Open-window mapping of accessory pathways utilizing high-density mapping.

Purpose: Accessory pathway (AP) mapping is currently based on point-by-point mapping and identifying if a local electrogram's origin is atrial, pathway, or ventricular, which is time-consuming and prone to insufficient mapping. We sought to determine the feasibility of automated and high-density mapping to define AP location using open-window mapping (OWM), which does not rely on defining the electrogram's origin but simply detects the sharpest local signal at each point.

Methods: We enrolled 23 consecutive patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia.

Prognostic significance of PVCs and resting heart rate.

Background: We sought to evaluate the prognostic significance of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) on a routine electrocardiogram (ECG) and to evaluate the relationship between heart rate and PVCs.

Methods: Computerized 12-lead ECGs of 45,402 veterans were analyzed. Vital status was available through the California Health Department Service.

Peripheral edema due to heart disease: diagnosis and outcome.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine whether baseline physical examination and history are useful in identifying patients with cardiac edema as defined by echocardiography, and to compare survival for patients with cardiac and noncardiac causes of edema.

Hypothesis: Physical examination and history data can help to identify patients with edema who have significant cardiac disease.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of 278 consecutive patients undergoing echocardiography for evaluation of peripheral edema.

Computerized QT dispersion measurement and cardiovascular mortality in male veterans.

We examined the prognostic value of computerized measurements of QT dispersion in 37,579 male veterans. The results of our study showed that QT dispersion is a poor independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality.

Prevalence and prognostic value of exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and prognostic significance of exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias (EIVAs) in patients referred for exercise testing, considering the arrhythmic substrate and exercise-induced ischemia.

Background: EIVAs are frequently observed during exercise testing, but their prognostic significance is uncertain. The design of this study was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data, and it took place in 2 university-affiliated Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

Prognostic value of exercise tests in male veterans with chronic coronary artery disease.

Purpose: The authors evaluate the prognostic value of treadmill testing in a large consecutive series of patients with chronic coronary artery disease. Exercise testing is widely performed, but analyses of the prognostic value of test results have largely concentrated on patients referred for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, patients after an acute coronary event or procedure, or patients with congestive heart failure.

Methods: All patients referred for evaluation at two university-affiliated Veterans Affairs Medical Centers who underwent exercise treadmill tests for clinical indications between 1987 and 2000 were determined to be dead or alive using the Social Security Death Index after a mean 5.

Peripheral edema.

Peripheral edema often poses a dilemma for the clinician because it is a nonspecific finding common to a host of diseases ranging from the benign to the potentially life threatening. A rational and systematic approach to the patient with edema allows for prompt and cost-effective diagnosis and treatment. This article reviews the pathophysiologic basis of edema formation as a foundation for understanding the mechanisms of edema formation in specific disease states, as well as the implications for treatment.