Real-world adoption of left bundle branch area pacing: Insights from the Conduction-System pacing Italian Network Group (C-SING).

Background And Objective: Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) is increasingly used for treating bradycardia and heart failure. However, real-world data are limited. The Conduction-System Pacing Italian Network Group (C-SING) collected prospective data on LBBAP procedures in a nationwide context.

Does Timing of Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation Affect Prognosis in Patients With an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator? Results From the Multicenter Randomized PARTITA Trial.

Background: Optimal timing for catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia is an important unresolved issue. There are no randomized trials evaluating the benefit of ablation after the first implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) shock.

Methods: We conducted a 2-phase, prospective, multicenter, randomized clinical trial.

Subcutaneous ICD Implantation and Catheter Ablation: A Step-Planned Approach for Ventricular Tachycardia Management in ARVC.

Secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death in the young patient with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy and hemodynamically tolerated ventricular tachycardia is still a challenging field. We present a combined approach, including subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and catheter ablation, as a promising treatment to prevent both ventricular tachycardia recurrences and ICD shocks. ().

Diagnosis and Treatment of Idiopathic Premature Ventricular Contractions: A Stepwise Approach Based on the Site of Origin.

Premature ventricular contractions in the absence of structural heart disease are among the most common arrhythmias in clinical practice, with well-defined sites of origin in the right and left ventricle. In this review, starting from the electrocardiographic localization of premature ventricular contractions, we investigated the mechanisms, prevalence in the general population, diagnostic work-up, prognosis and treatment of premature ventricular contractions, according to current scientific evidence.

Atrial fibrillation ablation: is common practice far from guidelines' world? The Italian experience from a national survey.

Purpose: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, occurring in 1-2% of the general population. Catheter ablation has become an important treatment modality for patients with symptomatic drug-refractory AF. We report data regarding the AF ablation approaches and modalities in the Italian "real world.

Atrial fibrillation ablation long-term ESC-EHRA EORP AFA LT registry: in-hospital and 1-year follow-up findings in Italy.

Aim: To report the Italian data deriving from the European Society of Cardiology-EURObservational Research Program atrial fibrillation ablation long-term registry.

Methods And Results: Ten Italian centers enrolled up to 50 consecutive patients undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation. Of the 318 patients included, 5 (1.

Impact of monitoring on detection of arrhythmia recurrences in the ESC-EHRA EORP atrial fibrillation ablation long-term registry.

Aims: Monitoring of patients after ablation had wide variations in the ESC-EHRA atrial fibrillation ablation long-term (AFA-LT) registry. We aimed to compare four different monitoring strategies after catheter AF ablation.

Methods And Results: The ESC-EHRA AFA-LT registry included 3593 patients who underwent ablation.

An unusual case of iatrogenic Twiddler's syndrome.

: Twiddler's syndrome is an uncommon cause of cardiac implantable electronic device malfunction, usually due to manipulation of the pulse generator. A few spontaneous cases have already been described. We present the unique case of a 77-year-old woman who experienced iatrogenic Twiddler's syndrome.

Right ventricular free-wall scar: an exceptional source of post-infarction ventricular tachycardia. A case report.

Background: In patients with coronary artery disease, ventricular tachycardia (VT) is usually related to left ventricular (LV) post-infarction scars.

Case Summary: A case of a 78-year-old man with post-infarction VT originating from the right ventricular (RV) free wall is described. Following recurrent episodes of VT with left bundle branch block morphology and left superior axis deviation, a patient with prior myocardial infarction was submitted to catheter ablation.

Cardiac autonomic regulation in patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Ablation procedures for the treatment of atrial fibrillation lead to changes in autonomic heart control; however, there are insufficient data on the possible association of these changes with atrial fibrillation recurrence. The study aim was to assess the effects of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) on cardiac autonomic modulation and atrial fibrillation recurrence.

Methods: We screened 52 patients with atrial fibrillation referred for PVI, of whom 20 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria, and were enrolled in the study and followed over 6 months.

[Appropriateness criteria for the treatment of atrial fibrillation with dronedarone: practical issues. An Italian cardiologists' expert opinion].

Antiarrhythmic agents are among the therapeutic options available for the treatment of atrial fibrillation when a rhythm control strategy is required. Although their efficacy seems to be generally comparable to that of nonpharmacological interventions, the use of these agents remains controversial. In particular, among this class of drugs, the use of dronedarone in clinical practice is a matter of debate.

Updated national multicenter registry on procedural safety of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Introduction: Despite catheter ablation (CA) becoming an accepted treatment option for symptomatic, drug-resistant atrial fibrillation (AF), safety of this procedure continues to be cause for concern. Aim of the present multicenter registry was to assess the incidence of early CA complications and detect their predictors in a contemporary, unselected AF population

Methods And Results: From January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011, data from 2,323 consecutive patients who underwent CA (median age 60 [52-67]; 72.3% male) for AF in 29 Italian centers were collected.

Validation of Seattle Heart Failure Model for mortality risk prediction in patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Aims: Survival prediction by the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM) of patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) remains ill defined. The performance of the SHFM in this clinical setting was therefore evaluated.

Methods And Results: Data from 1309 consecutive CRT patients (five centres) were collected retrospectively; 1139 of these patients were considered for analysis.

Clinical evaluation of defibrillation testing in an unselected population of 2,120 consecutive patients undergoing first implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implant.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of defibrillation testing (DT) in patients undergoing implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) insertion.

Background: Although DT is considered a standard procedure during ICD implantation, its usefulness has not been definitively proven.

Methods: The SAFE-ICD (Safety of Two Strategies of ICD Management at Implantation) study is a prospective observational study designed to evaluate the outcome of 2 strategies: performing defibrillation testing (DT+) versus not performing defibrillation testing (DT-) during de novo ICD implants.

[Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: Health Technology Assessment Report from the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing (AIAC)].

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and significantly impact patients' quality of life, morbidity and mortality. The number of affected patients is expected to increase as well as the costs associated with AF management, mainly driven by hospitalizations. Over the last decade, catheter ablation techniques targeting pulmonary vein isolation have demonstrated to be effective in treating AF and preventing AF recurrence.

Adherence to guidelines for atrial fibrillation management of patients referred to cardiology departments: Studio Italiano multicentrico sul Trattamento della Fibrillazione Atriale (SITAF).

Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate adherence to national guidelines on the non-pharmacologic (ablative) treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods And Results: This prospective, observational, transversal study enrolled 1256 consecutive in- and outpatients referred to 43 cardiology departments between 1 and 31 October 2008 for the management of AF as a primary diagnosis. A rhythm-control strategy (cardioversion, antiarrhythmic medication, pace-maker implantation, substrate ablation, alone or in combination) was prescribed in 865 (69%) of the patients and a rate-control strategy [drugs, atrioventricular junction ablation and pace-maker implantation (Ablate and Pace)] in 285 (23%).

Proportion of patients needing an implantable cardioverter defibrillator on the basis of current guidelines: impact on healthcare resources in Italy and the USA. Data from the ALPHA study registry.

Aims: Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) improve survival in selected patients with left ventricular dysfunction or heart failure (HF). The objective is to estimate the number of ICD candidates and to assess the potential impact on public health expenditure in Italy and the USA.

Methods And Results: Data from 3513 consecutive patients (ALPHA study registry) were screened.