Pulmonary Vein Morphology in Patients Undergoing Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation.

Purpose: Variations in the anatomy of pulmonary veins can influence selection of approaches of atrial fibrillation catheter ablation. Therefore, preprocedural evaluation and knowledge of pulmonary veins anatomy is crucial for proper mapping and the successful ablation of atrial fibrillation. The aim of this observational study was to assess CT angiography scans and perform detailed analysis of pulmonary veins morphology in patients scheduled for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Adverse Effects of Meditation: Autonomic Nervous System Activation and Individual Nauseous Responses During Samadhi Meditation in the Czech Republic.

Buddhist meditation practices, including Samadhi meditation, which forms the basis for mindfulness practice, are broadly promoted as pathways to wellbeing, but evidence of their adverse effects is emerging. In a single-group observational study with assessments of autonomic system before, during, and after Samadhi meditation, we explore the relationship between post-meditation nausea symptoms and the degree of change in autonomic system activity during meditation as compared to before and after in 57 university students (42 women; mean age = 22.6) without any previous experience in meditation or yoga practices.

[Appropriate and inappropriate therapies of implantable cardioverterdefibrillators].

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) reduce mortality of patients with risk of sudden cardiac death in primary and secondary prevention. Patients with implanted ICD can receive appropriate and inappropriate therapies with different incidence in both indication groups. There are some factors which can predict the incidence of ICD therapies.

Differences in right-to-left vs left-to-right interventricular conduction times in patients indicated to cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Introduction: Differences in conduction times from right ventricle to left ventricle and from left ventricle to right ventricle respectively were observed during biventricular devices implantation when changing pacing vector direction. In this article the phenomenon of interventricular conduction time differences is described and assessed in relationship to various clinical and electrophysiological parameters.

Methods: In 62 consecutive patients (9 females) interventricular conduction times between right and left ventricle in both directions were measured during cardiac resynchronization therapy device implantation procedure.

Detection of new atrial fibrillation in patients with cardiac implanted electronic devices and factors associated with transition to higher device-detected atrial fibrillation burden.

Background: In patients with cardiac implanted electronic devices, detection of new atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased risk of stroke.

Objective: To characterize daily AF burden at first detection and the rate of temporal transition to higher device-detected AF burden.

Methods: A pooled analysis of data from 3 prospective projects was analyzed, and 6580 patients (mean age 68 ± 12 years, 72% male) with no history of AF and no use of anticoagulants at baseline were identified.

Hypersensitivity to material and environmental burden as a possible cause of late complications of cardiac implantable electronic devices.

Aims: To evaluate whether patients with late complications of pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators have hypersensitivity reactions to some of the materials used in generators or in electrodes, or to environmental metal burden.

Methods And Results: The cohort consisted of 20 men and 4 women (mean age: 62.3 ± 17.

Alamandine reverses hyperhomocysteinemia-induced vascular dysfunction via PKA-dependent mechanisms.

Introduction: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) impairs nitric oxide endothelium-dependent vasodilation, consequently leading to atherosclerosis, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Novel treatments for HHcy are necessary.

Aim: We tested the hypothesis that alamandine, a vasoactive peptide of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), could reverse HHcy-induced vascular dysfunction through the MrgD receptor and that this is mediated by the protein kinase A (PKA) pathway.

Changes in Hematologic and Coagulation Profiles in Rabbits with Right-ventricle Pacing.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in hematology and coagulation in rabbits with right-ventricle pacing without medication.

Animals And Methods: Blood was collected from ten non-anesthetized male rabbits from the jugular vein before and one month after pacemaker placement. Total erythrocyte, leukocyte and platelet count, hemoglobin, hematocrit and differential leukocyte count were done on automatic veterinary flow cytometry hematologic analyzer.

Corrigendum to "Regional variations in baseline characteristics of cardiac rhythm device recipients: The PANORAMA observational cohort study" [Int. J. Cardiol. Heart Vessels (2014) 90-96].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchv.

Regional variations in baseline characteristics of cardiac rhythm device recipients: The PANORAMA observational cohort study.

Background: The PANORAMA study was designed to collect concurrent data on subjects from different worldwide regions implanted with CRM devices.

Methods: In this prospective, multi-center study, we analyzed baseline data on 8586 subjects implanted with CRM devices with no additional selection criteria (66% pacemaker (IPG), 16% implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICD), 17% cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and < 1% Internal Loop Recorder) from 156 hospitals across 6 geographical regions between 2005 and 2011.

Results: Regardless of the device implanted, subjects from the Middle East and India often had more diabetes than other regions.

Device-detected atrial fibrillation and risk for stroke: an analysis of >10,000 patients from the SOS AF project (Stroke preventiOn Strategies based on Atrial Fibrillation information from implanted devices).

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the association between maximum daily atrial fibrillation (AF) burden and risk of ischaemic stroke.

Background: Cardiac implanted electronic devices (CIEDs) enhance detection of AF, providing a comprehensive measure of AF burden.

Design, Setting, And Patients: A pooled analysis of individual patient data from five prospective studies was performed.

Mutation analysis ion channel genes ventricular fibrillation survivors with coronary artery disease.

Background: Observations from population-based studies demonstrated a strong genetic component of sudden cardiac death. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that ion channel genes mutations are more common in ventricular fibrillation (VF) survivors with coronary artery disease (CAD) compared to controls.

Methods: The entire coding sequence of KCNQ1, KCNH2, SCN5A, KCNE1, and KCNE2 genes was analyzed in 45 (five females) CAD individuals-survivors of documented VF and in 90 matched healthy controls.

[Alternative methods of microvolt T wave alternans measurements in patients with left ventricular cardiac dysfunction].

Background: The presence of a microvolt T wave alternans (MTWA) is linked with increased risk of malignant arrhythmias and overall mortality. The most common method used for MTWA detection is a bicycle exercise test (BET). Method has still several limitations.

Right ventricular perforation with an ICD defibrillation lead managed by surgical revision and epicardial leads--case reports.

The authors present two cases of patients with perforation of the right ventricular wall by the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) lead. The complication was resolved by cardiosurgical revision and epicardial leads stitched onto the diaphragmatic wall of the heart. The perforation was identified by electrical parameter changes of the leads, echocardiography, and computed tomography.

Treatment of arrhythmic storm in implantable defibrillator patients.

Background: A common ICD therapy-related complication is arrhythmic storm (AS). The objective of our study was to define the impact of AS on patients' prognoses in order to compare the total mortality of AS patients with the rest of the group.

Material/methods: We studied 138 patients who received ICDs between 1994 and 2001.

Endothelin-1 gene polymorphism in patients with malignant arrhythmias.

The endothelins are peptides with vasoconstricting and growth-promoting properties. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known with its direct positive inotropic and chronotropic effects on isolated heart and with growth effects. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the frequency distribution of the common polymorphism of the ET-1 gene and its possible relation with hemodynamic consequences of malignant ventricular arrhythmias in patients with structural heart disease.

Endothelin-1 gene polymorphism in the identification of patients at risk for malignant ventricular arrhythmia.

Background: The endothelins are peptides with vasoconstricting and growth-promoting properties. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known for its direct positive inotropic and chronotropic effects on isolated heart, and for growth effects. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the frequency distribution of a common polymorphism of the endothelin (ET-1) gene and its possible relation to the hemodynamic consequences of malignant ventricular arrhythmia in patients with structural heart disease.