Impact of cardiac resynchronization therapy on clinical outcomes in patients with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.

Background: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) can improve survival in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients. However, the impact of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-D) on outcomes in continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) patients is not known. We sought to determine if CRT-D improved clinical outcomes in CF-LVAD patients compared with ICDs alone.

Catheter ablation of atrial flutter in patients with left ventricular assist device improves symptoms of right heart failure.

Persistent atrial flutter (AFL) in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients can result in loss of AV synchrony, impaired ventricular filling and right heart failure (RHF). The authors report the largest series of HeartMate II (HMII) patients who developed AFL with decompensated RHF, which successfully resolved with AFL ablation. Eight patients with HMII LVAD (mean age, 57±12 years) had medically refractory AFL, with 7 developing de novo AFL after LVAD implant (onset range, 2 days-22 months post-implant).

'Inappropriate' sinus tachycardia: does the 100 beats per min cut-off matter?

Sinus tachycardia is commonly encountered in clinical practice and when persistent, can result in significant symptoms and impaired quality of life, warranting further evaluation. On the other hand, a growing body of epidemiological and clinical evidence has shown that high resting heart rate (HR) within the accepted normal range is independently associated with increased risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. However, higher HR as a risk factor for adverse cardiovascular outcomes is frequently underappreciated.