Cardiovascular disease in women: Executive summary of the expert panel statement of women in cardiology of the hellenic cardiological society.

The perception that women represent a low-risk population for cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) needs to be reconsidered. Starting from risk factors, women are more likely to be susceptible to unhealthy behaviors and risk factors that have different impact on CV morbidity and mortality as compared to men. Despite the large body of evidence as regards the effect of lifestyle factors on the CVD onset, the gender-specific effect of traditional and non-traditional risk factors on the prognosis of patients with already established CVD has not been well investigated and understood.

Ranolazine for the prevention or treatment of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review.

The use of currently available antiarrhythmic drugs for atrial fibrillation is limited by their moderate efficacy and the considerable proarrhythmic risk. Ranolazine, an antianginal agent, has been reported to possess antiarrhythmic properties, resulting in a reduction of supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias. We performed a systematic review of the clinical studies reporting the outcome of patients treated with ranolazine for the prevention or treatment of atrial fibrillation in various clinical settings.

The use of the multi-electrode duty-cycled radiofrequency ablation catheter PVAC for the ablation of a left atrial tachycardia.

The multi-electrode ablation catheter PVAC is used to simplify pulmonary vein isolation in patients undergoing ablation of atrial fibrillation. The use of the PVAC in cases of atrial tachycardia has not been reported before. In the present report, we present the use of the PVAC for the ablation of a left atrial tachycardia following pulmonary vein isolation.

Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure are often coexisting major public health burdens. Although several studies have reported partial restoration of systolic left ventricular (LV) function after catheter ablation for AF, the method is not widely applied in patients with LV dysfunction. We reviewed the results of AF ablation in patients with systolic LV dysfunction.

Release of endothelin-1 from human endocardium after radiofrequency catheter ablation and coronary angioplasty: comparative results.

Background: Plasma levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) increase after coronary angioplasty (PTCA) due to endothelial injury during the procedure. ET-1 has been found in human endocardial and myocardial cells. It is not known whether ET-1 increases after thermal injury induced by radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA).