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Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2022 May 22. Epub 2022 May 22.

Department of Cardiology, Kobari General Hospital, Noda, Chiba, Japan.

We report a patient who underwent left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) because of intermittent complete heart block. During unipolar pacing at a deep septal site, a transition in QRS morphology from nonselective to selective pacing (presence of a discrete component on the intracardiac electrogram) was observed, but this was accompanied by concomitant prolongation of the stimulus-to-left ventricular activation time from 96 to 116 ms. However, with several additional turns of the lead, a transition from nonselective to selective LBBP with a short and constant stimulus-to-left ventricular activation time of 78 ms was achieved. Read More

Am J Cardiol 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. Electronic address:

Previous studies reported that new-onset persistent left bundle branch block (NOP-LBBB) was related to worse outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). However, these results can be confounded by the presence of permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation before and after TAVI. Long-term outcomes and the risk stratification of NOP-LBBB not having PPM implantation before and after TAVI have not been fully investigated. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Cardiac Surgery, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Chicago, IL, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Pulmonary valve infective endocarditis (PVIE) represents a rare subset of right-sided IE. This study aimed to evaluate the population-level surgical outcomes of PVIE in the United States.

Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study using the 2002-2017 National Inpatient Sample database. Read More

BMC Oral Health 2022 May 20;22(1):194. Epub 2022 May 20.

Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

Background: Local anesthesia (LA) poses a threat in children more than the treatment process itself, so pediatric dentists are always demanding less painful techniques. Computer-controlled Intraligamentary anaesthesia (CC-ILA) is designed to reduce injection pain and side effects of conventional techniques. The present study aims to assess the pain experience using Computer-controlled Intraligamentary anaesthesia (CC-ILA) during injection and its effectiveness in controlling pain during extraction of mandibular primary molars in pediatric patients. Read More

Arch Cardiovasc Dis 2022 Apr 27. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

AP-HP, Sorbonne University, 75013 Paris, France. Electronic address:

Background: Immune-checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis (ICI-myocarditis) often presents with arrhythmias, but the prognostic value of early electrocardiogram findings is unclear. Although ICI-myocarditis and acute cellular rejection (ACR) following cardiac transplantation use similar treatment strategies, differences in arrhythmia burden are unknown.

Objective: To evaluate the association of electrocardiogram findings in ICI-myocarditis with myocarditis-related mortality and life-threatening arrhythmia. Read More

J Investig Med High Impact Case Rep 2022 Jan-Dec;10:23247096221098333

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, The University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, USA.

Lyme disease is commonly encountered in endemic areas of the United States harboring the causal organism . Lyme carditis can manifest in early disseminated infections, usually as atrioventricular nodal blockade. Timely antibiotic therapy typically suppresses myocardial inflammation and reverses cardiac conduction disturbances. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2022 May 3;6(5):ytac194. Epub 2022 May 3.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume 830-0011, Japan.

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2022 May 2;6(5):ytac196. Epub 2022 May 2.

Barts Heart Centre, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, West Smithfield EC1A 7BE, UK.

J Cardiol 2022 May 16. Epub 2022 May 16.

Department of Cardiology II - Electrophysiology, University Hospital Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Muenster, Germany.

Introduction: Recent studies suggest cardiac involvement with an increased incidence of arrhythmias in the setting of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of potentially lethal arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation in patients with COVID-19-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and to elicit possible predictors of arrhythmia occurrence.

Methods And Results: A total of 107 patients (82 male, mean age 60 ± 12 years, median body mass index 28 kg/m) treated for COVID-19-induced ARDS in a large tertiary university hospital intensive care unit between March 2020 and February 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Read More

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2022 May;8(5):662-664

Unit of Cardiology-Physiology, Department of Medicine ASST Rhodense, Garbagnate Milanese, Milan, Italy.

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2022 May 30;8(5):651-661. Epub 2022 Mar 30.

Center for Arrhythmia Care, Heart and Vascular Institute, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Electronic address:

Objectives: This study sought to analyze the impact of the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and Heart Rhythm Society (ACC/AHA/HRS) guidelines for cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) update on utilization and efficacy of CRT-D.

Background: In September 2012, the ACC/AHA/HRS guidelines for CRT-D were modified to include left bundle branch block (LBBB) as a Class I indication.

Methods: The IBM Watson MarketScan Database was queried between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2018, for CRT-D implants or upgrades. Read More

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2022 May 30;8(5):635-647. Epub 2022 Mar 30.

Center for Arrhythmia Care, Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Electronic address:

Objectives: This study sought to examine QRS and intracardiac characteristics during selective (S) and nonselective (NS) left bundle branch pacing (LBBP) from direct left septal recordings.

Background: Criteria for S-LBBP and NS-LBBP have not been validated with intracardiac mapping.

Methods: Pacing was performed from multielectrode Purkinje recordings below the left-sided His. Read More

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2022 May;26(9):3061

Institute for Health Sciences from Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brazil.

J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Electrophysiology, Lehigh Valley Heart Institute, Allentown, PA.

Background: Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) is a form of conduction system pacing. Long term data on the safety and performance of LBBAP one year post device implantation has not been well described.

Methods And Results: Sixty-five patients (49% females) who received LBBAP for bradycardia indications using the SelectSecure 3830 lead (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) were retrospectively evaluated. Read More

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2022 9;2022:6841276. Epub 2022 May 9.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang 050200, Hebei, China.

Myocardial fibrosis is the main morphological change of ventricular remodelling caused by cardiovascular diseases, mainly manifested due to the excessive production of collagen proteins. SRY-related high mobility group-box gene 9 (SOX9) is a new target regulating myocardial fibrosis. Bellidifolin (BEL), the active component of , can prevent heart damage. Read More

Front Pharmacol 2022 2;13:809802. Epub 2022 May 2.

Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

Ivabradine is clinically administered to lower the heart rate, proposedly by inhibiting hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels in the sinoatrial node. Recent evidence suggests that voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) are inhibited within the same concentration range. VGSCs are expressed within the sinoatrial node and throughout the conduction system of the heart. Read More

BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2022 May 18;22(1):225. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Family Medicine, Wong Siu Ching Family Medicine Centre, New Territories East Cluster, Hospital Authority, G/F, 1 Po Wu Lane, Tai Po, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Background: Hypertension is strongly associated with cardiovascular events. Studies have shown that electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities were associated with increased risks for cardiovascular events. However local data is limited. Read More

Braz J Med Biol Res 2022 16;55:e11916. Epub 2022 May 16.

Laboratório de Fisiologia do Exercício e Fisioterapia Cardiovascular, Departamento de Ciência da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil.

Here we investigated the effects of physical training on cardiovascular autonomic control and cardiac morphofunctional parameters in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) subjected to ovarian hormone deprivation. Forty-eight 10-week-old SHRs were divided into two groups: ovariectomized (OVX, n=24) and sham (SHAM, n=24). Half of each group (n=12) was trained by swimming for 12 weeks (OVX-T and SHAM-T). Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department Of Cardiology, Antalya Education and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey.

Situs inversus c-TGA refers to a complex anatomical malformation. The risk of developing AV block increases by 2% per year. Pacemaker lead perforation is a rare but serious complication after pacemaker implantation and that develops more than 1 month is defined as late lead perforation. Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2022 May 18. Epub 2022 May 18.

Institut Clínic Cardiovascular (ICCV), Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

Background: It is unknown whether His-Purkinje conduction system pacing (HPCSP), as either His bundle or left bundle branch pacing, could be an alternative to cardiac resynchronization therapy (BiVCRT) for patients with left ventricular dysfunction needing ventricular pacing due to atrioventricular block. The aim of the study is to compare the echocardiographic response and clinical improvement between HPCSP and BiVCRT.

Methods: Consecutive patients who successfully received HPCSP were compared with a historical cohort of BiVCRT patients. Read More

Acta Cardiol 2022 May 18:1-8. Epub 2022 May 18.

Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

Background: Identifying prolonged QT interval in RBBB has been problematic.

Methods: Four approaches were compared to adjust for the QT prolongation in intermittent RBBB. The implications were assessed in a separate group of 200 persons with established RBBB. Read More

World J Cardiol 2022 Apr;14(4):220-230

Laboratory for the Study of Neurohormonal Control of the Circulation, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacology), College of Pharmacy, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328-2018, United States.

Background: In the heart, aldosterone (Aldo) binds the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) to exert damaging, adverse remodeling-promoting effects. We recently showed that G protein-coupled receptor-kinase (GRK)-5 blocks the cardiac MR by directly phosphorylating it, thereby repressing its transcriptional activity. MR antagonist (MRA) drugs block the cardiac MR reducing morbidity and mortality of advanced human heart failure. Read More

J Cardiol Cases 2022 May 30;25(5):304-307. Epub 2021 Dec 30.

Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Madras Medical Mission, Chennai, India.

Surgical septal myectomy is increasingly utilized for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy who remain symptomatic despite maximum doses of medical therapy. Deep and extensive septal muscle resections may lead to iatrogenic ventricular septal defects that are detected on transesophageal echocardiography immediately after weaning from cardiopulmonary bypass and immediately corrected in the same surgery. However markedly thinned out ventricular septum after myectomy may be prone to late rupture from high left ventricular systolic pressures causing delayed detection of a ventricular septal defect when the patients present with new onset symptoms. Read More

J Cardiol Cases 2022 May 17;25(5):308-311. Epub 2021 Dec 17.

Department of Medical Science and Cardiorenal Medicine, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.

A 69-year-old woman was referred for upgrading implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) because of symptomatic heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy. Her electrocardiogram showed left bundle branch block and echocardiography showed severe left ventricular dysfunction. Venography confirmed the presence of persistent left superior vena cava (PLSVC), and occlusion of innominate vein and the coronary sinus (CS) ostium. Read More

J Formos Med Assoc 2022 May 13. Epub 2022 May 13.

Department of Anesthesiology, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address:

Sugammadex is a direct reversal agent of aminosteroid muscle relaxants, particularly rocuronium, with promptly and completely reverse of deep neuromuscular block (NMB), which allows better surgical conditions. Sugammadex exhibits advantages over indirect reversal agent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine with less adverse effects. In this retrospective review, we compared the incidence of postoperative vomiting (POV), postoperative urinary retention (POUR), and hemodynamic changes between sugammadex and neostigmine/glycopyrrolate in reversal of muscular blockade. Read More

Indian Heart J 2022 May 13. Epub 2022 May 13.

Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum Medical College, P.O., Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Electronic address:

Background: There are no data on electrocardiographic (ECG) findings from general population of Indian subcontinent. We analyzed ECG abnormalities of in adults as part of a community survey of prevalence of coronary artery disease and risk factors from South India.

Methods And Results: In this cross-sectional study of men and women between the ages 20 to 79 years, ECGs recorded digitally were analyzed using the Minnesota code. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2022 27;9:844626. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.

Acute myocarditis is a rare but serious complication associated with mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. In this article, four COVID-19 mRNA vaccination induced myocarditis cases managed at our tertiary Medical Center have been discussed. Three patients had typical myocarditis. Read More

Int Heart J 2022 May 14. Epub 2022 May 14.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kumamoto University School of Medicine.

An 83-year-old man suddenly lost consciousness, and his blood pressure dropped. Results of blood analysis were within normal range. A chest radiograph showed enlargement of the left mediastinum. Read More

Ann Emerg Med 2022 Jun;79(6):568-577

Department of Ultrasound, Taizhou Women and Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

Heart Vessels 2022 May 14. Epub 2022 May 14.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8603, Japan.

Atrioventricular Block (AVB) is one of the common manifestations in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). Although pacemaker implantation is generally recommended in patients with CS complicated by symptomatic AVB, some case reports have shown that they can be managed by steroid therapy without pacemaker implantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of steroid therapy without pacemaker implantation in patients with CS complicated by symptomatic AVB. Read More