Cardiac contractility modulation treatment in patients with symptomatic heart failure despite optimal medical therapy and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

Background: A significant proportion of patients receiving CRT are non-responders. We evaluated the efficacy of Cardiac Contractility Modulation in subjects with reduced LVEF who, despite cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), continued to experience clinically significant symptoms.

Methods: This was a multi-center, open label, treatment-only, feasibility study of 17 CRT non-responders who received CCM therapy.

[A life-saving shock from a subcutaneous ICD during skydiving].

We report the case of a 38-year-old man who was implanted a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) and then performed a skydive from a height of 3000 m. During the jump, he lost consciousness due to ventricular fibrillation (VF). The S‑ICD detected the VF properly and successfully shocked the arrhythmia.

Efficacy and survival in patients with cardiac contractility modulation: long-term single center experience in 81 patients.

Aims: To analyze long-term efficacy and survival in patients with chronic heart failure treated with cardiac contractility modulation.

Methods: 81 patients implanted with a CCM device between 2004 and 2012 were included in this retrospective analysis. Changes in NYHA class, ejection fraction (EF), Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, NT-proBNP and peak VO₂ were analyzed during a mean follow up of 34.

Benefit of combining quantitative cardiac CT parameters with troponin I for predicting right ventricular dysfunction and adverse clinical events in patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of quantitative cardiac CT parameters alone and in combination with troponin I for the assessment of right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) and adverse clinical events in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE).

Materials And Results: This prospective study had institutional review board approval and was HIPAA compliant. In total 83 patients with confirmed PE underwent echocardiography and troponin I serum level measurements within 24 h.