Pacemaker-induced Cardiomyopathy in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: A Report of Three Cases.

Pacing-induced cardiomyopathy (PICM) is defined as a drop in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the setting of chronic, high-burden right ventricular pacing. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and conduction system pacing (CSP) have been proposed to manage PICM. Although acute myocardial infarction has been described as a predictor of PICM, there are no guideline recommendations for CRT or CSP in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and preserved LVEF.

Perforation of the Pulmonary Vein During Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: A Rare Complication of Cryoballoon Ablation.

A 58-year-old man admitted for a cryoballoon ablation due to a history of symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation experienced pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade intraoperatively. A longitudinal left superior pulmonary vein perforation was confirmed by emergency thoracotomy and repaired. He developed atrial fibrillation 2 days postoperatively, which was terminated with colchicine and oral steroids the following day.

Effectiveness of virtual reality in managing pain and anxiety in adults during periprocedural period: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Patients undergoing medical procedures often experience pain and anxiety. These periprocedural outcomes can be overcome by providing a distraction using virtual reality (VR), decreasing their perception. VR has proved effective in reducing pediatric pain and anxiety; however, limited studies have confirmed its effectiveness in adults.

Multiparametric Cardiac Magnetic Resonance and Arrhythmias in Myocarditis.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium with a wide range of potential etiological factors, including a variety of infectious agents (mainly viral), systemic diseases, drugs, and toxins.

Captagon-induced Brugada phenocopy: A report of two cases.

Brugada phenocopies (BrP) represent electrocardiogram changes identical to those of true congenital Brugada syndrome but are induced by reversible clinical conditions. Previous cases have been reported in patients following recreational drug use. This report presents two cases of type 1B BrP associated with Fenethylline abuse, a recreational drug known by its trade name, Captagon.

Association of electrocardiographic markers with myocardial fibrosis as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance in different clinical settings.

Background: Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is a unique tool for non-invasive tissue characterization, especially for identifying fibrosis.

Aim: To present the existing data regarding the association of electrocardiographic (ECG) markers with myocardial fibrosis identified by CMR - late gadolinium enhancement (LGE).

Methods: A systematic search was performed for identifying the relevant studies in Medline and Cochrane databases through February 2021.

A 2-Year-Old Boy Who Developed an Aortoesophageal Fistula After Swallowing a Button Battery, Managed Using a Novel Procedure with Vascular Plug Device as a Bridge to Definitive Surgical Repair.

BACKGROUND Button batteries (BBs) can be inhaled or swallowed accidentally, particularly by infants and children, who can present as a surgical emergency with a fatal outcome. This report is of a case of a 2-year-old boy who developed an aortoesophageal fistula (AEF) after swallowing a button battery and was successfully treated using a novel vascular plug device as a bridge to definitive surgical repair. AEF is diagnosed using computed tomography angiography (CTA), after laparotomy, and using aortography.

Successful implantation of a left ventricular lead in an anomalous coronary sinus.

We describe the case of a 56-year-old man who was referred for CRT implantation and found to have anomalous CS. Catheterization of the CS initially failed due to this anomaly. However, a single large posterior-lateral branch with diminutive CS in the atrioventricular groove allowed for successful implantation of the LV lead.

Importance of Polarity Reversal in Leads I/aVL in the Diagnosis of an Accessory Pathway Originating from the Aortomitral Continuity.

Accessory pathways (APs) are commonly located around the tricuspid and mitral annulus; however, they can be rarely seen in unusual locations like the aortomitral continuity (AMC), the right atrium to the right ventricular outflow region, and the left atrial appendage to left ventricle connection. Although several electrocardiogram algorithms have been proposed to localize the AP, the sensitivity of these algorithms is not high and they may fail to localize the mentioned unusual localizations. In this report, we describe a case of a 37-year-old man presenting with an AP originating from the AMC, which was successfully ablated.

Arrhythmias and electrocardiographic findings in Coronavirus disease 2019: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) primarily causes lung infection, but recent studies have shown that cardiac involvement is associated with a worse prognosis.

Objectives: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias detected by the electrocardiogram and their relationships with adverse outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

Methods: PubMed and Google were searched for studies that reported on cardiac arrhythmias and/or examined the relationship between arrhythmias and adverse outcomes.

A New Era in Epicardial Access for the Ablation of Ventricular Arrhythmias: The Epi-Co Registry.

Objectives: This multicenter registry aimed to assess the reproducibility and safety of intentional coronary vein exit and carbon dioxide insufflation to facilitate subxiphoid epicardial access in the setting of ventricular tachycardia ablation.

Background: Epicardial ablation for ventricular tachycardia is not a widespread technique due to the significant potential complications associated with subxiphoid puncture. The first experience in 12 patients showed that intentional coronary vein exit and carbon dioxide insufflation was technically feasible.

Obstructed infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection: The challenge of palliative stenting for the stenotic vertical vein.

Introduction: Obstructed total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) is one of the commonest seen emergencies in pediatric cardiology centers.

Case Presentation: Our case was diagnosed to have this anomaly, showing early respiratory distress resulting from severe pulmonary congestion. Palliative stenting of the obstruction was done, which helped in stabilizing the debilitated hemodynamics of the baby before surgery, thus a good surgical outcome and prognosis are expected.

Value of electrocardiography in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In December 2019, reports of an unknown pneumonia not responsive to traditional treatments arose in Wuhan, China. The pathogen was subsequently identified as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), known to be responsible for the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) illness, and public health emergency of international concern was declared by the World Health Organization. There is increasing awareness of the cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 disease, and the adverse impact of cardiovascular involvement on its prognosis.

Rate-dependent aberrancy and cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Left bundle branch block (LBBB) can result in significant dyssynchrony in left ventricular (LV) contraction, ultimately leading to cardiac remodeling. LBBB can be rate dependent and may appear with LV systolic dysfunction. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been demonstrated to improve hemodynamics as well as clinical symptoms in patients with LBBB.

Evaluation and Management of Asymptomatic Bradyarrhythmias.

Asymptomatic bradyarrhythmias involving sinus node dysfunction and atrioventicular blocks are frequently noted in clinical practice. Its prevalence is expected to rise as devices that are developed for monitoring cardiac rhythm for longer duration become more widely available. Episodes of bradyarrhythmia that are asymptomatic are considered to have a benign course compared with those that cause symptoms and do not necessitate further treatment.

Successful leadless pacemaker implantation in a patient with profound bradycardia following transcatheter aortic valve replacement and mitral valve-in-valve procedure.

Leadless pacemakers provide a potential alternative to conventional transvenous pacemakers for patients undergoing high-risk transcatheter valve replacement procedures. This is a description of a successful leadless pacemaker implantation in a 51-year-old woman who developed profound bradycardia following a transcatheter aortic valve replacement and mitral valve-in-valve procedure.

Left Septal Fascicular Block Following Alcohol Septal Ablation for Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy.

Left septal fascicular block, or blockage of the middle fibers of the left bundle branch, is known to be suggestive of a critical proximal obstruction of the left anterior descending coronary artery before its first septal perforator branch. We describe the case of a 68-year-old male who exhibited this transient intraventricular dromotropic disturbance following alcohol septal ablation for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

A Comparative Study of TAVR versus SAVR in Moderate and High-Risk Surgical Patients: Hospital Outcome and Midterm Results.

Background: Although the use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has recently become an attractive strategy in prohibitive surgical high-risk patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR), the most appropriate treatment option in patients with an intermediate- to high-risk profile- whether conventional surgery (SAVR) or TAVR-has been widely debated.

Methods: One hundred and forty-three consecutive patients with intermediate to high risk were prospectively enrolled and selected to undergo SAVR (Group 1 [G1], n = 63) or TAVR (Group 2 [G2], n = 80) following a multidisciplinary evaluation including frailty, anatomy, and degree of atherosclerotic disease of the aorta/peripheral vessels. The mean logistic EuroSCORE (G1 = 20.

Palliative emergency stenting of the vertical vein in obstructive supracardiac pulmonary venous drainage prior to surgical repair.

Obstructed "total anomalous pulmonary venous connection" mostly presents with respiratory distress secondary to pulmonary congestion. We report two very sick patients who were referred to our cardiac center for intervention to relieve vertical vein (VV) obstruction. Due to hemodynamic instability and associated morbidity, the decision in our combined meeting was to go for interventional cardiac catheterization.