Cryoballoon ablation without use of contrast for the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: Cryoballoon ablation (CBA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) is usually preceded by demonstrating pulmonary vein (PV) occlusion using contrast. The aim of the study was to determine efficacy and safety of a simplified protocol for CBA performed without demonstrating PV occlusion and compare achieved results with conventional CBA.

Methods: Paroxysmal AF patients undergoing a first-time CBA were prospectively included.

Bipolar Endo-Epicardial Radiofrequency Ablation of Therapy-Resistant Ventricular Arrhythmias: A Brief Case Series.

Despite extensive conventional endoepicardial ablation, significant intramural arrhythmogenic substrate may remain out of reach of unipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA). The authors present clinical findings and procedural workflow for bipolar radiofrequency ablation (B-RFA) with 1 catheter placed against the endocardium and the other in the pericardial sac to ablate refractory ventricular arrhythmias. No serious adverse events occurred during B-RFA procedures, and the short-term and midterm clinical results were satisfactory.

Simultaneous Entrainment Response Assessment at Multiple Sites.

Background: The entrainment response, defined as the difference between the postpacing interval and the tachycardia cycle length (TCL) recorded from a mapping catheter, allows to track down the components of the tachycardia loop.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate if the postpacing interval measured simultaneously from multiple sites that are remote from the pacing site (PPIR) could be clinically useful in mapping re-entrant circuits.

Methods: Ninety-two episodes of entrainment response in 29 patients with different macro-re-entrant tachycardias were evaluated using a standardized entrainment protocol.

Atrial electrogram amplitude variability during atrial fibrillation ablation.

Introduction: Variability of the bipolar atrial electrogram amplitude may affect voltage maps created during ablation procedures, and thus also the extent of ablations. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the beat-to-beat electrogram amplitude variability in the left atrium in patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation.

Methods: In 11 patients undergoing ablation for atrial fibrillation, 362 mapping points were collected in two series.

Successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention determines the very long-term prognosis in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction even in survivors of the acute phase. The ANIN Myocardial Infarction Registry.

Introduction: Successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) saves lives in the acute phase of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and improves the mid-term prognosis. Whether that benefit remains significant in very long-term follow-up and is associated with total ischaemic time (TIT), especially in survivors of the acute phase of STEMI, is unknown.

Aim: We sought to investigate the impact of initial and final thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow on long-term survival in a homogeneous, unselected group of patients with STEMI undergoing pPCI at a high-volume centre.