Temporary Transvenous Pacing Performed in the Intensive Care Unit or in the Catheterization Laboratory.

Background: Temporary transvenous pacing (TTP) is a common procedure, predominantly performed in the catheterization laboratory (cath lab) because of presumed lower complication rate. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TTP placement in the ICU compared to TTP placement in the cath lab.

Methods: This retrospective, real-life study included all patients requiring TTP in a tertiary care ICU between 2019 and 2022.

Catheter ablation of atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with atrioventricular septal defect.

Aims: The incidence of atrial tachyarrhythmias is high in patients with atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD). No specific data on catheter ablation have been reported so far in this population. We aimed to describe the main mechanisms of atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with AVSD and to analyse outcomes after catheter ablation.

Systematic Electrophysiological Study Prior to Pulmonary Valve Replacement in Tetralogy of Fallot: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

Background: Ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death are recognized complications in tetralogy of Fallot. Electrophysiological studies (EPS) before pulmonary valve replacement (PVR), the most common reintervention in tetralogy of Fallot, could potentially inform therapy to improve arrhythmic outcomes.

Methods: A prospective multicenter study was conducted to systematically assess EPS with programmed ventricular stimulation in patients with tetralogy of Fallot referred for PVR from January 2020 to December 2021.

Spironolactone as a Potential New Treatment to Prevent Arrhythmias in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Cell Model.

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a rare genetic disease associated with ventricular arrhythmias in patients. The occurrence of these arrhythmias is due to direct electrophysiological remodeling of the cardiomyocytes, namely a reduction in the action potential duration (APD) and a disturbance of Ca homeostasis. Interestingly, spironolactone (SP), a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, is known to block K channels and may reduce arrhythmias.

Carbon footprint of atrial fibrillation catheter ablation.

Aims: Climate change represents the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Health care system is itself a large contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In cardiology, atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation is an increasing activity using numerous non-reusable materials that could contribute to GHG emission.

Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Atrial Arrhythmias in Adult Patients With Atrioventricular Septal Defect.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the incidence, associated factors, and outcomes of atrial arrhythmias in adults with atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD).

Background: Data regarding atrial arrhythmias in adults with AVSD are particularly scarce.

Methods: Data were analyzed from a multicentric cohort of adult patients with AVSD.

Atypical twin atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia in a congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries patient with a surgical repair of a ventricular septal defect: a case report.

Background: Twin atrioventricular (AV) nodal tachycardia is a rare mechanism of supraventricular arrhythmia, only seen in some specific congenital heart defects (CHD). It consists of a re-entrant circuit between two distinct AV nodes (anterior and inferior). Since both nodes have antegrade and retrograde conduction, there is usually two QRS morphologies in sinus rhythm.

Lessons from radiofrequency redo-procedure after cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: To gain further insights into mechanisms leading to atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after a first ablation procedure using cryoballoon technique, the data collected during redo procedure were analyzed.

Methods And Results: From a total of 112 patients who underwent cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for paroxysmal AF, 44 had a second ablation procedure using radiofrequency catheter, because of recurrent atrial arrhythmia. PV reconduction was observed in 109 of the 171 initially isolated veins (64%).

Dose distributions of a proton beam for eye tumor therapy: hybrid pencil-beam ray-tracing calculations.

For the case of eye tumor therapy with protons, improvements are introduced compared to the standard dose calculation which implies straight-line optics and the constant-density assumption for the eye and its surrounding. The progress consists of (i) taking account of the lateral scattering of the protons in tissue by folding the entrance fluence distribution with the pencil beam distribution widening with growing depth in the tissue, (ii) rescaling the spread-out Bragg peak dose distribution in water with the radiological path length calculated voxel by voxel on ray traces through a realistic density matrix for the treatment geometry, yielding a trajectory dependence of the geometrical range. Distributions calculated for some specific situations are compared to measurements and/or standard calculations, and differences to the latter are discussed with respect to the requirements of therapy planning.

Range modulation in proton therapy--an optimization technique for clinical and experimental applications.

A fast optimization algorithm for range modulation in clinical and experimental applications of proton therapy is described. The method is versatile towards the number of parameters provided for range modulation, i.e.

A fast algorithm for the dose calculation of irregularly shaped fields in stereotactic convergent beam irradiation.

A fast, irregular field dose calculation algorithm is described for use in stereotactic convergent beam irradiation (CBI) with high-energy photons. The dose distribution of an irregular field is approximated by a convolution of narrow pencil beams. Decomposition of pencil beams and a 'pre-selection' algorithm is used to avoid redundant calculations.

Measurements of relative biological effectiveness of the 70 MeV proton beam at TRIUMF using Chinese hamster V79 cells and the high-precision cell sorter assay.

Measurements of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) have been made on the range-modulated 70 MeV proton beam at TRIUMF using a precise cell sorting survival assay. In this study, Chinese hamster V79-WNRE cells were suspended in medium containing liquid gelatin at 37 degrees C in irradiation tubes and the gel was allowed to solidify by cooling to 4 degrees C. Complete cell survival responses were measured at 11 positions with 2 mm spacing within a proton stopping peak width of approximately 2 cm.