a small proportion of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Outcomes data on DES-related ACM are scarce.

Objectives: This study sought to provide information on the clinical phenotype and outcomes of patients with ACM caused by pathogenic variants of the DES gene in a multicenter cohort.

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Article Synopsis
  • Calmodulinopathy is caused by mutations in CALM genes and leads to serious arrhythmias, particularly in young people; the ICalmR aims to connect clinical symptoms with molecular causes.
  • The ICalmR has gathered data from 140 patients, showing a notable presence of CALM-LQTS and CALM-CPVT, and has observed a decrease in the frequency of serious cardiac events compared to past data.
  • The condition presents a wide range of symptoms, from severe arrhythmias to no symptoms at all; while therapy options are limited and based on current practices, management often involves medication and devices like defibrillators.
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Inherited cardiovascular diseases are an important cause of sudden cardiac death (SD). The use of risk scores identify high risk patients who would benefit from an implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). The development of automated devices for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest improves early resuscitation.

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Objectives: The goal of this study was to develop a risk score model for patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS).

Background: Risk stratification in BrS is a significant challenge due to the low event rates and conflicting evidence.

Methods: A multicenter international cohort of patients with BrS and no previous cardiac arrest was used to evaluate the role of 16 proposed clinical or electrocardiogram (ECG) markers in predicting ventricular arrhythmias (VAs)/sudden cardiac death (SCD) during follow-up.

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Background: There are limited data on ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) associated with left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: This study aims to analyze the clinical and electrocardiographic characteristics of VAs in a group of patients with LVNC.

Methods: Forty-two nonrelated patients with LVNC and VAs were included that were evaluated at the Inherited Cardiac Disease Unit of the University Hospital Virgen Arrixaca (Murcia-Spain) (ERN Guard-Heart Centre, European Reference Network for Rare and Low Prevalence Complex Diseases of the Heart).

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Aims: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is often accompanied by increased trabeculated myocardium (TM)-which clinical relevance is unknown. We aim to measure the left ventricular (LV) mass and proportion of trabeculation in an HCM population and to analyze its clinical implication.

Methods And Results: We evaluated 211 patients with HCM (mean age 47.

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Introduction And Objectives: Study of inherited heart diseases (IHD) involves performing diagnostic tests, which are sometimes inconvenient or stressful, in asymptomatic relatives. The aim of this study was to analyze refusal to undergo various diagnostic tests and follow therapeutic recommendations.

Methods: We assessed 1992 consecutive families with IHD to analyze refusal to undergo family screening.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cancer therapy-induced cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a condition characterized by left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure, commonly influenced by specific cancer drugs and individual patient factors.
  • Factors such as pre-existing heart disease, toxic substance abuse, age, and genetic predispositions affect how patients respond to cardiac injury from therapy.
  • The study highlights the connection between genetic mutations related to cardiomyopathies and cancer, suggesting that certain genetic variants may increase both heart disease risk and susceptibility to specific cancers.
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  • Andersen-Tawil Syndrome type 1 (ATS1) is a rare heart condition linked to mutations in the KCNJ2 gene, with a study focusing on its risks and treatment outcomes across a large patient cohort.
  • Out of 118 studied patients, 17 experienced life-threatening arrhythmic events (LAE) over an average follow-up of 6.2 years, with syncope and sustained ventricular tachycardia identified as significant risk factors.
  • The study concluded that antiarrhythmic therapy, especially amiodarone, may increase the risk of LAE in ATS1 patients, highlighting the need for careful management of these patients.
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Introduction And Objectives: There are few data on emergency visits after cryoballoon-based pulmonary vein isolation. The aim of this study was to quantify emergency department visits during the first 3 months after the procedure and to identify the reasons for consultation, final diagnoses, and the therapeutic approach.

Methods: Observational, retrospective study of 330 consecutive patients undergoing a first cryoballoon-based ablation procedure.

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Introduction And Objectives: To report medium- and long-term results following a single second-generation cryoballoon (CB2)-based ablation procedure in patients with paroxysmal (PAF) and persistent (PeAF) atrial fibrillation.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed of consecutive patients undergoing a first CB2-based ablation procedure in a tertiary center. Cryoenergy was applied for 3 min if a time to effect <60 s was documented or 4 min otherwise, with a bonus application in cases of late isolation or suboptimal temperature.

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With the development of deep sequencing, a significant proportion of mutations already listed in studies have inconclusive pathogenicity. We aim to establish the proportion of cases in which familial studies are possible and cosegregation analysis is informative. We also compare cosegregation analysis with in silico software and a proposed pathogenicity score.

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Introduction And Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a disorder with variable expression. It is mainly caused by mutations in sarcomeric genes but the phenotype could be modulated by other factors. The aim of this study was to determine whether factors such as sex, systemic hypertension, or physical activity are modifiers of disease severity and to establish their role in age-related penetrance of HCM.

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Introduction And Objectives: Patients with congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) have an abnormal QT adaptation to sudden changes in heart rate provoked by standing. The present study sought to evaluate the standing test in a cohort of LQTS patients and to assess if this QT maladaptation phenomenon is ameliorated by beta-blocker therapy.

Methods: Electrographic assessments were performed at baseline and immediately after standing in 36 LQTS patients (6 LQT1 [17%], 20 LQT2 [56%], 3 LQT7 [8%], 7 unidentified-genotype patients [19%]) and 41 controls.

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Introduction And Objectives: Long QT syndrome is an inherited ion channelopathy that leads to syncope and sudden death. Because of the heterogeneous phenotype of this disease, genetic testing is fundamental to detect individuals with concealed long QT syndrome. In this study, we determined the features of a family with 13 carriers of the KCNH2-H562R missense mutation, which affects the pore region of the HERG channel.

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Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic neoplasm characterized by plasma tumor cell proliferation in the bone marrow. It's a rare malignancy before a 40-year-old and it is extremely uncommon during pregnancy. We report the case of a 37-year-old woman with a newly diagnosed IgG λ MM (Durie-Salmon stage IIIA, International Staging System II and good prognosis cytogenetic) at the 27th week of her pregnancy.

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Introduction And Objectives: Low-gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction is a controversial entity. Misclassification of valvulopathy severity could explain the inconsistencies reported in the prognosis of these patients. Planimetry of the aortic area using three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography could clear up these doubts.

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Background: A highly sensitive assay for troponin T (hsTnT) has been recently developed, which allows for the detection of even minor myocardial necrosis with high precision. It remains unexplored whether hsTnT provides incremental prognostic accuracy beyond conventional (c)TnT in patients with acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Methods: A total of 202 consecutive patients admitted with ADHF and without criteria for acute myocardial infarction were studied.

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Introduction And Objectives: Red blood cell distribution width has emerged as a new prognostic biomarker in cardiovascular diseases. Its additional value in risk stratification of patients with chronic heart failure has not yet been established.

Methods: A total of 698 consecutive outpatients with chronic heart failure were studied (median age 71 years [interquartile range, 62-77], 63% male, left ventricular ejection fraction 40 [14]%).

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