Prognostic value of frontal QRS-T angle in predicting survival after primary percutaneous coronary revascularization/coronary artery bypass grafting for ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Background: Frontal QRS-T angle (FQRST) has previously been correlated with mortality in patients with stable coronary artery disease, but its role as survival predictor after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unknown.

Methods: We evaluated 267 consecutive patients with STEMI undergoing reperfusion or coronary artery bypass grafting. Data assessed included demographics, clinical presentation, electrocardiograms, medical therapy, and one-year mortality.

Quality of life outcomes in transcatheter aortic valve replacement patients requiring pacemaker implantation.

Background: Permanent pacemaker implantation is the most common complication after Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and is associated with worse outcomes and mortality. However, its impact on quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes remains unknown.

Methods: We included 383 consecutive patients undergoing TAVR from January 2012 to 2016 who completed a baseline Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12) health survey.

The use of cardiac-CT alone to exclude left atrial thrombus before atrial fibrillation ablation: Efficiency, safety, and cost analysis.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing financial burden on the healthcare system. Cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) is needed for pulmonary vein mapping before AF ablation (AFA). CCTA has shown to be an alternative to transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) to rule out left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) pre-AFA.

Validation of a smartphone-based event recorder for arrhythmia detection.

Introduction: Ambulatory cardiac monitoring devices such as external loop recorders (ELRs) are often used in the outpatient clinic to evaluate palpitations. However, ELRs can be bulky and uncomfortable to use, especially in public, at work, or in social situations. An alternative approach is a smartphone-based electrocardiographic (ECG) recorder/event recorder (Kardia Mobile [KM]), but the comparative diagnostic yield of each approach has not been studied.

Right Ventricular Versus Biventricular Pacing for Heart Failure and Atrioventricular Block.

The use of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is well accepted as an important option for the treatment of patients with systolic heart failure and prolonged QRS duration. CRT for patients with narrow QRS complexes is reserved for patients who are undergoing implantation of new or replacement pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators with an anticipated significant requirement for ventricular pacing. The Biventricular versus Right Ventricular Pacing in Heart Failure Patients with Atrioventricular Block (BLOCK HF) Trial examined the role of CRT in heart failure patients with atrioventricular block and demonstrated significantly better outcomes with CRT compared to right ventricular pacing.

Sex Differences In Outcomes Of Ablation Of Atrial Fibrillation.

Sex-related differences in the presentation, treatment, and outcomes of cardiovascular disease have been reported in many areas of cardiovascular medicine, including the clinical course and treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Women appear to be more symptomatic, have a lower quality of life, and are less tolerant of antiarrhythmic drugs than men. However, the rate of referral of women for catheter ablation of AF is significantly lower than men, and women are referred much later after failing more antiarrhythmic drugs.

Assessment of ventricular tachycardia scar substrate by intracardiac echocardiography.

Background: Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is increasingly used to guide complex ablation procedures. This study aimed to assess the scar substrate of ventricular tachycardia (VT) by ICE in patients undergoing VT ablation.

Methods: In 22 patients undergoing VT ablation (10 ischemic, 12 nonischemic), the Biosense CARTOSOUND module (Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA, USA) was used for three-dimensional reconstruction of the ventricles.

Acute management of atrial fibrillation: from emergency department to cardiac care unit.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common tachyarrhythmia encountered in clinical practice. One-third of hospitalizations in the United States are attributed to AF, with increasing rates in the past decade. Significant morbidity and mortality, including ∼15% to 20% of all ischemic strokes, result from AF.

50th Anniversary of the first successful permanent pacemaker implantation in the United States: historical review and future directions.

June 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the first successful human cardiac pacemaker implantation in the United States. On June 6, 1960, in Buffalo, New York, Dr. William Chardack implanted a pacemaker, designed and built by Wilson Greatbatch, an electrical engineer and inventor, in a 77-year old man with complete atrioventricular block, extending the patient's life by 18 months.

Glia induce dendritic growth in cultured sympathetic neurons by modulating the balance between bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and BMP antagonists.

Dendritic growth in cultured sympathetic neurons requires specific trophic interactions. Previous studies have demonstrated that either coculture with glia or exposure to recombinant bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) is both necessary and sufficient to induce dendrite formation. These observations led us to test the hypothesis that BMPs mediate glial-induced dendritic growth.

Interferon gamma induces retrograde dendritic retraction and inhibits synapse formation.

The expression of interferon gamma (IFNgamma) increases after neural injury, and it is sustained in chronic inflammatory conditions such as multiple sclerosis and infection with human immunodeficiency virus. To understand how exposure to this proinflammatory cytokine might affect neural function, we examined its effects on cultures of neurons derived from the central and peripheral nervous systems. IFNgamma inhibits initial dendritic outgrowth in cultures of embryonic rat sympathetic and hippocampal neurons, and this inhibitory effect on process growth is associated with a decrease in the rate of synapse formation.