Advantages of the integration of ICE and 3D electroanatomical mapping and ultrasound-guided femoral venipuncture in catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Purpose: To evaluate how the integration of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) and ultrasound-guided femoral venipuncture (USGVC) may affect the safety of catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF).

Methods: From a single center 374 patients with AF underwent 3D electroanatomic mapping-guided CA with or without the integration of ICE and USGVC. The primary endpoints were periprocedural complications, fluoroscopy time, and procedure time between the two groups.

Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation in heart failure: clinical, prognostic, and echocardiographic outcome.

Purpose: Catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) in heart failure (HF) patients is associated with a lower rate of cardiac events compared with medical therapy. This study deals with the clinical, echocardiographic, and prognostic outcomes in these patients. Prognostic scores, as MAGGIC (Meta-analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure) score, may help to predict the outcomes.

Prevalence of isolated left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in hypertension as assessed by combined transmitral and pulmonary vein flow Doppler study.

In a relatively large population of patients with treated systemic hypertension and normal left ventricular systolic function, prevalence of abnormalities of left ventricular diastolic function, as assessed by Doppler echocardiographic study of mitral and pulmonary vein flow, was high, with 51% of patients showing indirect signs of increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. Furthermore, our data documented that a "normal" mitral flow profile does not exclude the presence of an abnormality of left ventricular filling, which could be otherwise identified by combined analysis of a pulmonary vein flow profile.

Single-lead VDD pacing. A case of cross-talk.

The haemodynamic and electrophysiological benefits of dual chamber pacing are well recognized at the cost of a more complex and expensive implant. In selected groups of patients VDD-mode dual chamber pacing offers the advantages of dual chamber pacing with the use of a single catheter and is nowadays gaining increasing popularity. The following report describes an uncommon and potentially harmful pacemaker malfunction secondary to the dislodgement of the catheter.

A peculiar form of pacemaker syndrome in DDD pacing.

This paper documents the occurrence of a peculiar form of PM syndrome despite the presence of DDD pacing. This occurred because the post atrial refractory period was set inappropriately. Our aim is to highlight the intriguing nature of the syndrome and the need to rule out a concealed form of PM syndrome every time an implanted patient suffers from unexplained and confounding symptoms.