Intra-atrial block after COVID-19 vaccination-induced fulminant myocarditis: a case report.

Background: Myocarditis is associated with an increased risk of conduction disturbances during the acute phase, which recovers in most cases but rarely recurs during the chronic phase.

Case Summary: A 50-year-old man who developed fulminant myocarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination was discharged 24 days after admission. He was readmitted for heart failure associated with two P waves: one P wave (P1) had a normal amplitude and was dissociated from the QRS, and the other (P2) had a very low amplitude and was associated with the QRS.

Pre-procedural Stratification by the Endothelial Function in Patients with Heart Failure Undergoing Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction (ED), a well-established risk marker of cardiovascular events, is associated with heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). Its relationship with cardiovascular events in patients with HF undergoing AF ablation remains unclear. We aimed to elucidate the association between ED and the outcomes after AF ablation in patients with HF.

Serial changes in the trends of direct oral anticoagulant use and incidence of thromboembolisms and major bleeding events in very old patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become the first-line antithrombotic therapy in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). During this period, the incidence of thromboembolisms and major bleeding events has decreased. However, no studies have shown a correlation between them, and even fewer data are available on older patients.

Cardiovascular events and death after catheter ablation in very old patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Background: Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is recommended for selected older patients. However, the preventive effects of AF ablation on cardiovascular events and death remain unclear, especially in older patients. This study aimed to investigate the impact of AF ablation on the incidence of cardiovascular events and death in very old nonvalvular AF (NVAF) patients.

Relationship Between Endothelial Dysfunction and the Outcomes After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

Background Endothelial dysfunction (ED) is associated with cardiovascular events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the utility of ED as a prognostic marker after AF ablation supplementary to the CHADS-VASc score is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ED and 5-year cardiovascular events in patients undergoing AF ablation.

Prognostic Impact of the Early Use of Tolvaptan in Elderly Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

The number of elderly patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is increasing, and it is often difficult to treat. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of using tolvaptan early after hospitalization in elderly patients with ADHF and the prognosis one year after hospitalization. This study enrolled 185 patients with ADHF who were admitted for the first time.

P-wave terminal force in lead V1 and outcomes in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation.

Aims: The P-wave terminal force in electrocardiogram lead V1 (PTFV1) correlates with outcomes in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Nevertheless, the correlation between the PTFV1 and outcomes after AF ablation in patients with persistent AF remains unclear. This study aimed to determine whether the PTFV1 at 3 months after AF ablation could predict AF recurrence and cardiovascular events in patients with persistent AF.

Effect of Direct Slow Pathway Capture Mapping-Guided Ablation on Typical Atrioventricular Nodal Re-Entrant Tachycardia.

Background: Direct slow pathway capture (DSPC) mapping is a novel electrophysiological technique for detecting antegrade slow pathway input sites. However, the effect of DSPC mapping-guided ablation on atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is unknown.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DSPC mapping-guided ablation in typical AVNRT patients.

Impact of direct oral anticoagulant use on mortality in very old patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

Background: the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) compared with that of warfarin in very old patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) have been reported in terms of thromboembolisms and bleeding. However, the association of DOAC use and mortality in such patients remains unclear.

Objectives: this study aimed to investigate the incidence of mortality, as well as thromboembolisms and major bleeding, in very old patients with NVAF using DOACs as compared with warfarin.

Fulminant myocarditis after the second dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.

Myocarditis is an adverse event associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccination. A 50-year-old man presented with dyspnea and resting chest pain after receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and developed cardiogenic shock. Fulminant myocarditis was diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy and treated with intravenous corticosteroids.

Effect of preprocedural pharmacologic cardioversion on pulmonary vein isolation in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Background: The optimal strategy for catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF) remains unknown. A preprocedural additive treatment for patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) alone to optimize catheter ablation should be investigated.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether pharmacologic cardioversion with a fixed low-dose antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) before ablation could stratify the long-term outcome of a PVI-alone strategy.

Relationship between n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Extent of Vessel Disease in Patients with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

A relationship between serum polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and cardiovascular disease has been reported; however, the existence of a relationship between serum PUFAs and extent of vessel disease (VD) in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains unclear.Between July 2011 and June 2015, 866 consecutive STEMI patients underwent emergent percutaneous coronary intervention, 507 of whom were enrolled and classified into three groups according to the initial angiograms: 1VD, 294 patients; 2VD, 110 patients; and 3VD/left main trunk disease (LMTD), 103 patients. Serum levels of PUFAs, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid, and other laboratory data during hospitalization were evaluated.

Seven-year clinical outcomes of unprotected left main coronary artery stenting with drug-eluting stent and bare-metal stent.

Background: The superiority of drug-eluting stents (DES) over bare-metal stents (BMS) 7 years after unprotected left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenting has not been investigated.

Methods And Results: From 2003 to 2005, 182 patients underwent stent implantation for unprotected LMCA disease (DES, 96 patients; BMS, 86 patients; acute coronary syndrome cases excluded), and the 7-year clinical outcomes between the DES and BMS groups were compared. The incidence of cardiac death or non-fatal myocardial infarction was similar between the DES and BMS groups (11.

Difference in clinical and angiographic characteristics of very late stent thrombosis between drug-eluting and bare-metal stent implantations.

Background:  Limited data are available with which to compare the clinical characteristics of patients with very late stent thrombosis (VLST) after drug-eluting stent (DES) or bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the characteristics of VLST after DES and BMS implantation by reviewing the clinical and angiographic data.

Methods And Results:  A total of 28 patients (30 lesions) with VLST after DES implantation and 33 patients (33 lesions) with VLST after BMS implantation were identified.

Optical coherence tomography findings in lesions after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation with peri-stent contrast staining.

Background: We have sometimes noted abnormal angiographic coronary dilatation, <50% of the reference vessel, at the site of sirolimus-eluting stent implantation, suggesting contrast staining outside the stent struts and named this finding peri-stent contrast staining (PSS). Little was known about optical coherence tomography findings of lesions with PSS.

Methods And Results: Between May 2008 and March 2010, we performed optical coherence tomography for 90 in-stent restenosis lesions after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation.