Publications by authors named "Sofieke C Wijers"

Article Synopsis
  • Scientists found that changes in the heart's electrical signals can help predict dangerous heart rhythms in dogs with a specific condition.
  • They tested a new automatic way to measure these changes, comparing it to traditional methods during drug administration in dogs.
  • The automatic method was really good at predicting these dangerous rhythms, showing high effectiveness compared to the old methods.
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Objectives: To identify the preventability, determinants and causes of unplanned hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge using a multidisciplinary approach and including patients' perspectives.

Design: A prospective cross-sectional single-center study.

Setting: Urban teaching hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

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This data article features supplementary figures and tables related to the article "Differential Multivariable risk prediction of appropriate shock vs. competing mortality - a prospective cohort study to estimate benefits from implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy" (Bergau et al., 2018) [1].

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Background And Objective: We prospectively investigated combinations of risk stratifiers including multiple EP diagnostics in a cohort study of ICD patients.

Methods: For 672 enrolled patients, we collected history, LVEF, EP study and T-wave alternans testing, 24-h Holter, NT-proBNP, and the eGFR. All-cause mortality and first appropriate ICD shock were predefined endpoints.

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Background: In the chronic atrioventricular block (CAVB) dog model, beat-to-beat variation of repolarization in the left ventricle (LV) quantified as short-term variability of the left monophasic action potential duration (STV) increases abruptly upon challenge with a proarrhythmic drug. This increase occurs before the first ectopic beat (EB), specifically in subjects who demonstrate subsequent repetitive torsades de pointes arrhythmias (TdP).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that STV is feasible to monitor arrhythmic risk through use of the intracardiac electrogram (EGM) derived from the right ventricular (RV) lead from pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates how chronic complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) dogs are sensitive to drug-induced torsade de pointes (TdP) arrhythmias by examining the differences in repolarization times (RT) within the heart's ventricles.
  • - Researchers inserted multiple electrodes into the ventricles of 8 CAVB dogs to monitor electrical activity before and after administering dofetilide, which triggered TdP in five of the dogs, highlighting changes in repolarization patterns.
  • - Findings suggest that TdP is initiated in areas of the heart with significant repolarization differences, indicating that a certain level of electrical gradient is necessary for TdP to occur.
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Aims: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduces morbidity and mortality in systolic heart failure patients with ventricular conduction delay. Variability of individual response to CRT warrants improved patient selection. The Markers and Response to CRT (MARC) study was designed to investigate markers related to response to CRT.

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Background: Pacing at higher rates is known to suppress torsade de pointes (TdP) arrhythmias. Nevertheless, exact application and mechanism need further clarification. In the anesthetized canine chronic atrioventricular block model, ventricular remodeling is responsible for a high and reproducible incidence of TdP upon a challenge with dofetilide.

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Pharmacological safety evaluation of (pro) drugs includes cardiac safety assessment of proarrhythmic liability in healthy tissue with emphasis on the rapid component of the delayed rectifier (I(Kr)). The lack of (1) an arrhythmic end point, (2) tests in remodeled, predisposed tissue, and (3) testing chronic drug influence on channel trafficking impairs on the drawn conclusions of these assays regarding drug safety. Moreover, the currently used human ether-à-go-go-related gene assays, action potential duration, prolongation in multicellular preparations, or the QT interval have significant shortcomings in their prediction of an increased risk for drug-induced torsades de pointes arrhythmia.

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Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) can be complicated by a variety of live-threatening infectious and non-infectious pulmonary complications. The management of these complications is critically dependent on the most probable diagnosis, which is in part based on imaging work-up.

Methods: Systematic review of the literature related to the diagnostic value of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in patients who underwent SCT and developed respiratory symptoms.

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