Ethnic comparison in takotsubo syndrome: novel insights from the International Takotsubo Registry.

Background: Ethnic disparities have been reported in cardiovascular disease. However, ethnic disparities in takotsubo syndrome (TTS) remain elusive. This study assessed differences in clinical characteristics between Japanese and European TTS patients and determined the impact of ethnicity on in-hospital outcomes.

Impact of aspirin on takotsubo syndrome: a propensity score-based analysis of the InterTAK Registry.

Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of aspirin on prognosis in takotsubo syndrome (TTS).

Methods And Results: Patients from the International Takotsubo (InterTAK) Registry were categorized into two groups based on aspirin prescription at discharge. A comparison of clinical outcomes between groups was performed using an adjusted analysis with propensity score (PS) stratification; results from the unadjusted analysis were also reported to note the effect of the PS adjustment.

Cardiac arrest in takotsubo syndrome: results from the InterTAK Registry.

Aims: We aimed to evaluate the frequency, clinical features, and prognostic implications of cardiac arrest (CA) in takotsubo syndrome (TTS).

Methods And Results: We reviewed the records of patients with CA and known heart rhythm from the International Takotsubo Registry. The main outcomes were 60-day and 5-year mortality.

Long-Term Prognosis of Patients With Takotsubo Syndrome.

Background: Prognosis of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) remains controversial due to scarcity of available data. Additionally, the effect of the triggering factors remains elusive.

Objectives: This study compared prognosis between TTS and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients and investigated short- and long-term outcomes in TTS based on different triggers.

Impact of internal and external electrical cardioversion on cardiac specific enzymes and inflammation in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure.

Background: Implantable cardioverter/defibrillator (ICD) shocks can cause myocardial injury, contributing to the progression of the underlying heart disease. The aim was to evaluate whether internal electrical cardioversion (int-CV) via the ICD or conventional external CV (ext-CV) of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in heart failure (HF) patients induces myocardial injury and initiates inflammation.

Methods And Results: A total of 115 HF patients with an ejection fraction between 20% and 45% were prospectively enrolled.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: What we have Learned in the Last 25 Years? (A Comparative Literature Review).

We performed a comparative literature review, to elucidate the major features of the Takotsubo (stress) cardiomyopathy (TCM) collected in last 25 years. TCM is characterized by left- or biventricular apical ballooning with a clinical presentation, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and biomarker profils similar to those seen in acute myocardial infarction. Epidemiological studies have shown that TCM is more common in postmenopausal women; however exact figures are not available.

Clinical Features and Outcomes of Takotsubo (Stress) Cardiomyopathy.

Background: The natural history, management, and outcome of takotsubo (stress) cardiomyopathy are incompletely understood.

Methods: The International Takotsubo Registry, a consortium of 26 centers in Europe and the United States, was established to investigate clinical features, prognostic predictors, and outcome of takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Patients were compared with age- and sex-matched patients who had an acute coronary syndrome.

Marked prolongation of QRS duration after initiation of dronedarone therapy.

Dronedarone is a relatively new antiarrhythmic drug and is held to be less proarrhythmic than comparable compounds, although its proarrhythmia potential in humans has not been sufficiently evaluated. We describe a so far unreported dronedarone effect, namely a significant alteration of both the morphology and the duration of the QRS complex on the electro cardiogram in a 41-year old patient with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Which patient is most likely to benefit from dronedarone? Analysis from the Magdeburg Dronedarone Registry (MADRE study).

Based on an analysis of the Magdeburg Dronedarone Registry data we sought to determine which patients could benefit from dronedarone therapy regarding rhythm control. The study included 191 patients (85 women) aged 63 ± 10 years with a history of paroxysmal or persistent AF and a follow-up of 14 ± 5 months. The total AF recurrence rate was 67% and lone AF was significantly more often associated with AF recurrences than non-lone AF (84% vs.

Influence of oral antiplatelet therapy on hemorrhagic complications of pacemaker implantation.

Objective: We retrospectively assessed the incidence of hemorrhagic complications associated with pacemaker implantation in patients receiving one or more antiplatelet agents.

Design And Setting: Retrospective multicenter case-control study. Data were collected from three cardiac units in Germany from 2006 to 2010.

Intra-atrial endothelial lesion resulting from transseptal puncture for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Thromboembolic events are known complications of left atrial ablation therapy. We describe a complication which may also lead to systemic thromboembolism that has not been reported so far: the formation of a moving structure attached to the fossa ovalis after an attempted transseptal puncture in a 66-year old patient with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Efficacy and safety profile of dronedarone in clinical practice. Results of the Magdeburg Dronedarone Registry (MADRE study).

Background: Dronedarone is a new antiarrhythmic agent that has only recently been approved for the therapy of atrial fibrillation (AF). Results regarding a broader spectrum of patients and experience accumulated in clinical practice are still very scarce. Therefore, we prospectively investigated the efficacy and tolerance of dronedarone in a real life setting.

[Takotsubo syndrome from original description up to now].

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy, also known as takotsubo syndrome, imitates an acute ST elevation myocardial infarction or an acute coronary syndrome, but without concomitant coronary artery disease. It mainly affects postmenopausal women, but no established epidemiologic data of this syndrome are available to date. Furthermore, the underlying etiologies are still largely unknown.

The alteration of autonomic function in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome.

Autonomic dysfunction is associated with the severity of illness and mortality in patients with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and may contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Several treatment approaches may possibly restore autonomic function in MODS and thus cause the survival benefit.