The evolution of mapping and ablation techniques in the treatment of atrial tachycardias occurring after atrial fibrillation ablation.

Purpose: A possible consequence of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation is the occurrence of organized atrial tachycardias (ATs). ATs after AF ablation (ATAAF) may be more symptomatic than AF itself, thus necessitating catheter ablation. We evaluated the prognostic significance of clinical and invasive characteristics for long-term sinus rhythm (SR) maintenance following ATAAF ablation and assessed the effect of technological developments on these results.

Selective Activation Re-Mapping Reveals the Mechanism in Apparently Unstable Atrial Tachycardias.

Following atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation procedures, patients may present with atrial tachycardias (ATs) that show remarkable stability for short periods of time but degenerate in unstable forms right afterwards. In order to map these types of ATs, we applied the sequential mapping capabilities only for time segments where ATs exhibited constant cycle length (CL) and activation sequence, excluding the segments with unstable recordings. We herein describe two cases of ATs after AF ablation which were mapped with this technique that allowed for the successful identification and subsequent ablation of the tachycardia circuit.

Carotid sinus hypersensitivity is common in patients presenting with hip fracture and unexplained falls.

Background: We tried to determine the prevalence of carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH) in patients with hip fractures with and without a clear history of an accidental fall.

Methods: We studied 51 patients hospitalized for a hip fracture and 51 matched controls from our outpatients department. All patients were subjected to a carotid sinus massage in the supine and upright position.

Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide in essential hypertension after treatment with irbesartan.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the medium-term effects of the selective AT1-blocker irbesartan on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels in patients with moderate essential hypertension. The drug was given orally in a daily dose of 300 mg for 30 days. Plasma ANP levels increased by 15.

Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide levels in essential hypertension after treatment with verapamil.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long term effects of the selective Ca2+-blocker verapamil on atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels in patients with moderate essential hypertension. The drug was given orally in a daily dose of 300 mg for 30 days. At the end of this clinical trial, plasma ANP levels increased by 16.