Effect of targeted education of patients with atrial fibrillation on unplanned cardiovascular outcomes: results of the multicentre randomized AF-EduCare trial.

Aims: Trials on integrated care for atrial fibrillation (AF) showed mixed results in different AF populations using various approaches. The multicentre, randomized AF-EduCare trial evaluated the effect of targeted patient education on unplanned cardiovascular outcomes.

Methods And Results: Patients willing to participate were randomly assigned to in-person education, online education, or standard care (SC) and followed for minimum 18 months.

Continuous Rhythm Monitoring With Implanted Loop Recorders in Children and Adolescents With Brugada Syndrome.

Background: Young (<18 years of age) patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) are often under-represented in BrS studies and their management, especially related to syncopal episodes, remains unclear.

Objectives: This study sought to describe the arrhythmia prevalence among young patients with BrS undergoing continuous rhythm monitoring by implantable loop recorder (ILR) and to assess the etiology behind syncope of undetermined origin.

Methods: A total of 147 patients with BrS with ILR were enrolled in 12 international centers and divided into pediatric (age <12 years; n = 77, 52%) and adolescents (age 13-18 years; n = 70, 48%).

Phenotypic spectrum of the first Belgian founder: a large multi-exon deletion with a varying phenotype.

Background: Variants in the gene are a frequent cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) but display a large phenotypic heterogeneity. Founder mutations are often believed to be more benign as they prevailed despite potential negative selection pressure. We detected a pathogenic variant in (del exon 23-26) in several probands.

Variants in structural cardiac genes in patients with cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction after anthracycline chemotherapy: a case control study.

Background: Variants in cardiomyopathy genes have been identified in patients with cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD), suggesting a genetic predisposition for the development of CTRCD. The diagnostic yield of genetic testing in a CTRCD population compared to a cardiomyopathy patient cohort is not yet known and information on which genes should be assessed in this population is lacking.

Methods: We retrospectively included 46 cancer patients with a history of anthracycline induced CTRCD (defined as a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) to < 50% and a ≥ 10% reduction from baseline by echocardiography).

Implantable loop recorders in patients with Brugada syndrome: the BruLoop study.

Background And Aims: Available data on continuous rhythm monitoring by implantable loop recorders (ILRs) in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) are scarce. The aim of this multi-centre study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield and clinical implication of a continuous rhythm monitoring strategy by ILRs in a large cohort of BrS patients and to assess the precise arrhythmic cause of syncopal episodes.

Methods: A total of 370 patients with BrS and ILRs (mean age 43.

Dynamic changes of left atrial substrate over time following pulmonary vein isolation: the Progress-AF study.

Aims: Little is known about dynamic changes of the left atrial (LA) substrate over time in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aims to evaluate substrate changes following pulmonary vein isolation (PVI).

Methods And Results: In our prospective observational study, consecutive patients undergoing first PVI-only and redo ablation were included.

Atrial fibrillation cycle-length (AF-CL) inside the pulmonary veins predicts paroxysmal AF ablation success- the INDUCE-AF study.

Background: A novel method to measure atrial fibrillation cycle length (AF-CL) was recently described, based on the average of 10 consecutive signals (FARS10). FARS10 accurately identified pulmonary vein isolation (PVI)-responders among patients with persistent AF. Whether this method is applicable to patients with paroxysmal AF is unknown.

Variable clinical expression of a Belgian founder variant suggests the presence of a genetic modifier.

variants cause Loeys-Dietz syndrome type 5, a syndromic form of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection. The exact disease phenotype is hard to delineate because of few identified cases and highly variable clinical representation. We provide the results of a haplotype analysis and a medical record review of clinical features of 27 individuals from 5 different families, originating from the Campine region in Flanders, carrying the NM_003239.

Gender-Related Differences in Atrial Substrate in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Gender-related differences have been reported in patients who underwent pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Atrial substrate plays a role in the outcomes after ablation but gender-related differences in atrial substrate have never been described in detail. We sought to analyze gender-related differences in atrial remodeling (spontaneous low-voltage zones [LVZs]) and their clinical relevance after PVI.

Left Bundle Branch Area Defibrillator (LBBAD): A First-in-Human Feasibility Study.

Background: Left bundle branch area (LBBA) pacing is a promising pacing technique. LBBA implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead implantation reduces the number of leads in patients with both pacing and ICD indications, reducing cost and potentially increasing safety. LBBA positioning of ICD leads has not previously been described.

Microelectrode voltage mapping for substrate assessment in catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia: A dual-center experience.

Introduction: The assessment of the ventricular myocardial substrate critically depends on the size of mapping electrodes, their orientation with respect to wavefront propagation, and interelectrode distance. We conducted a dual-center study to evaluate the impact of microelectrode mapping in patients undergoing catheter ablation (CA) of ventricular tachycardia (VT).

Methods: We included 21 consecutive patients (median age, 68 [12], 95% male) with structural heart disease undergoing CA for electrical storm (n = 14) or recurrent VT (n = 7) using the QDOT Micro catheter and a multipolar catheter (PentaRay, n = 9).

Clinical and functional characterisation of a recurrent KCNQ1 variant in the Belgian population.

Background: The c.1124_1127delTTCA p.(Ile375Argfs*43) pathogenic variant is the most frequently identified molecular defect in the KCNQ1 gene in the cardiogenetics clinic of the Antwerp University Hospital.

Anterior mitral line in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation and anterior scar: A multicenter matched comparison-The MiLine study.

Background: The benefit of an anterior mitral line (AML) in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) and anterior atrial scar undergoing ablation has never been investigated.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of AML in addition to standard treatment compared to standard treatment alone (no AML) in this subset of patients.

Methods: Patients with persistent AF and anterior low-voltage zone (LVZ) treated with AML in 3 centers were retrospectively enrolled.

Electrocardiographic phenotype of exercise-induced arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: A retrospective observational study.

Introduction: The right ventricle can be susceptible to pathologic alterations with exercise. This can cause changes to the ECG. Our aim was to identify the electrocardiographic phenotype of exercise induced (ExI) arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM).

Indications and utility of cardiac genetic testing in athletes.

Sports Cardiology practice commonly involves the evaluation of athletes for genetically determined cardiac conditions that may predispose to malignant arrhythmias, heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. High-level exercise can lead to electrical and structural cardiac remodelling which mimics inherited cardiac conditions (ICCs). Differentiation between 'athlete's heart' and pathology can be challenging and often requires the whole armamentarium of available investigations.

A new prediction model for left ventricular systolic function recovery after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure: The ANTWOORD Study.

Background: in patients with heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF), AF ablation improves left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), along with prognosis, in a variable percentage of patients. We aimed to investigate the predictors of LVEF recovery after AF ablation and to develop a prediction model for individualized assessment.

Methods: we conducted an observational, retrospective, single-centre study on 111 consecutive patients with AF and HF with impaired LVEF (<50%) undergoing ablation.

Morpho-functional comparison of differentiation protocols to create iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.

Cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) offer an attractive platform for cardiovascular research. Patient-specific iPSC-CMs are very useful for studying disease development, and bear potential for disease diagnostics, prognosis evaluation and development of personalized treatment. Several monolayer-based serum-free protocols have been described for the differentiation of iPSCs into cardiomyocytes, but data on their performance are scarce.

Reproducibility and predictive value of a simple novel method to measure atrial fibrillation cycle length in persistent atrial fibrillation - FARS-AF study.

Introduction: Different methods are used for atrial fibrillation (AF) cycle length (CL) measurement with variable results. Previous studies of pulmonary vein (PV) CL measurement showed contradictory results on predicting PV isolation (PVI) efficacy. A novel simple method of measuring the average of 10 consecutive Fastest Atrial Repetitive Similar morphology signal (FARS )-CL to characterize local atrial activity rate was evaluated prospectively.

Etiology and Outcome of Catheter Ablation in Patients With Onset of Atrial Fibrillation <45 Years of Age.

Etiologic factors and long-term outcomes of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) in young patients have not been well characterized. This study aimed to analyze the etiologic factors and outcomes of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with young-onset AF (young-AF, defined as having first documented episode <45 years). Consecutive patients with young-AF undergoing PVI (n = 197) in 2 academic centers were enrolled and followed for 36.