Predictive value of microvolt T-wave alternans for cardiac death or ventricular tachyarrhythmic events in ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy patients: a meta-analysis.

Background: Microvolt T-wave alternans (MTWA) has been proposed as a predictor of the risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT) and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of MTWA in primary prevention patients with ischemic and nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Methods: The positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and relative risk (RR) of MTWA in predicting death, cardiac death, and SCD during follow-up were reported.

Diagnostic accuracy of a new software for complex fractionated electrograms identification in patients with persistent and permanent atrial fibrillation.

Introduction: The elimination of complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs) has been proposed as a potential target for guiding successful AF substrate ablation. The possibility to efficiently map the atria and rapidly identify CFAEs sites is necessary, before the CFAEs ablation becomes a routine approach. The aims of this study, conducted in patients with persistent and permanent atrial fibrillation (AF), were to analyze by CARTO mapping in the right (RA) and in the left atrium (LA) during AF: (1) the diagnostic accuracy of a new software for CFAEs analysis, (2) the spatial distribution of CFAEs, (3) the regional beat to beat AF intervals (FF).