Management of hemodynamically stable wide QRS complex tachycardia in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

Unlabelled: Management of hemodynamically stable, incessant wide QRS complex tachycardia (WCT) in patients who already have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is challenging. First-line treatment is performed by medical staff who have no knowledge on programmed ICD therapy settings and there is always some concern for unexpected ICD shock. In these patients, a structured approach is necessary from presentation to therapy.

Role of genetic testing in young patients with idiopathic atrioventricular conduction disease.

Aims: To investigate the role of genetic testing in patients with idiopathic atrioventricular conduction disease requiring pacemaker (PM) implantation before the age of 50 years.

Methods And Results: All consecutive PM implantations in Southern Switzerland between 2010 and 2019 were evaluated. Inclusion criteria were: (i) age at the time of PM implantation: < 50 years; (ii) atrioventricular block (AVB) of unknown aetiology.

Diagnostic yield and cost analysis of electrocardiographic screening in Swiss paediatric athletes.

Objectives: Athletes performing sports on high level are at increased risk for sudden cardiac death. This includes paediatric athletes, even though data on screening strategies in this age group remain scarce. This study aimed to assess electrocardiogram interpretation criteria in paediatric athletes and to evaluate the cost of screening.

A look at the spatio-temporal mortality patterns in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of mortality densities.

With the tools and perspective of Object Oriented Spatial Statistics, we analyze official daily data on mortality from all causes in the provinces and municipalities of Italy for the year 2020, the first of the COVID-19 pandemic. By comparison with mortality data from 2011 to 2019, we assess the local impact of the pandemic as perturbation factor of the natural spatio-temporal death process. For each Italian province and year, mortality data are represented by the densities of time of death during the calendar year.

Swiss National Registry on Catheter Ablation Procedures: Changing Trends over the Last 20 Years.

The Swiss Ablation Registry provides a national database for electrophysiologic studies and catheter ablations. We analyzed the database to provide an in-depth look at changing trends over the last 20 years. During the study period a total of 78622 catheter ablations (age 61.

Pediatric athletes' ECG and diagnostic performance of contemporary ECG interpretation criteria.

Background: Electrocardiographic (ECG) pre-participation screening(PPS) can prevent sudden cardiac death(SCD) but the Interpretation of the athlete's ECG is based on specific criteria addressed for adult athletes while few data exist about the pediatric athlete's ECG. We aimed to assess the features of pediatric athletes' ECG and compared the diagnostic performance of 2017 International ECG recommendation, 2010 European Society of Cardiology recommendation and 2013-Seattle criteria in detecting clinical conditions at risk of SCD.

Methods: 886 consecutive pediatric athletes (mean age 11.

Impact of early sports specialisation on paediatric ECG.

Athletes of pediatric age are growing in number. They are subject to a number of risks, among them sudden cardiac death (SCD). This study aimed to characterize the pediatric athlete population in Switzerland, to evaluate electrocardiographic findings based on the International Criteria for electrocardiography (ECG) Interpretation in Athletes, and to analyze the association between demographic data, sport type, and ECG changes.

Probabilistic assessment of spatial heterogeneity of natural background concentrations in large-scale groundwater bodies through Functional Geostatistics.

We propose and exemplify a framework to assess Natural Background Levels (NBLs) of target chemical species in large-scale groundwater bodies based on the context of Object Oriented Spatial Statistics. The approach enables one to fully exploit the richness of the information content embedded in the probability density function (PDF) of the variables of interest, as estimated from historical records of chemical observations. As such, the population of the entire distribution functions of NBL concentrations monitored across a network of monitoring boreholes across a given aquifer is considered as the object of the spatial analysis.

Inter-observer agreement in athletes ECG interpretation using the recent international recommendations for ECG interpretation in athletes among observers with different levels of expertise.

Introduction: International criteria for the interpretation of the athlete's electrocardiogram (ECG) have been proposed. We aimed to evaluate the inter-observer agreement among observers with different levels of expertise.

Methods: Consecutive ECGs of Swiss elite athletes (≥14 years), recorded during routine pre-participation screening between 2013 and 2016 at the Swiss Federal Institute of Sports were analysed.

Prevalence of abnormal electrocardiograms in Swiss elite athletes detected with modern screening criteria.

Aims Of The Study: Sudden cardiac arrest in athletes is a rare but dramatic event. The value of a routine electrocardiogram (ECG) during preparticipation screening (PPS) remains controversial, partly because of the relatively high number of false positive findings. Our study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of abnormal ECGs in consecutive Swiss elite athletes, overall and with regard to different sports classes, using modern screening criteria.

Cardiovascular evaluation of middle-aged individuals engaged in high-intensity sport activities: implications for workload, yield and economic costs.

Background: The European Association of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR) recommends cardiovascular evaluation of middle-aged individuals engaged in sport activities. However, very few data exist concerning the impact of such position stand. We assessed the implications on workload, yield and economic costs of this preventive strategy.

Costs and yield of a 15-month preparticipation cardiovascular examination with ECG in 1070 young athletes in Switzerland: implications for routine ECG screening.

Background: The usefulness and modalities of cardiovascular screening in young athletes remain controversial, particularly concerning the role of 12-lead ECG. One of the reasons refers to the presumed false-positive ECGs requiring additional examinations and higher costs. Our study aimed to assess the total costs and yield of a preparticipation cardiovascular examination with ECG in young athletes in Switzerland.

Rapid-growing left intraventricular cardiac hemangioma.

A 62 years old man with Child B liver cirrhosis, prostate cancer and a recent colon carcinoma resection was referred to our cardiology department for trans-thoracic-echocardiography (TTE) in order to establish left ventricular function before starting chemotherapy. TTE revealed a mobile mass (16 x 8 mm) attached to the anterior-medial left ventricular wall, protruding and swinging within the left ventricle cavity. At follow-up TTE showed growing of the intra-cardiac tumor up to 27 x 10 mm, corresponding to a size increase of 1 mm/month.

Telemedicine for cardiac surgery candidates.

Background: Cardiac surgery is generally well or over-represented in many Western countries. Since the southern part of Switzerland relies on 300 km distance centers for cardiac surgery, we started a project of telemedicine for the distant evaluation of cardiac surgery candidates. We report our experience of the results of the diagnosis made by telemedicine and by direct scrutiny of coronary angiograms.

The high-dose sequential (Milan) chemotherapy/PBSC transplantation regimen for patients with lymphoma is not cardiotoxic.

Background: The high-dose sequential (HDS) regimen developed in Milan for high-grade lymphomas is very active, but its toxicities are still partly unknown. We evaluated prospectively by doppler-echocardiography the cardiotoxicity of this treatment.

Patients And Methods: Over seven weeks, 20 patients received a sequence of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, etoposide, mitoxantrone and melphalan, each at its maximum tolerable dose, and the latter in conjunction with autologous peripheral stem-cell transplantation.

Serious interaction between mibefradil and tacrolimus.

Background/aims: Tacrolimus is metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4 and 2D6 and has a narrow therapeutic range. We report a serious kinetic interaction between tacrolimus and mibefradil, a potent cytochrome P450 inhibitor.

Case Report: A 62-year-old women who had undergone liver transplantation was treated with tacrolimus for immunosuppression.