A novel screening test for inappropriate shocks due to myopotentials from the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

Background: The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) is effective in preventing sudden cardiac death. Compared with transvenous ICDs, S-ICDs have a lower rate of inappropriate shocks (IASs) for supraventricular arrhythmias, but such shocks for T-wave oversensing (TWO) and extracardiac myopotentials are more common. No screening tests to identify patients at risk for IAS due to myopotential interference (MPI) currently are available.

Safety and Efficacy of Subcutaneous Cardioverter Defibrillator in Patients at High Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death - Primary Japanese Experience.

Background: The entirely subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) was introduced as a new alternative to conventional transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) in Japan in February 2016, but its safety and efficacy are unclear.

Methods and results: A total of 60 patients (48 men, median age, 60 years; IQR, 44-67 years; primary prevention, n=24) underwent S-ICD implantation between February 2016 and August 2017. The device pocket was formed in the intermuscular space between the serratus anterior muscle and the latissimus dorsi muscle, and the parasternal S-ICD lead was placed according to pre-implant screening.

Safety and efficacy of contemporary catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation patients with a history of cardioembolic stroke in the era of direct oral anticoagulants.

Background: The safety and efficacy of the contemporary atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation in patients with a recent or previous history of cardioembolic stroke (CS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) remain to be established.

Methods: A total of 447 patients who underwent first-ever contact force (CF)-guided AF ablation with circumferential pulmonary vein isolation were included. Of these, 17 had CS or TIA within 6 months before ablation (Group 1), 30 more than 6 months before ablation (Group 2), and the other 400 without CS or TIA (Group 3).

Potential roles of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator in acute phase care of patients at high risk of sudden cardiac death: A single-center Japanese experience.

Background: The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) has been expected to play a role as an effective bridge therapy to implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation in patients at high risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VA). Although WCD has been available since April 2014 in Japan, its usefulness remains unclear.

Methods And Results: During the early period after hospitalization, patients at high risk of VA after excluding some elderly patients were prescribed WCD.

Long Postpacing Interval After Entrainment of Tachycardia Including a Slow Conduction Zone Within the Circuit.

Backgrounds: Postpacing interval (PPI) measured after entrainment pacing describes the distance between pacing site and reentrant circuit. However, the influential features to PPI remain to be elucidated.

Methods And Results: This study included 22 cases with slow/fast atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), 14 orthodromic AV reciprocating tachycardia (AVRT) using an accessary pathway, 22 typical atrial flutter (AFL), and 18 other macroreentrant atrial tachycardia (atypical AFL).

Impact of Sex Difference on Severity and Functional Outcome in Patients with Cardioembolic Stroke.

Introduction: Female sex is a risk factor for thromboembolic events in Caucasian, but not in Japanese, patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. However, it remains unclear whether the female sex is also a risk factor for severe stroke and unfavorable functional outcome in patients with cardioembolic (CE) stroke.

Methods: Three hundred fifty-five consecutive patients with CE stroke within 48 hours after onset and with a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or lower before onset were studied.

Study of flow fractionation characteristics of magnetic chromatography utilizing high-temperature superconducting bulk magnet.

We present numerical simulation of separating magnetic particles with different magnetic susceptibilities by magnetic chromatography using a high-temperature superconducting bulk magnet. The transient transport is numerically simulated for two kinds of particles having different magnetic susceptibilities. The time evolutions were calculated for the particle concentration in the narrow channel of the spiral arrangement placed in the magnetic field.