Procedural time reduction associated with active esophageal cooling during pulmonary vein isolation.

Background: Active esophageal cooling is increasingly utilized as an alternative to luminal esophageal temperature (LET) monitoring for protection against thermal injury during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) when treating atrial fibrillation (AF). Published data demonstrate the efficacy of active cooling in reducing thermal injury, but impacts on procedural efficiency are not as well characterized. LET monitoring compels pauses in ablation due to heat stacking and temperature overheating alarms that in turn delay progress of the PVI procedure, whereas active esophageal cooling allows avoidance of this phenomenon.

A prospective multi-site registry of real-world experience of catheter ablation for treatment of symptomatic paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (Real-AF): design and objectives.

Purpose: Catheter ablation has become a mainstay therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) with rapid innovation over the past decade. Variability in ablation techniques may impact efficiency, safety, and efficacy; and the ideal strategy is unknown. Real-world evidence assessing the impact of procedural variations across multiple operators may provide insight into these questions.

Drug-Coated Balloon Venoplasty for In-Stent Restenosis in a Patient With Recurrent Pulmonary Vein Stenosis Post Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: Initial Experience With a New Treatment Technique.

Pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) is an uncommon but serious complication following radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation. Occurrence of this complication has risen with increased rates of ablation procedures, with >50,000 AF ablation procedures performed per year, and can occur within weeks to months post procedure. Currently, the main therapies for PVS include percutaneous interventions with balloon angioplasty and stenting, but these treatments are complicated by a high rate of restenosis.

Medical specialty certification in the United States-a false idol?

Purpose: Recent changes to medical specialty certification in the USA have prompted the process to come under intense scrutiny.

Methods: We review the history of board certification and the changes made to the process. As part of this review, we examine both literature and public record to examine the motives behind the changes made.

A Heart Rhythm Society Electrophysiology Workforce study: current survey analysis of physician workforce trends.

Background: Recent economic trends influenced by healthcare reform, an aging population, changes in physician reimbursement, and increasing competition will have a significant impact on the electrophysiology workforce. Therefore, there is an important need to obtain information about the EP workforce to assess training of arrhythmic healthcare providers in order the meet the requisite societal need. This report summarizes the data collected by the HRS Workforce Study Task Force in relation to physician workforce issues.

Safety of transvenous cardiac resynchronization system implantation in patients with chronic heart failure: combined results of over 2,000 patients from a multicenter study program.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of implanting a cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) system.

Background: Clinicians and patients require data on the safety of the CRT implant procedure to estimate procedural risk.

Methods: We evaluated outcomes of transvenous CRT system implantation in 2,078 patients from the Multicenter InSync Randomized Clinical Evaluation (MIRACLE) study, the MIRACLE Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) study, and the InSync III study.

Cardiac resynchronization with sequential biventricular pacing for the treatment of moderate-to-severe heart failure.

Objectives: The InSync III study evaluated sequential cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with moderate-to-severe heart failure and prolonged QRS.

Background: Simultaneous CRT improves hemodynamic and clinical performance in patients with moderate-to-severe heart failure (HF) and a wide QRS. Recent evidence suggests that sequentially stimulating the ventricles might provide additional benefit.

Surface ECG vector characteristics of organized and disorganized atrial activity during atrial fibrillation.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine atrial organization from vectorcardiograms (VCGs) derived from the surface ECG of atrial fibrillatory waves.

Methods: We retrieved ECGs recorded during ventricular asystole from 22 patients with AF undergoing ablation of the AV junction. The synthesized VCG of each f-wave cycle of each ECG and its plane of best fit, described by azimuth and elevation angles relative to the frontal plane, were computed.

Atrial flutter vector loops derived from the surface ECG: does the plane of the loop correspond anatomically to the macroreentrant circuit?

We hypothesized that if the right atrial circuit during isthmus dependent atrial flutter provides the dominant contribution to the surface electrocardiogram (ECG), the three-dimensional vector loop of the flutter waves would primarily be in a plane approximately parallel to the tricuspid ring. Twenty vectorcardiograms of isthmus dependent atrial flutter derived from 12-lead ECGs of 19 patients recorded prior to radiofrequency ablation were analyzed. The plane of each loop, described by azimuth and elevation angles relative to the frontal plane, was estimated with two methods: 1) plane of maximum loop area and 2) plane of best fit.

Effect of cardiac resynchronization therapy on left ventricular size and function in chronic heart failure.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has recently emerged as an effective treatment for patients with moderate to severe systolic heart failure and ventricular dyssynchrony. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether improvements in left ventricular (LV) size and function were associated with CRT.

Methods And Results: Doppler echocardiograms were obtained at baseline and at 3 and 6 months after therapy in 323 patients enrolled in the Multicenter InSync Randomized Clinical Evaluation (MIRACLE) trial.

Cardiac resynchronization in chronic heart failure.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that cardiac resynchronization achieved through atrial-synchronized biventricular pacing produces clinical benefits in patients with heart failure who have an intraventricular conduction delay. We conducted a double-blind trial to evaluate this therapeutic approach.

Methods: Four hundred fifty-three patients with moderate-to-severe symptoms of heart failure associated with an ejection fraction of 35 percent or less and a QRS interval of 130 msec or more were randomly assigned to a cardiac-resynchronization group (228 patients) or to a control group (225 patients) for six months, while conventional therapy for heart failure was maintained.