The Extent of Pulmonary Vein Electrical Connections Predicts the Success of Stand-Alone Pulmonary Vein Isolation in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Identification of persistent AF (PsAF) patients who may be cured with stand-alone pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) would allow more efficient ablation strategies. Intuitively, the benefit of PVI is expected to be lower when PVs are poorly connected, but this assumption has never been tested.

Objective: Evaluate whether the circumferential extent of PV connections assessed pre-ablation predicts the success rate of PVI.

Activated FXI-antithrombin and thrombin-antithrombin complexes in the prediction of venous thromboembolism and mortality in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients are at high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), especially during chemotherapy. Even though the contact system is implicated in the pathogenesis of thrombosis, limited data are available on the role of contact system activation in NSCLC-associated VTE.

Aim: In a prospective cohort of NSCLC patients starting chemotherapy, contact system activation and thrombin generation biomarkers were assessed in relation to 6-month VTE occurrence and mortality.

Long-term outcomes and worse clinical course in Takotsubo syndrome patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Aims: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is usually triggered by either physical/psychological stressors or comorbidities, neurological among others. The prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) among TTS and whether it has a worse clinical course is not known. We aim to describe ALS prevalence and its impact on clinical presentation, clinical course, and long-term mortality.

Use of Hexapod External Fixation in Limb Lengthening in Patients with Disproportionate Short Stature: A Systematic Review of the Last 20 Years.

Limb lengthening is a surgical procedure intended to correct discrepancies and deformities in limb length or to enhance limb length for functional or cosmetic reasons. Short stature, often seen as a physical condition, can significantly affect a patient's quality of life. The advancement of limb lengthening methods, including the creation of hexapod external fixation systems, has heightened the precision and efficacy of these procedures.

Predicting outcomes in persistent atrial fibrillation: the impact of surface ECG f-wave amplitude following pulmonary vein isolation.

Background: Fibrillatory wave amplitude (fWA) on 12-lead ECG predicts the outcome of ablation in atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesized that changes in fWA following wide circumferential isolation of pulmonary veins (WPVI) in persistent AF (peAF) is a better predictor of ablation outcome compared to baseline fWA.

Methods: Eighty-nine patients (sustained peAF 7 ± 7 months) underwent a first-time WPVI.