Recurrence After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation and Investigational Biomarkers of Cardiac Remodeling.

Background: Recurrence after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation remains common. We evaluated the association between recurrence and levels of biomarkers of cardiac remodeling, and their ability to improve recurrence prediction when added to a clinical prediction model.

Methods And Results: Blood samples collected before de novo catheter ablation were analyzed.

Pulmonary Vein Myocardial Sleeve Length and its Association With Sex and 4q25/PITX2 Genotype.

Background: Experimental evidence suggests genetic variation in 4q25/PITX2 modulates pulmonary vein (PV) myocardial sleeve length. Although PV sleeves are the main target of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, little is known about the association between different PV sleeve characteristics with ablation outcomes.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the association between clinical and genetic (4q25) risk factors with PV sleeve length in humans, and to evaluate the association between PV sleeve length and recurrence after AF ablation.

Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Bacteremia and Concomitant Left Ventricular Assist Devices and Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.

Infection remains a common cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with both left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) and cardiac implanted electronic devices (CIEDs) with limited data describing outcomes in patients who have both devices implanted. We performed a single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study of patients with both a transvenous CIED and LVAD who developed bacteremia. Ninety-one patients were evaluated.

Durable pulmonary vein isolation with diffuse posterior left atrial ablation using low-flow, median power, short-duration strategy.

Introduction: To target posterior wall isolation (PWI) in atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, diffuse ablation theoretically confers a lower risk of conduction recovery compared to box set. We sought to assess the safety and efficacy of diffuse PWI with low-flow, medium-power, and short-duration (LF-MPSD) ablation, and evaluate the durability of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and PWI among patients undergoing repeat ablations.

Methods: We retrospectively studied patients undergoing LF-MPSD ablation for AF (PVI + diffuse PWI) between August 2017 and December 2019.

Mortality Among Patients With Early-Onset Atrial Fibrillation and Rare Variants in Cardiomyopathy and Arrhythmia Genes.

Importance: Patients with early-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) are enriched for rare variants in cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia genes. The clinical significance of these rare variants in patients with early-onset AF is unknown.

Objective: To assess the association between rare variants in cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia genes detected in patients with early-onset AF and time to death.

Medical Procedure Services in Internal Medicine Residencies in the US: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: The number of procedures performed by internal medicine residents in the United States (US) is declining. An increasing proportion of residents do not feel confident performing essential invasive bedside procedures and, upon graduation, desire additional training. Several residency programs have utilized the medical procedure service (MPS) to address this issue.

Outcomes of Pregnancy in Patients With Prior Right Ventricular Outflow Interventions.

Background The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence of pregnancy-related adverse outcomes ( PRAO ) between patients with versus without hemodynamically significant right ventricle outflow tract ( RVOT) . Methods and Results This was a retrospective cohort study of all pregnant patients with isolated RVOT lesions undergoing evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, 1990 to 2017. Hemodynamic significance was defined as ≥moderate pulmonary/conduit stenosis (≥3 m/s) and/or ≥moderate regurgitation.

Prediction and Management of Recurrences after Catheter Ablation in Atrial Fibrillation and Heart Failure.

Catheter ablation is recommended in patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF) refractory to pharmacologic therapy. AF recurrence is common postablation, particularly in patients with heart failure, because of multiple structural and functional changes that can occur. Determining predictors of AF recurrence has become increasingly important.

Diagnostic and therapeutic value of implantable loop recorder: A tertiary care center experience.

Background: Implantable loop recorders (ILRs) are effective in achieving symptom-rhythm correlation. However, diagnostic yield in routine clinical practice is not well established.

Methods: Patients undergoing ILR implantation between April 2010 and May 2015 were included.

Progressive right ventricular enlargement due to pulmonary regurgitation: Clinical characteristics of a "low-risk" group.

Background: The optimal interval between serial cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) scans for monitoring right ventricular (RV) enlargement in the setting of severe pulmonic valve regurgitation (PR) is unknown. The purposes of this study were to (1) determine the annual change in RV volume on serial CMRI scans and (2) identify the risk factors for rapid progression of RV enlargement.

Methods: A retrospective study of adults with postintervention native valve PR and ≥2 CMRI scans at Mayo Clinic Rochester from 2000 to 2015 was conducted.

Right Ventricular Dysfunction and Long-Term Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients With and Without Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction.

Background: Right ventricular systolic dysfunction (RVD) often coexists with various cardiopulmonary diseases. However, the association between RVD and risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) has not been well studied. This study examined the risk of SCD associated with RVD in patients with heterogeneous underlying cardiac diseases.

A systematic analysis of UK cancer research funding by gender of primary investigator.

Objectives: To categorically describe cancer research funding in the UK by gender of primary investigator (PIs).

Design: Systematic analysis of all open-access data.

Methods: Data about public and philanthropic cancer research funding awarded to UK institutions between 2000 and 2013 were obtained from several sources.

Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy: Diagnosis, Clinical Implications, and Management Strategies in Atrial Fibrillation.

With an aging population, clinicians are more frequently encountering patients with atrial fibrillation who are also at risk of intracerebral hemorrhage due to cerebral amyloid angiopathy, the result of β-amyloid deposition in cerebral vessels. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is common among elderly patients, and is associated with an increased risk of intracerebral bleeding, especially with the use of anticoagulation. Despite this association, this entity is absent in current risk-benefit analysis models, which may result in underestimation of the chance of bleeding in the subset of patients with this disease.