Impact of a pharmacy team-led intervention program on the readmission rate of elderly patients with heart failure.

Purpose: The results of a study to determine whether pharmacy team-led postdischarge intervention can reduce the rate of 30-day hospital readmissions in older patients with heart failure (HF) are reported.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients 60 years of age or older who were admitted to an academic medical center with a primary diagnosis of HF during the period March 2013-June 2014 and received standard postdischarge follow-up care provided by physicians, nurses, and case managers. The rate of 30-day readmissions in that historical control group was compared with the readmission rate in a group of older patients with HF who were admitted to the hospital during a 15-month intervention period (July 2014-October 2015); in addition to usual postdischarge care, these patients received medication reconciliation and counseling from a team of pharmacists, pharmacy residents, and pharmacy students.

Left ventricular volumes and systolic function after long-term right ventricular pacing may be predicted by paced QRS duration, but not pacing site.

Background: Long-term right ventricular apical (RVA) pacing causes adverse left ventricular (LV) remodelling and clinical outcomes.

Methods: Forty-one patients (19 men, mean age 70.9±14.

Inner lumen mapping catheter-facilitated big cryoballoon treatment for atrial fibrillation shortens procedural duration and fluoroscopic exposure with comparable mid-term efficacy.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate whether the use of a novel inner lumen circular mapping catheter (IMC) can shorten the procedural duration and fluoroscopic exposure of the single transseptal big cryoballoon (CB) pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedures in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: This is a prospective non-randomized case-control study. Forty-two patients (28 men, mean age 55.

Treatment of atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia by cryoablation with an 8-mm-tip catheter versus radiofrequency ablation.

Purpose: Catheter cryoablation (CRYO) may eliminate inadvertent atrioventricular block (AVB) in the treatment of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). However, higher recurrence was observed with CRYO delivered by 4 mm or 6 mm-tip catheter. This study was performed to investigate whether a comparably low treatment failure and recurrence rate as in radiofrequency (RF) ablation is achievable by CRYO with an 8-mm-tip catheter.

Utility of a novel pacing guidewire in pre-implantation testing at different left ventricular sites in cardiac resynchronization therapy procedures.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the utility of a novel pacing guidewire in pre-implantation testing of different left ventricular (LV) sites during cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) procedures.

Methods: Ten consecutive patients (8 male, mean age 65.8 ± 4.

Persistent iatrogenic atrial septal defect after pulmonary vein isolation by cryoballoon: an under-recognized complication.

Aims: Iatrogenic atrial septal defect (IASD) has been reported as a complication of transseptal puncture. This study aims to investigate the incidence, echocardiographic characteristics, and clinical outcome of persistent IASD after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) by cryoballoon catheter delivered by a large transseptal sheath.

Methods And Results: Thirteen patients (9 males, mean age 54.

Echocardiographic mapping of left ventricular resynchronization during cardiac resynchronization therapy procedures.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective electrical therapy for patients with moderate to severe heart failure and cardiac dyssynchrony. This study aimed to investigate the degree of acute left ventricular (LV) resynchronization with biventricular pacing (BVP) at different LV sites and to examine the feasibility of performing transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to quantify acute LV resynchronization during CRT procedure.

Methods: Fourteen patients with NYHA Class III-IV heart failure, LV ejection fraction < or = 35%, QRS duration > or = 120 ms and septal-lateral delay (SLD) > or = 60 ms on tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), underwent CRT implant.

Cryoablation versus radiofrequency ablation for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia: patient pain perception and operator stress.

Background: Cryoablation (CRYO) is an alternative to radiofrequency (RF) ablation in the treatment of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). This study aims to evaluate the differences in patient pain perception and operator stress between CRYO and RF ablation in the treatment of AVNRT.

Methods: Patients with supraventricular tachycardia underwent electrophysiology study.