Publications by authors named "Chicos A"
Article Synopsis
- Inappropriate therapy (IAT) is a significant issue associated with implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) therapy, particularly highlighted in early subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) studies which showed high rates of inappropriate shocks (IAS).
- The PRAETORIAN trial, an international study with 849 patients, found no major differences in IAT and IAS rates between S-ICD and transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) groups, as both groups had similar cumulative incidences.
- Key predictors for IAT varied between the two groups, with TV-ICD patients experiencing IAT mainly from supraventricular tachycardias, while S-ICD patients faced issues from cardiac oversensing
Article Synopsis
- The S-ICD was created to eliminate lead-related issues found in the TV-ICD, as it is an external device that sits under the skin rather than using leads inside the body.
- This analysis comes from the PRAETORIAN trial, where patients were randomly assigned to either S-ICD or TV-ICD and assessed for quality of life through various questionnaires at different stages.
- Results showed no significant differences in physical and mental well-being between the groups, but patients who experienced a shock recently reported lower social functioning and emotional health compared to those who did not.
Rates of and Indications for Subcutaneous ICD Extraction: A Multihospital Healthcare System Analysis.
J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol
January 2025
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the rates and reasons for the removal of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICDs) among patients who've had them implanted.
- Out of 372 patients studied over a median follow-up of 4.4 years, 5.9% required extraction, mainly due to bradycardia pacing needs, infections, and inappropriate shocks.
- Factors such as a history of smoking and a higher body mass index were linked to an increased likelihood of S-ICD extraction, indicating the importance of careful patient selection for the device.
Association between high-density mapping of atypical atrial flutter, clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization.
J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study compared high-density (HD) mapping to non-HD mapping in atrial flutter ablation to assess outcomes and healthcare utilization.
- Results showed that HD mapping led to a higher rate of successful circuit identification and a greater overall procedure success rate.
- Additionally, patients who had HD mapping experienced fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations related to atrial flutter within a year post-procedure.
Safety and feasibility of intravenous sotalol loading for the prevention of ventricular arrhythmias.
J Interv Card Electrophysiol
October 2024
Background: The use of intravenous (IV) sotalol loading following recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a 1-day loading protocol has reduced the obligatory 3-day hospital stay for sotalol initiation when given orally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a non-motile Gram-positive, catalase-negative cocci, a part of group D . In the literature, is documented as a causative agent of infective endocarditis, demonstrated by blood cultures in only four other cases, representing an extremely rare circumstance. Here, we describe a case of infective endocarditis due to in a young patient known with a bicuspid aortic valve and associated with a sigmoid precancerous polyp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRisk of Adverse Outcomes Associated With Cardiac Sarcoidosis Diagnostic Schemes.
JACC Clin Electrophysiol
August 2023
Article Synopsis
- A study evaluated the association of various cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) diagnostic criteria from different years (1993, 2006, 2014, and 2017) with negative health outcomes in patients.
- Research involved analyzing data from a global cardiac sarcoidosis registry and identified adverse events like mortality and surgeries in 587 patients.
- Results showed patients meeting the 1993 and 2006 criteria had significantly higher chances of experiencing adverse outcomes compared to those who didn't, while the 2014 and 2017 criteria did not show a significant correlation with these events.
Validation of the SCALE-CryoAF risk model to predict very late return of atrial fibrillation after cryoballoon ablation.
J Interv Card Electrophysiol
November 2023
Background: To date, few risk models have been validated to predict recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) >1 year after ablation. The SCALE-CryoAF score was previously derived to predict very late return of AF (VLRAF) >1 year following cryoballoon ablation (CBA), with strong predictive ability. In this study, we aim to validate the SCALE-CryoAF score for VLRAF after CBA in a novel patient cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Oral sotalol initiation requires a multiple-day, inpatient admission to monitor for QT prolongation during loading. A 1-day intravenous (IV) sotalol loading protocol was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in March 2020, but limited data on clinical use and administration currently exists. This study describes implementation of an IV sotalol protocol within an integrated health system, provides initial efficacy and safety outcomes, and examines length of stay (LOS) compared with oral sotalol initiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEsophageal temperature management during cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation.
J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol
December 2022
Introduction: Esophageal thermal injury (ETI) is a well-recognized complication of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Previous studies have demonstrated that direct esophageal cooling reduces ETI during radiofrequency AF ablation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of an esophageal warming device to prevent ETI during cryoballoon ablation (CBA) for AF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) was designed to reduce complications linked to traditional transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) therapy, such as lead issues and infections.
- The PRAETORIAN trial, which included 849 patients, found that while both devices had complications, the S-ICD group experienced fewer lead-related issues and systemic infections compared to the TV-ICD group.
- The trial results indicate that complications from the TV-ICD were more severe, often requiring invasive procedures, highlighting the S-ICD as a safer alternative for patients needing ICD therapy.
Does cardiac resynchronization help patients with cardiac sarcoidosis?
J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol
September 2022
Article Synopsis
- Ventricular tachycardia (VT) in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is linked to high mortality rates, and catheter ablation could offer better outcomes compared to traditional medical management.
- A study analyzed data from 158 patients with CS and VT at 16 medical centers over 16 years, focusing on the effectiveness of catheter ablation and accompanying medical treatments.
- Results showed that 54% of patients had complete success with ablation, with a significant reduction in VT storms and defibrillator shocks, although 46% experienced VT recurrence over a follow-up period of about 2.5 years.
Article Synopsis
- The PRAETORIAN trial compared the effectiveness of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S-ICD) and transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (TV-ICD), showing that S-ICD was noninferior in terms of inappropriate shocks and complications.
- A secondary analysis examined whether antitachycardia pacing in TV-ICD reduced appropriate shocks, particularly for patients with serious ventricular arrhythmias.
- Results indicated that S-ICD patients received appropriate therapy slightly more often than TV-ICD patients, but overall shock rates were comparable, with S-ICD demonstrating high shock efficacy.
Background: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a progressive inflammatory cardiomyopathy that can lead to heart failure, arrhythmia, and death. There is limited data on Orthotopic Heart Transplantation (OHT) outcomes in patients with CS. Here we examine outcomes in patients with CS who have undergone OHT at centers throughout the United States from 1987 to 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUse of a novel 4D intracardiac echocardiography catheter to guide interventional electrophysiology procedures.
J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol
December 2021
Introduction: Standard two-dimensional (2D), phased-array intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is routinely used to guide interventional electrophysiology (EP) procedures. A novel four-dimensional (4D) ICE catheter (VeriSight Pro, Philips) can obtain 2D and three-dimensional (3D) volumetric images and cine-videos in real-time (4D). The purpose of this study was to determine the early feasibility and safety of this 4D ICE catheter during EP procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImpact of pre-ablation weight loss on the success of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.
J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol
August 2021
Article Synopsis
- - Obesity increases the risk of recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) after ablation, but the effect of weight changes before the procedure on long-term AF outcomes is unclear.
- - A study of 601 patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation found that weight loss during the year prior to ablation was linked to improved freedom from AF after 15 months, particularly in obese individuals and some nonobese patients.
- - The findings suggest that encouraging patients to lose weight before AF ablation could enhance their recovery outcomes, warranting further research on effective weight loss strategies.
Implantable defibrillators and cardiac amyloidosis: Infiltrating the knowledge gap.
J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol
July 2020
Improvement in renal function following cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation.
J Interv Card Electrophysiol
April 2021
Purpose: Patients with chronic kidney disease are predisposed to heart rhythm disorders including atrial fibrillation (AF). Several studies have suggested that radiofrequency catheter ablation of AF improves renal function. However, little data exists for pulmonary vein isolation with cryoballoon ablation (CBA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Moderate sedation (MS) during cryoballoon ablation (CBA) avoids risks of general anesthesia (GA) and improves electrophysiology (EP) lab throughput. However, one barrier to the use of MS is the potential for patient discomfort. The objective of this study was to compare patient-reported outcome measures following CBA for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) under MS and GA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) that is associated with increased mortality. Exercise-based assessment of autonomic function has identified diminished parasympathetic reactivation after exercise in type 2 DM. It is postulated herein, that this would be more prominent among those with type 1 DM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF