Cardiac implantable electronic device implantation and device-related infection.

Aims: Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) are important tools for managing arrhythmias, improving hemodynamics, and preventing sudden cardiac death. Device-related infections (DRI) remain a significant complication of CIED and are associated with major adverse outcomes. We aimed to assess the trend in CIED implantations, and the burden and morbidity associated with DRI.

Loperamide-Induced Cardiac Events: Case Reports and Review.

Reports of cardiac arrhythmia secondary to loperamide toxicity have become increasingly common in the literature. We present two patients in their mid-20s, each having overdosed on loperamide and subsequently manifesting life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias not otherwise explained by known pathology. An analysis of the limited research available indicates that loperamide's capacity to block ion channels may be responsible for these events.

Ischemia-induced Brugada phenocopy.

A 65-year-old man with history of schizoaffective disorder was admitted with a suspicion for syncope. ECG changes consistent with type-1 Brugada pattern were noted on admission. A personal history of angina was reported but a family history of sudden cardiac death or ICD implantation was denied.

Catheter ablation of scar-based ventricular tachycardia: Relationship of procedure duration to outcomes and hospital mortality.

Background: Ablation has become an important option for treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT). The influence of procedure duration on outcomes remains unexamined.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of procedure duration on outcomes and complications over an 8-year period

Methods: Patients referred for scar-mediated VT ablation from 2004 to 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.

A Case Of Difficult Epicardial Access For Ablation Of Ventricular Tachcyardia.

We present a case of a 67-year-old patient with nonischemic cardiomyopathy and recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia of epicardial origin referred for ablation. Due to two previous episodes of cardiac tamponade secondary to implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead perforation at the time of device implant, the patient had significant pericardial adhesions making epicardial access and ablation challenging.

Device artifact reduction for magnetic resonance imaging of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and ventricular tachycardia: late gadolinium enhancement correlation with electroanatomic mapping.

Background: Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of ventricular scar has been shown to be accurate for detection and characterization of arrhythmia substrates. However, the majority of patients referred for ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), which obscures image integrity and the clinical utility of MRI.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a wideband LGE MRI technique for device artifact removal.

Meta-analysis of obstructive sleep apnea as predictor of atrial fibrillation recurrence after catheter ablation.

The association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and atrial fibrillation (AF) is strong and is now well established. However, studies on the role of OSA on AF recurrence after catheter ablation have yielded conflicting results. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of OSA on AF recurrence after catheter-based pulmonary vein isolation.

Giant saphenous vein graft aneurysm causing left atrial compression and cardiogenic shock.

Saphenous vein graft aneurysm is a rare complication of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery that is challenging to manage and is associated with catastrophic consequences. We present the case of a 72-year-old woman with prior CABG surgery who presented with chest pain and was found to have a giant saphenous vein graft pseudoaneurysm. Further evaluation revealed that a vein graft pseudoaneurysm was causing significant compression of the left atrium.

Development of an echocardiographic risk-stratification index to predict heart failure in patients with stable coronary artery disease: the Heart and Soul study.

Objectives: We sought to determine which transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) measurements most strongly predict heart failure (HF) and to develop an index for risk stratification in outpatients with coronary artery disease (CAD).

Background: Many TTE measurements have been shown to be predictive of HF, and they might be useful if aggregated into a risk-prediction index.

Methods: We performed TTE in 1,024 outpatients with stable CAD enrolled in the Heart and Soul study and followed them for 4.