Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

BMC Nephrol 2021 May 10;22(1):172. Epub 2021 May 10.

Department of Nephrology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China.

Background: Patients with kidney disease may have concurrent hypertension and infection. Dihydropyridine calcium-channel blockers (CCB) are the most popular class of antihypertensive drugs used in clinical settings and can be metabolized by cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 3A4 (CYP3A4). Voriconazole is a commonly used antifungal treatment and a CYP3A4-inhibitor. Read More

Pediatr Cardiol 2021 May 7. Epub 2021 May 7.

Division of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd, MS #34, Los Angeles, CA, 90049, USA.

Our institution established a Fontan surveillance plan, which included ambulatory rhythm monitoring (ARM) at 6, 10, 13, 16 and 19 years old, for early detection of Fontan-associated complications. We conducted a retrospective chart review of Fontan patients followed at our institution 2014-2018 to determine the utility of surveillance ARMs. 139 ARMs from 83 patients were included. Read More

J Innov Card Rhythm Manag 2021 Apr 15;12(4):4477-4481. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Section of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.

A 39-year-old man presented with lifelong palpitations, a mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, and incessant tachycardia. Electrocardiography revealed a regular, one-to-one supraventricular tachycardia with superiorly directed P-waves and a long R-P interval. The differential diagnosis of the tachycardia, response to invasive electrophysiologic maneuvers, and treatment with catheter ablation are discussed. Read More

Heart Rhythm 2021 May 3. Epub 2021 May 3.

Section of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Division of Cardiology, University of California San Francisco, CA. Electronic address:

Pediatrics 2021 May 5. Epub 2021 May 5.

Department of Pediatrics, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii; and.

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is an acute inflammatory process resulting in rheumatic carditis, one of the most common acquired heart diseases in youth. Among the clinical manifestations of carditis, pathologic valve regurgitation and atrioventricular block are included in the criteria for the diagnosis of ARF. Besides atrioventricular block, ARF may often present with other arrhythmias, such as junctional tachycardia (JT). Read More

J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect 2021 Mar 23;11(2):238-241. Epub 2021 Mar 23.

Internal Medicine Department, Seton Hall University School of Health and Medical Sciences, Trenton, New Jersey, USA.

Mitral valve infective endocarditis, without aortic involvement, is a rare cause of complete heart block. It is thought that infections placed close to the conductive system of the heart may drive a conduction block. We found six cases in the literature, via searching PubMed, of mitral valve infective endocarditis with complete heart block and no aortic involvement. Read More

J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Cardiology, The Baker Heart & Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia.

Background: Catheter ablation is highly effective for atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT). Generally junctional rhythm (JR) is an accepted requirement for successful ablation however there is a lack of detailed prospective studies to determine the characteristics of JR and the impact on slow pathway conduction.

Methods: Multicentre prospective observational study evaluating the impact of individual radiofrequency (RF) applications in typical AVNRT (slow/fast). Read More

Pediatrics 2021 May 13;147(5). Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Pediatrics, Rush Medical College, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.

A male individual aged 18 years with no significant past medical history presented with fever, headache, dry cough, and chest pain. On clinical examination, he had tachycardia and hypotension needing intravenous fluid resuscitation and inotropic support. A chest radiograph revealed streaky lung opacities, and he was treated with antibiotics for suspected community-acquired pneumonia complicated by septic shock. Read More

Anatol J Cardiol 2021 04;25(4):266-272

Department Of Cardiovascular Surgery, Gulhane Training And Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, which is also associated with mitral valve disease. Surgical ablation is still known to be an important procedure in restoring sinus rhythm (SR) concomitant with mitral valve surgery (MVS). In this study, we aimed to pres-ent our early- and mid-term result of AF cryoablation during robotic MVS. Read More

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2021 Mar 25. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Objectives: This study sought to compare the efficacy of ivabradine and amiodarone in the management of postoperative junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) after cardiac surgery in children.

Background: JET is a serious arrhythmia occurring in children after cardiac surgery and requires aggressive management. Amiodarone has been conventionally used in its treatment. Read More

SAGE Open Med Case Rep 2021 15;9:2050313X21996113. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia.

Inferior wall myocardial infarction occurs in approximately 50% of all myocardial infarctions. The most common conduction disorder of this disease is complete atrioventricular block. Immediate attention must be given to the myocardial infarction patients with conduction block due to the increased mortality rate in these patients. Read More

Int Heart J 2021 Mar 17;62(2):448-452. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Cardiology, Kitasato University.

While the advancement of perioperative management has expanded Fontan candidacy, not all patients have a successful postoperative course. Our case was a right isomerism patient who could not leave the ICU due to high central venous pressure and low output syndrome. Initial observation of the monitor ECG showed his rhythm to be supraventricular, however, an echocardiogram indicated simultaneous contraction of the atrium and ventricle, implying a junctional rhythm. Read More

SAGE Open Med Case Rep 2021 20;9:2050313X21994037. Epub 2021 Feb 20.

Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric, Division of Cardiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.

We describe a unique presentation of a pheochromocytoma in a normotensive teenager, who presented with symptoms of headache, neck pain, and palpitations. Holter and event monitor tracings revealed intermittent junctional rhythm causing electromechanical dyssynchrony between atrial and ventricular contraction resulting in reported symptoms. Exercise stress testing helped correlate symptomatic junctional rhythm events to episodic hypertension which led to the eventual diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Read More

J Innov Card Rhythm Manag 2021 Feb 15;12(2):4385-4389. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, The University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH, USA.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) are disease states with distinctive features but overlapping clinical manifestations. Currently, studies on the presence of underlying SVT in patients with POTS are lacking. This retrospective study analyzed 64 patients [mean age: 43 years; 41 (61%) women] who had a POTS diagnosis and were found to have concomitant SVT during rhythm monitoring from September 1, 2013 to September 30, 2019 at our Syncope and Autonomic Disorders Clinic. Read More

J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci 2021 Mar 26;60(2):201-212. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Center for Animal Resources and Education, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, New York.

Mouse handling and restraint affect behavior, physiology, and animal welfare, yet little information is available on how various mouse restraint methods affect cardiovascular parameters. We validated the use of a smartphone-based ECG sys- tem in mice by performing simultaneous smartphone and telemetry ECG recordings in conscious, restrained mice and in anesthetized mice. We observed that mice held in standard immobilizing restraint ("scruffing") experienced severe bradycardia. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2021 9;8:638682. Epub 2021 Feb 9.

Division of Cardiac Rehabilitation, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.

This 18-year cross-sectional study was conducted to provide data on the safety of exercise testing in the clinical Chinese population. We retrospectively identified exercise tests completed at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2019. From 43,130 unique individuals (50. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2021 Feb 12;5(2):ytaa565. Epub 2021 Jan 12.

Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0054, Japan.

Background: Dynamic intraventricular obstruction after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been previously reported. There is a risk of haemodynamic collapse in the case of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction due to systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve.

Case Summary: An 83-year-old woman with aortic stenosis (AS) was referred to our hospital for TAVI. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2021 Feb 4;5(2):ytaa489. Epub 2021 Feb 4.

Department of Cardiology, Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital, Vinogradska cesta 29, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia.

Background: The delayed effect of radiofrequency (RF) ablation was described in cases of accessory pathway and premature ventricular contraction ablation, as well as delayed atrioventricular (AV) block after slow pathway ablation.

Case Summary: We report a case of a female patient with AV nodal re-entry tachycardia (AVNRT), in whom the first electrophysiology study ended with acute failure of slow pathway ablation, despite using long steerable sheath, both right and left-sided ablation with >15 min of RF energy application and repeatedly achieving junctional rhythm. Six weeks afterwards, during scheduled three-dimensional electroanatomical mapping procedure, there was no proof of dual AV nodal conduction nor could the tachycardia be induced. Read More

Arq Bras Cardiol 2021 01;116(1):119-126

Universidade de São Paulo Faculdade de Medicina Hospital das Clinicas Instituto do Coração, São Paulo, SP - Brasil.

Background: Atrial tachycardia (AT) ablation with earliest activation site close to the His-Bundle is a challenge due to the risk of complete AV block by its proximity to His-Purkinje system (HPS). An alternative to minimize this risk is to position the catheter on the non-coronary cusp (NCC), which is anatomically contiguous to the para-Hisian region.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to perform a literature review and evaluate the electrophysiological characteristics, safety, and success rate of catheter-based radiofrequency (RF) delivery in the NCC for the treatment of para-Hisian AT in a case series. Read More

J Cardiovasc Thorac Res 2020 2;12(4):341-344. Epub 2020 Dec 2.

Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.

Iatrogenic dissection of coronary arteries while performing catheter engagement, in general is not uncommon. However, we encountered a relatively rare case of iatrogenic right coronary cusp dissection.Here we report an iatrogenic coronary artery dissection after diagnostic angiography in a 54-year-oldwoman presented with exertional dyspnea and chest discomfort. Read More

Physiol Rep 2021 01;9(1):e14703

Neurovascular Health Laboratory, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

The presence of bradycardic arrhythmias during volitional apnea at altitude may be caused by chemoreflex activation/sensitization. We investigated whether bradyarrhythmic episodes became prevalent in apnea following short-term hypoxia exposure. Electrocardiograms (ECG; lead II) were collected from 22 low-altitude residents (F = 12; age=25 ± 5 years) at 671 m. Read More

Front Neural Circuits 2020 23;14:614615. Epub 2020 Dec 23.

Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

The mechanisms involved in generation of rhythmic locomotor activity in the mammalian spinal cord remain poorly understood. These mechanisms supposedly rely on both intrinsic properties of constituting neurons and interactions between them. A subset of Shox2 neurons was suggested to contribute to generation of spinal locomotor activity, but the possible cellular basis for rhythmic bursting in these neurons remains unknown. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Dec 29;22(1). Epub 2020 Dec 29.

Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute for Heart Research, 84104 Bratislava, Slovakia.

Cardiac connexin-43 (Cx43) creates gap junction channels (GJCs) at intercellular contacts and hemi-channels (HCs) at the peri-junctional plasma membrane and sarcolemmal caveolae/rafts compartments. GJCs are fundamental for the direct cardiac cell-to-cell transmission of electrical and molecular signals which ensures synchronous myocardial contraction. The HCs and structurally similar pannexin1 (Panx1) channels are active in stressful conditions. Read More

Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes 2020 Dec 5;4(6):810-814. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

Division of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN.

Permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia (PJRT) is a rare form of atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia that is commonly resistant to most antiarrhythmic medication therapy and over an extended duration can result in tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. The prenatal presentation of PJRT is typically similar to that of other types of fetal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), making it difficult to distinguish from other forms of SVT in utero by fetal echocardiography. Surface electrocardiography after delivery is typically required to make a definitive diagnosis of PJRT. Read More

World J Clin Cases 2020 Nov;8(22):5715-5721

Department of Cardiology, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu 610081, Sichuan Province, China.

Background: An atrial septal defect is a common condition and accounts for 25% of adult congenital heart diseases. Transcatheter occlusion is a widely used technique for the treatment of secondary aperture-type atrial septal defects (ASDs).

Case Summary: A 30-year-old female patient was diagnosed with ASD by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) 1 year ago. Read More

Nurse Educ Today 2021 Feb 5;97:104699. Epub 2020 Dec 5.

School of Health and Human Sciences, Gold Coast Campus, Southern Cross University, Bilinga, QLD 4225, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Graduating nurses should possess knowledge and understanding of cardiac arrhythmia interpretation, so they can assess abnormal and life-threatening arrhythmias. However, literature around nursing students' foundational knowledge in cardiac arrhythmia interpretation remains scarce.

Objectives: To examine final-year nursing students' foundational knowledge and self-assessed confidence in interpreting cardiac arrhythmias. Read More

Heart Rhythm 2021 Apr 13;18(4):605-612. Epub 2020 Dec 13.

Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and Medical College, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Heterotaxy syndrome is likely to involve arrhythmias from associated conduction system abnormalities, which are distinct in different subtypes of isomerism and may change further after interventions and remodeling.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the risk of arrhythmias and its relation to isomerism subtypes.

Methods: Patients diagnosed between 1980 and 2019 as having heterotaxy syndrome were enrolled and grouped as right atrial isomerism (RAI), left atrial isomerism (LAI), or indeterminate isomerism. Read More

Pediatr Cardiol 2021 Feb 28;42(2):451-459. Epub 2020 Nov 28.

The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnett Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA.

Pacemakers are a mainstay of therapy for patients with congenital and acquired heart block, but ventricular pacing is related to ventricular dysfunction. We sought to evaluate patient and device characteristics associated with ventricular dysfunction in pediatric patients with chronic ventricular pacing. This was a retrospective cohort of pediatric patients with heart block and chronic ventricular pacing. Read More