2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.

In the last three decades, ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has become an evidence-based safe and efficacious treatment for managing the most common cardiac arrhythmia. In 2007, the first joint expert consensus document was issued, guiding healthcare professionals involved in catheter or surgical AF ablation. Mounting research evidence and technological advances have resulted in a rapidly changing landscape in the field of catheter and surgical AF ablation, thus stressing the need for regularly updated versions of this partnership which were issued in 2012 and 2017.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Use and Outcomes With WATCHMAN FLX: A SURPASS Analysis of the NCDR Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Registry.

Background: Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is increasingly used as an alternative to oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention in select patients with atrial fibrillation. Data on outcomes in racial and ethnic minority individuals are limited. This analysis assessed differences in the use and outcomes of LAAO by race and ethnicity in a large national registry.

Objective Ischemia, Subjective Angina, and Psychological Distress in Angina With No Obstructive Coronary Disease.

Background: Angina with no obstructive coronary disease (ANOCA) and ischemia with no obstructive coronary disease, prevalent yet underrecognized conditions, mostly affect women. Previous studies rarely distinguished between them. We aimed to compare the prevalence of objective ischemia through various examinations in women with ANOCA and assess the impact of objective and subjective ischemia on their mental health.

Predictors of Shock-Reduction Programming and Its Impact on Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapies and Mortality: The CERTITUDE Registry.

Background: Shock-reduction implantable cardioverter-defibrillator programming (SRP) was associated with fewer therapies and improved survival in randomized controlled trials, but real-world studies investigating SRP and associated outcomes are limited.

Methods And Results: The BIOTRONIK CERTITUDE registry was linked with the Medicare database. We included all patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implanted between August 22, 2012 and September 30, 2021 in the United States.

Depression and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Implantation in Black Patients at Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death.

Background: Black patients meeting indications for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have lower rates of implantation compared with White patients. There is little understanding of how mental health impacts the decision-making process among Black patients considering ICDs. Our objective was to assess the association between depressive symptoms and ICD implantation among Black patients with heart failure.

Efficacy of the lumbar sympathetic ganglion block in lower limb pain and its application prospects during the perioperative period.

The sympathetic nervous system is involved in the physiological pathogenesis of many different types of chronic pain. Sympathetic blocks can interrupt the reflex control system by intercepting the noxious afferent fibers accompanying autonomic nerves, resulting in changes in peripheral or central sensory processing. A lumbar sympathetic ganglion block (LSGB), as a treatment method, refers to the injection of nerve blockers into the corresponding lumbar sympathetic nerve segments, usually requiring imaging assistance (CT, X-ray, ultrasound) to guide.

Association of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension, Diabetes, and Hyperlipidemia With Gulf War Illness Among Gulf War Veterans.

Background: Approximately 30% of the 700 000 Gulf War veterans report a chronic symptom-based illness of varying severity referred to as Gulf War illness (GWI). Toxic deployment-related exposures have been implicated in the cause of GWI, some of which contribute to metabolic dysregulation and lipid abnormalities. As this cohort ages, the relationship between GWI and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a growing concern.

Splanchnic Nerve Modulation Effects on Surrogate Measures of Venous Capacitance.

Background Splanchnic nerve modulation (SNM) is an emerging procedure to reduce cardiac filling pressures in heart failure. Although the main contributor to reduction in cardiac preload is thought to be increased venous capacitance in the splanchnic circulation, supporting evidence is limited. We examined changes in venous capacitance surrogates pre- and post-SNM.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Computed Tomography-Defined Adipose Depots and Coronary Artery Disease: A PROMISE Trial Biomarker Substudy.

Background The interplay between branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism, an important pathway in adiposity and cardiometabolic disease, and visceral adipose depots such as hepatic steatosis (HS) and epicardial adipose tissue is unknown. We leveraged the PROMISE clinical trial with centrally adjudicated coronary computed tomography angiography imaging to determine relationships between adipose depots, BCAA dysregulation, and coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods and Results The PROMISE (Prospective Multicenter Imaging Study for Evaluation of Chest Pain) trial randomized 10 003 outpatients with stable chest pain to computed tomography angiography versus standard-of-care diagnostics.

Blood Pressure Variability in Clinical Practice: Past, Present and the Future.

Recent advances in wearable technology through convenient and cuffless systems will enable continuous, noninvasive monitoring of blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and heart rhythm on both longitudinal 24-hour measurement scales and high-frequency beat-to-beat BP variability and synchronous heart rate variability and changes in underlying heart rhythm. Clinically, BP variability is classified into 4 main types on the basis of the duration of monitoring time: very-short-term (beat to beat), short-term (within 24 hours), medium-term (within days), and long-term (over months and years). BP variability is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease, cognitive decline, and mental illness.

Contemporary Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia in the United States: Insights From the CASCADE FH Registry.

Background Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare, treatment-resistant disorder characterized by early-onset atherosclerotic and aortic valvular cardiovascular disease if left untreated. Contemporary information on HoFH in the United States is lacking, and the extent of underdiagnosis and undertreatment is uncertain. Methods and Results Data were analyzed from 67 children and adults with clinically diagnosed HoFH from the CASCADE (Cascade Screening for Awareness and Detection) FH Registry.

Contributions of Women to Cardiovascular Science Over Two Decades: Authorship, Leadership, and Mentorship.

Background Women remain underrepresented in cardiology. We aimed to assess gender trends in research authorship, authorship in leading roles, mentorship, and research team diversity. Methods and Results We identified "cardiac and cardiovascular systems" journals from 2002 to 2020 using Journal Citation Reports 2019 (Web of Science, Clarivate Analytics).

Prognostic Impact of Cardiac Diastolic Function and Coronary Microvascular Function on Cardiovascular Death.

Background Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) has been considered as a possible cause of cardiac diastolic dysfunction. The current study evaluated the association between cardiac diastolic dysfunction and CMD, and their prognostic implications in patients without significant left ventricular systolic dysfunction and epicardial coronary stenosis. Methods and Results A total of 330 patients without left ventricular systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction ≥50%) and significant epicardial coronary stenosis (fractional flow reserve >0.

Effects of Ablation Versus Drug Therapy on Quality of Life by Sex in Atrial Fibrillation: Results From the CABANA Trial.

Background Women with atrial fibrillation (AF) demonstrate more AF-related symptoms and worse quality of life (QOL). Whether increased use of ablation in women reduces sex-related QOL differences is unknown. Sex-related outcomes for ablation versus drug therapy was a prespecified analysis in the CABANA (Catheter Ablation Versus Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation) trial.