Catheter ablation versus medical therapy for treatment of ventricular tachycardia associated with structural heart disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and comparison with observational studies.

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) is an established therapeutic modality for ventricular tachycardia (VT).

Objective: We compared the clinical outcomes of CA for VT vs medical therapy from all previously performed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and compared these to contemporary observational studies.

Methods: A comprehensive database search through to August 2018 identified 8 eligible studies enrolling 797 patients.

Catheter Ablation of Idiopathic Ventricular Arrhythmias.

Ventricular arrhythmias (VA) are observed in the setting of structural heart disease. However, in a proportion of patients presenting with VT, the routine diagnostic modalities fail to demonstrate overt myocardial abnormality. These arrhythmias have been called idiopathic VAs.

Role of Contact Force Sensing in Catheter Ablation of Cardiac Arrhythmias: Evolution or History Repeating Itself?

Adequate catheter-tissue contact facilitates efficient heat energy transfer to target tissue. Tissue contact is thus critical to achieving lesion transmurality and success of radiofrequency (RF) ablation procedures, a fact recognized more than 2 decades ago. The availability of real-time contact force (CF)-sensing catheters has reinvigorated the field of ablation biophysics and optimized lesion formation.

mHealth in Cardiovascular Health Care.

Mobile health (mHealth) has been defined as medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices and personal digital assistants. Cardiovascular mHealth is, arguably, leading the mHealth space, through innovation, research and implementation, and especially in the areas of prevention, cardiac rehabilitation and education. mHealth includes simple strategies, such as the use of short message service (SMS) or text messages in successful short-term smoking-cessation, weight loss and diabetes management programs.