Effect of Systemic Hypertension With Versus Without Left Ventricular Hypertrophy on the Progression of Atrial Fibrillation (from the Euro Heart Survey).

Hypertension is a risk factor for both progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) and development of AF-related complications, that is major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). It is unknown whether left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) as a consequence of hypertension is also a risk factor for both these end points. We aimed to assess this in low-risk AF patients, also assessing gender-related differences.

Modeling of Amiodarone Effect on Heart Rate Control in Critically Ill Patients with Atrial Tachyarrhythmias.

Aims: Amiodarone is the gold-standard medication to control heart rate in critically ill patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATs); however, effective doses and covariates influencing its efficacy remain unknown. We therefore performed pharmacodynamic modeling of heart rate reduction induced by amiodarone in these patients.

Methods And Results: This observational study included 80 consecutive severely ill patients receiving amiodarone to treat ATs.

Autonomic trigger patterns and anti-arrhythmic treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: data from the Euro Heart Survey.

Aims: To investigate the clinical characteristics, management, and outcome of patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) associated with autonomic triggers.

Methods And Results: One thousand five hundred and seventeen patients with paroxysmal AF participated in the Euro Heart Survey on AF. We categorized patients according to trigger pattern as reported by the physician: adrenergic (AF associated with exercise, emotion or during daytime only and absence of vagal triggers), vagal (postprandial or night time only, without presence of adrenergic triggers) and mixed (combination of vagal and adrenergic triggers).

Gated blood pool tomoscintigraphy with 4-dimensional optical flow motion analysis quantifies left ventricular mechanical activation and synchronization.

Background: Gated blood pool tomoscintigraphy has the unique capacity to accurately assess myocardial motion in paced patients. Our goal was to develop a precise radionuclide angiography analysis of cardiac dynamics to evaluate ventricular synchronization in patients undergoing biventricular pacing.

Methods And Results: On the basis of a 4-dimensional deformable motion estimation algorithm, we developed a protocol allowing estimation of motion fields after gated blood pool tomoscintigraphy.