Pacemaker implantation in the extreme elderly.

Introduction: There are scant data for pacemaker implant complications and readmission rates in the extreme elderly (age ≥80 years) despite their common use in this population.

Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of consecutive patients (n = 149, age ≥80 years) who underwent pacemaker implantation at a community hospital electrophysiology program from July 2008 through June 2010. Single-, dual-, and biventricular-chamber pacemakers and generator changes were included for analysis; cardioverter-defibrillator devices, temporary pacemakers, and loop recorders were excluded.

Patient demographics, complications, and hospital utilization in 250 consecutive device implants in a new community hospital electrophysiology program--implications for 'niche' hospitals.

Background: Single-center reports on patient demographics and early (<6 weeks) device complication rates in academic hospitals are scant and non-existent for non-academic community hospital electrophysiology (EP) programs.

Objective: The objective of our study was to examine the demographics, complications, re-admissions, and accessibility of care in a community EP program to add to the body of knowledge of 'real-world' defibrillator implant complications.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty consecutive patients who underwent device implantation by a single electrophysiologist in a new non-academic community hospital EP program starting from its inception in July 2008 were included for analysis.

Intrahissian anisotropy and second degree type I block.

A 79 year old female presents for evaluation of multiple episodes of witnessed syncope. Invasive electrophysiologic evaluation revealed evidence of both intrahissian Wenckebach and anisotropy. This is the first report documenting both phenomena in the same patient.

Life, survival, and behavioral health in small closed communities: 10 years of studying isolated Antarctic groups.

In the late 1980s the Australian Antarctic Division collaborated with NASA to use the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions' (ANARE) stations to pursue research of benefit to both programs. This article outlines the data collection efforts, the development of analyses, and selected results, and describes some of the benefits for the aerospace, health, and environmental psychology communities. The Behavior and Performance Laboratory at Johnson Space Center developed a questionnaire to sample broadly the many aspects of life in extreme environments analogous to space missions.

Behavioral health in Antarctica: implications for long-duration space missions.

Ideally, evidence from long-duration spaceflight should be used to predict likely occurrences of behavioral health events and for planning management strategies for such events. With small numbers of space travelers, and limited long-duration missions of a year or more, Earth analogues and simulations must be used as the evidence base, despite such analogues lacking microgravity, radiation, rapidly altering photoperiodicity, and fidelity to space. Antarctic health data are reviewed and an assessment made of the likely frequency of behavioral health events.