Similarities in Hypertension Status but Differences in Mortality Risk: A Comparison of 2017 ACC/AHA and 2018 Chinese Hypertension Guidelines.

Background: Few studies investigated the concordance in hypertension status and antihypertensive treatment recommendations between the 2018 Chinese Hypertension League (CHL) guidelines and the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines and assessed the change of premature mortality risk with hypertension defined by the ACC/AHA guidelines.

Methods: We used the baseline data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) to estimate the population impact on hypertension management between CHL and ACC/AHA guidelines. Mortality risk from hypertension was estimated using the data from China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS).

Bradyarrhythmias in Cardio-Oncology.

The relationship between bradyarrhythmias and cancer therapies has not been well described but is increasingly recognized. There have been extensive advances in oncological pharmacotherapy, with several new classes of drugs available including targeted agents, immune checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T cell therapy. This increasing repertoire of available drugs has revolutionized overall prognosis and survival of cancer patients but the true extent of their cardiovascular toxicity is only beginning to be understood.

Novel aggregated multiposition noncontact mapping of atrial tachycardia in humans: From computational modeling to clinical validation.

Background: A novel aggregated multiposition noncontact mapping (AMP-NCM) algorithm is proposed to diagnose cardiac arrhythmias.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to computationally determine an accuracy threshold and to compare the accuracy and clinical utility of AMP-NCM to gold standard contact mapping.

Methods: In a cellular automata model, the number of catheter positions and chamber coverage were varied to establish accuracy requirements for clinically relevant AMP-NCM.

Long-term prognosis of patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: comparison between heart failure subtypes based on left ventricular ejection fraction.

Aims: Heart failure (HF) prognosis has been reported similar in patients with preserved vs. reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). This study compared the long-term prognosis of HF patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for atrial fibrillation (AF).

Individualized ablation strategy to treat persistent atrial fibrillation: Core-to-boundary approach guided by charge-density mapping.

Background: Noncontact charge-density mapping allows rapid real-time global mapping of atrial fibrillation (AF), offering the opportunity for a personalized ablation strategy.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the 2-year outcome of an individualized strategy consisting of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) plus core-to-boundary ablation (targeting the conduction pattern core with an extension to the nearest nonconducting boundary) guided by charge-density mapping, with an empirical PVI plus posterior wall electrical isolation (PWI) strategy.

Methods: Forty patients (age 62 ± 12 years; 29 male) with persistent AF (10 ± 5 months) prospectively underwent charge-density mapping-guided PVI, followed by core-to-boundary stepwise ablation until termination of AF or depletion of identified cores.

Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients With Functional Mitral Regurgitation and Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction.

The efficacy of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with functional mitral regurgitation (MR) and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction (LVSD) is not known. The aim of the study is to determine the efficacy of catheter ablation for AF in patients with functional MR and LVSD, and to validate its effects on the severity of MR and cardiac reverse remodeling. We performed a retrospective study of 54 patients with functional MR who underwent AF ablation, including 21 (38.

Spectral characterization and impact of stepwise ablation protocol including LAA electrical isolation on persistent AF.

Objectives: To study how left atrial appendage electrical isolation (LAAEI) impacts atrial dominant frequency (DF) in patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF).

Background: LAAEI is associated with a high probability of freedom from atrial fibrillation (AF) and spectral analysis may identify high-frequency sources. How LAAEI impacts the AF dynamics and the subgroup of LSPAF patients in whom LAAEI would be most beneficial, is unclear.

Predictive role of early recurrence of atrial fibrillation after cryoballoon ablation.

Aims: The aims of this study were to determine the rate and the predictors of early recurrences of atrial fibrillation (ERAF) after cryoballoon (CB) ablation and to evaluate whether ERAF correlate with the long-term outcome.

Methods And Results: Three thousand, six hundred, and eighty-one consecutive patients (59.9 ± 10.

Diverse activation patterns during persistent atrial fibrillation by noncontact charge-density mapping of human atrium.

Background: Global simultaneous recording of atrial activation during atrial fibrillation (AF) can elucidate underlying mechanisms contributing to AF maintenance. A better understanding of these mechanisms may allow for an individualized ablation strategy to treat persistent AF. The study aims to characterize left atrial endocardial activation patterns during AF using noncontact charge-density mapping.

Left atrial appendage occlusion with the Amplatzer™ Amulet™ device: full results of the prospective global observational study.

Aims: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) with the Amplatzer™ Amulet™ occluder.

Methods And Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation eligible for LAAO were recruited to a prospective global study. Implant procedures were undertaken with echocardiographic guidance.

Validation of Dipole Density Mapping During Atrial Fibrillation and Sinus Rhythm in Human Left Atrium.

Objectives: This study sought to validate the accuracy of noncontact electrograms against contact electrograms in the left atrium during sinus rhythm (SR) and atrial fibrillation (AF).

Background: Noncontact mapping offers the opportunity to assess global cardiac activation in the chamber of interest. A novel noncontact mapping system, which records intracardiac voltage to derive cellular charge sources (dipole density), allows real-time mapping of AF to guide ablation.

A collective European experience with left atrial appendage suture ligation using the LARIAT+ device.

Aims: We report the collective European experience of percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) suture ligation using the recent generation LARIAT+ suture delivery device.

Methods And Results: A total of 141 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and contraindication to oral anticoagulation (OAC), thrombo-embolic events despite OAC or electrical LAA isolation were enrolled at seven European hospitals to undergo LAA ligation. Patients were followed up by clinical visits and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) following LAA closure.

Author Correction: Differential Assessment of Factor Xa Activity and Global Blood Coagulability Utilizing Novel Dielectric Coagulometry.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

Acute safety, effectiveness, and real-world clinical usage of ultra-high density mapping for ablation of cardiac arrhythmias: results of the TRUE HD study.

Aims: The objective of this study was to verify acute safety, performance, and usage of a novel ultra-high density mapping system in patients undergoing ablation procedure in a real-world clinical setting.

Methods And Results: The TRUE HD study enrolled patients undergoing catheter ablation with mapping for all arrhythmias (excluding de novo atrial fibrillation) who were followed for 1 month. Safety was determined by collecting all serious adverse events and adverse events associated with the study devices.

Resource use and clinical outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation with ablation versus antiarrhythmic drug treatment.

Background: The objective of our study was to compare resource use and clinical outcomes among atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who underwent catheter ablation versus antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) treatment.

Methods: A retrospective cohort design using the Clinical Practice Research Data-Hospital Episode Statistics linkage data from England (2008-2013) was used. Patients undergoing catheter ablation treatment for AF were indexed to the date of first procedure.

Differential Assessment of Factor Xa Activity and Global Blood Coagulability Utilizing Novel Dielectric Coagulometry.

An easy-to-use assessment for activated factor X (FXa) is lacking despite its pivotal role in the coagulation. Dielectric blood coagulometry (DBCM) was recently invented as a novel assessment tool for determining the whole blood coagulability by measuring the temporal change in the permittivity of blood. We previously reported that it could evaluate the global blood coagulability.

Epicardial Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation Guided by a Novel High-Resolution Contact Mapping System: A Multicenter Study.

Background Mapping using a multipolar catheter with small and closely spaced electrodes has been shown to improve the validity of electrograms to identify endocardial critical sites of reentry isthmus and foci of earliest activation. However, the feasibility, safety, and clinical outcome of using such technology to guide epicardial ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation has not been reported. Methods and Results Thirty-three consecutive patients from 5 high-volume centers were studied.

Ventricular tachycardia ablation in structural heart disease: Impact of ablation strategy and non-inducibility as an end-point on long term outcome.

Background: To investigate the long term outcomes after catheter ablation (CA) of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the context of structural heart disease in a multicenter cohort. The impact of different ablation strategies (substrate ablation versus activation guided versus combined) and non-inducibility as an end-point was evaluated.

Methods: Data was pooled from prospective registries at 5 centres over a 5 year period.

Combining Percutaneous Ultrasound-Guided Hematoma Aspiration and Compression Repair to Treat Femoral Artery Pseudoaneurysm after Cardiac Catheterization.

This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new developed method that uses percutaneous ultrasound-guided hematoma aspiration followed by targeted localized manual compression for treatment of femoral artery pseudoaneurysm after cardiac catheterization, which obviates thrombin use, surgery, and long-time compression.From January 2007 to July 2014, 32 patients (17 women; mean age, 55.3 ± 11.

Minimally Invasive Epicardial Surgical Ablation Alone Versus Hybrid Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with non-paroxysmal AF is an elusive goal. Some suggest that hybrid ablation, combining minimally invasive epicardial surgical ablation with endocardial catheter ablation, may be more effective than either modality alone. However, randomised trials are lacking.

Catheter ablation vs electrophysiologically guided thoracoscopic surgical ablation in long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation: The CASA-AF Study.

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) outcomes for long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF) remain suboptimal. Thoracoscopic surgical ablation (SA) provides an alternative approach in this difficult to treat cohort.

Objective: To compare electrophysiological (EP) guided thoracoscopic SA with percutaneous CA as the first-line strategy in the treatment of LSPAF.