Incessant Atrial Tachycardia From the Left Atrial Appendage Treated With Appendage Ligation.

A previously healthy man presented in shock due to incessant tachycardia. He ultimately required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for support and clipping of his appendage for arrhythmia control. This case highlights the importance of early recognition of cardiogenic shock, aggressive hemodynamic support, and a multidisciplinary approach to managing these challenging arrhythmias.

Cross-sectional associations between short and mid-term blood pressure variability, cognition, and vascular stiffness in older adults.

Background: High blood pressure variability (BPV), particularly in older age, appears to be an independent risk factor for incident dementia. The current study aimed to investigate the association between different BPV measures (short- and mid-term BPV including circadian patterns) and cognitive functioning as well as vascular stiffness measures to better understand the role that BPV plays in cognitive impairment.

Methods: 70 older adults (60-80-year-olds) without dementia completed a cognitive test battery and had their blood pressure (BP) assessed via a 24-hour ambulatory BP monitor (divided into sleep and wake for short-term BPV) and 4-day morning and evening home-based BP monitor (for day-to-day BPV).

The relationship between long-term blood pressure variability and cortical thickness in older adults.

High blood pressure variability (BPV) is a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia, but its association with cortical thickness is not well understood. Here we use a topographical approach, to assess links between long-term BPV and cortical thickness in 478 (54% men at baseline) community dwelling older adults (70-88 years) from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly NEURO sub-study. BPV was measured as average real variability, based on annual visits across three years.

Blood pressure variability and structural brain changes: a systematic review.

Background: Blood pressure variability (BPV) has been linked with cognitive impairment and dementia. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms by which BPV affects cognition are unclear. This systematic review aims to assess the links between different BPV measures and white and grey matter structures.

Cerebrovascular function during cognition in Parkinson's disease: A functional transcranial Doppler sonography study.

Objective: Recent evidence has linked cerebrovascular abnormalities with Parkinson's Disease (PD), which may provide a new neurophysiological understanding of cognitive impairment in PD. The current study aimed to compare cerebrovascular functioning, during a cognitive task and at rest, in those with and without PD.

Methods: Idiopathic PD patients (n = 30) and age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n = 30) undertook cognitive testing and completed a word generation task while blood flow velocity was monitored bilaterally with functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) of the middle cerebral arteries.