The arrhythmic substrate of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using ECG imaging.

Patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are at risk for lethal ventricular arrhythmia, but the electrophysiological substrate behind this is not well-understood. We used non-invasive electrocardiographic imaging to characterize patients with HCM, including cardiac arrest survivors. HCM patients surviving ventricular fibrillation or hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia (n = 17) were compared to HCM patients without a personal history of potentially lethal arrhythmia (n = 20) and a pooled control group with structurally normal hearts.

Prognostic benefits of His-Purkinje capture in physiological pacemakers for bradycardia.

Introduction: Clinical outcomes of long-term ventricular septal pacing (VSP) without His-Purkinje capture remain unknown. This study evaluated the differences in clinical outcomes between conduction system pacing (CSP), VSP, and right ventricular pacing (RVP).

Methods: Consecutive patients with bradycardia indicated for pacing from 2016 to 2022 were prospectively followed for the clinical endpoints of heart failure (HF)-hospitalizations and all-cause mortality at 2 years.

Ventricular Conduction Stability Noninvasively Identifies an Arrhythmic Substrate in Survivors of Idiopathic Ventricular Fibrillation.

Background Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (VF) is a diagnosis of exclusion following normal cardiac investigations. We sought to determine if exercise-induced changes in electrical substrate could distinguish patient groups with various ventricular arrhythmic pathophysiological conditions and identify patients susceptible to VF. Methods and Results Computed tomography and exercise testing in patients wearing a 252-electrode vest were combined to determine ventricular conduction stability between rest and peak exercise, as previously described.

Importance of newer cardiac magnetic resonance-based risk markers for sudden death prevention in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: An international multicenter study.

Background: The sudden death (SD) risk stratification algorithm in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has evolved, underscored recently by novel cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-based risk markers (left ventricular apical aneurysm, extensive late gadolinium enhancement, and end-stage disease with systolic dysfunction) incorporated into the 2020 American Heart Association (AHA)/American College of Cardiology (ACC) HCM guidelines.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the specific impact of newer, predominantly CMR-based risk markers in a large multicenter HCM population that underwent primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implants.

Methods: Longitudinal study of 1149 consecutive HCM patients from 6 North American and European HCM centers prospectively judged to be at high SD risk based on ≥1 AHA/ACC individual risk markers and prophylactically implanted with an ICD was performed.

A Multicenter External Validation of a Score Model to Predict Risk of Events in Patients With Brugada Syndrome.

A multivariate risk score model was proposed by Sieira et al in 2017 for sudden death in Brugada syndrome; their validation in 150 patients was highly encouraging, with a C-index of 0.81; however, this score is yet to be validated by an independent group. A total of 192 records of patients with Brugada syndrome were collected from 2 centers in the United Kingdom and retrospectively scored according to a score model by Sieira et al.

Non-invasive detection of exercise-induced cardiac conduction abnormalities in sudden cardiac death survivors in the inherited cardiac conditions.

Aims: Rate adaptation of the action potential ensures spatial heterogeneities in conduction across the myocardium are minimized at different heart rates providing a protective mechanism against ventricular fibrillation (VF) and sudden cardiac death (SCD), which can be quantified by the ventricular conduction stability (V-CoS) test previously described. We tested the hypothesis that patients with a history of aborted SCD due to an underlying channelopathy or cardiomyopathy have a reduced capacity to maintain uniform activation following exercise.

Methods And Results: Sixty individuals, with (n = 28) and without (n = 32) previous aborted-SCD event underwent electro-cardiographic imaging recordings following exercise treadmill test.

Voltage during atrial fibrillation is superior to voltage during sinus rhythm in localizing areas of delayed enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging: An assessment of the posterior left atrium in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Background: Bipolar electrogram voltage during sinus rhythm (V) has been used as a surrogate for atrial fibrosis in guiding catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), but the fixed rate and wavefront characteristics present during sinus rhythm may not accurately reflect underlying functional vulnerabilities responsible for AF maintenance.

Objective: The purpose of this study was determine whether, given adequate temporal sampling, the spatial distribution of mean AF voltage (V) better correlates with delayed-enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (MRI-DE)-detected atrial fibrosis than V.

Methods: AF was mapped (8 seconds) during index ablation for persistent AF (20 patients) using a 20-pole catheter (660 ± 28 points/map).

Ventricular conduction stability test: a method to identify and quantify changes in whole heart activation patterns during physiological stress.

Aims: Abnormal rate adaptation of the action potential is proarrhythmic but is difficult to measure with current electro-anatomical mapping techniques. We developed a method to rapidly quantify spatial discordance in whole heart activation in response to rate cycle length changes. We test the hypothesis that patients with underlying channelopathies or history of aborted sudden cardiac death (SCD) have a reduced capacity to maintain uniform activation following exercise.

Prevalence of spontaneous type I ECG pattern, syncope, and other risk markers in sudden cardiac arrest survivors with Brugada syndrome.

Introduction: A spontaneous type I electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern and/or unheralded syncope are conventionally used as risk markers for primary prevention of sudden cardiac arrest/death (SCA/SCD) in Brugada syndrome (BrS). In this study, we determine the prevalence of conventional and newer markers of risk in those with and without previous aborted SCA events.

Methods: All patients with BrS were identified at our institute.

Effectiveness of the 2014 European Society of Cardiology guideline on sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: In 2014, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommended the use of a novel risk prediction model (HCM Risk-SCD) to guide use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) for the primary prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). We sought to determine the performance of HCM Risk-SCD by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of articles reporting on the prevalence of SCD within 5 years of evaluation in low, intermediate and high-risk patients as defined by the 2014 guidelines (predicted risk <4%, 4%-<6% and ≥6%, respectively).

Methods: The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42017064203).

Comparison of the Prognostic Usefulness of the European Society of Cardiology and American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation Risk Stratification Systems for Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Implantable cardiodefibrillators (ICDs) have proven benefit in preventing sudden cardiac death (SCD) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC), making risk stratification essential. Data on the predictive accuracy on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) risk scoring system have been conflicting. We independently evaluated the ESC risk scoring system in our cohort of patients with HC from a large tertiary center and compared this with previous guidance by the American College of Cardiology Foundation and Heart Association (ACCF/AHA).

Repolarization abnormalities unmasked with exercise in sudden cardiac death survivors with structurally normal hearts.

Background: Models of cardiac arrhythmogenesis predict that nonuniformity in repolarization and/or depolarization promotes ventricular fibrillation and is modulated by autonomic tone, but this is difficult to evaluate in patients. We hypothesize that such spatial heterogeneities would be detected by noninvasive ECG imaging (ECGi) in sudden cardiac death (SCD) survivors with structurally normal hearts under physiological stress.

Methods: ECGi was applied to 11 SCD survivors, 10 low-risk Brugada syndrome patients (BrS), and 10 controls undergoing exercise treadmill testing.

ST-Elevation Magnitude Correlates With Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Conduction Delay in Type I Brugada ECG.

Background: The substrate location and underlying electrophysiological mechanisms that contribute to the characteristic ECG pattern of Brugada syndrome (BrS) are still debated. Using noninvasive electrocardiographical imaging, we studied whole heart conduction and repolarization patterns during ajmaline challenge in BrS individuals.

Methods And Results: A total of 13 participants (mean age, 44±12 years; 8 men), 11 concealed patients with type I BrS and 2 healthy controls, underwent an ajmaline infusion with electrocardiographical imaging and ECG recordings.

Cavotricuspid-Isthmus Dependent Flutter or Left-Sided Atrial Tachycardia?

A 52-year-old man with previous mitral valve replacement, cavotricuspid isthmus, and left-sided roof-line ablation for previous typical atrial flutter and tachycardia presented with recurrence of symptoms with an atrial tachycardia measuring 260 ms cycle length on electrocardiogram. Rhythmia electroanatomical mapping (Boston Scientific) was performed to understand the mechanism of arrhythmia and to guide ablative treatment.

Comparative analysis of diagnostic 12-lead electrocardiography and 3-dimensional noninvasive mapping.

The clinical utility of noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging has been demonstrated in a variety of conditions. It has recently been shown to have superior predictive accuracy and higher clinical value than validated 12-lead electrogram algorithms in the localization of arrhythmias arising from the ventricular outflow tract, and displays similar potential in other conditions.

The relationship between dipping profile in blood pressure and neurologic deficit in early acute ischemic stroke.

Blood pressure (BP) in healthy individuals exhibits a diurnal variation, with a nighttime dip of 10%-20%. A persistently high nighttime BP is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity. The effects of diurnal BP variations on the neurologic deficit in acute stroke at presentation and in the first few weeks poststroke are unclear.