"First-degree AV block-a benign entity?" Insertable cardiac monitor in patients with 1st-degree AV block reveals presence or progression to higher grade block or bradycardia requiring pacemaker implant.

Background: First-degree AV block has in the past generally been considered a benign condition. A few recent studies have shown that 1st-degree AV block is associated with an increased risk for heart failure, pacemaker (IPG) implantation, and death. We investigated the outcomes of patients who received an insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) (Medtronic Reveal XT®) within the scope of the INSIGHT XT study and had 1st-degree AV block at baseline.

Costs of unstructured investigation of unexplained syncope: insights from a micro-costing analysis of the observational PICTURE registry.

Aims: The observational PICTURE (Place of Reveal In the Care pathway and Treatment of patients with Unexplained Recurrent Syncope) registry enrolled 570 patients with unexplained syncope, documented their care pathway and the various tests they underwent before the insertion of an implantable loop recorder (ILR). The aims were to describe the extent and cost of diagnostic tests performed before the implant.

Methods And Results: Actual costs of 17 predefined diagnostic tests were characterized based on a combination of data from PICTURE and a micro-costing study performed at a medium-sized UK university hospital in the UK.

Unexplained syncope: implications of age and gender on patient characteristics and evaluation, the diagnostic yield of an implantable loop recorder, and the subsequent treatment.

Background: Syncope is a common clinical problem with a variety of underlying mechanisms, some of which occur more frequently in 1 of the sexes or at a certain age.

Hypothesis: There may be clinically significant age- and gender-related differences in patients with unexplained syncope.

Methods: Five hundred seventy patients (54% women) with unexplained syncope received an implantable loop recorder (ILR) and were followed until diagnosis or for at least 1 year.

Early versus delayed implantation of a loop recorder in patients with unexplained syncope--effects on care pathway and diagnostic yield.

Background: This study looked to assess the care pathway and diagnostic yield in patients who received an implantable loop recorder (ILR) after an "initial phase of the diagnostic work-up" (initial work-up) or after a "full evaluation" of unexplained syncope.

Methods And Results: Physicians classified the timing of an ILR implant in 514 patients as either following an "initial work-up" (n=128; 25%) or "full evaluation" (n=386; 75%). Patients with an "initial work-up" underwent a median (IQ range) of 8 (6-14) tests prior to ILR implant compared to 14 (10-21) tests after "full evaluation" (p<0.

Performance of a new leadless implantable cardiac monitor in detecting and quantifying atrial fibrillation: Results of the XPECT trial.

Background: Current methods for detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) have limited diagnostic yield. Continuous monitoring with automatic arrhythmia detection and classification may improve detection of symptomatic and asymptomatic AF and subsequent patient treatment. The study purpose was to quantify the performance of the first implantable leadless cardiac monitor (ICM) with dedicated AF detection capabilities.