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Eur Heart J Case Rep 2021 Apr 30;5(4):ytab158. Epub 2021 Apr 30.

University Hospital of Patras, Rio, Patras, 26504, Greece.

Background: SCN5A mutations may present with different clinical phenotypes such as Brugada syndrome, long QT3 syndrome, sick sinus syndrome, atrial fibrillation, dilated cardiomyopathy, and the least known multifocal ectopic Purkinje-related premature contractions syndrome.

Case Summary: We report a case of a 29-year-old woman with palpitations due to multifocal premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) and a family history of sudden death. The previous electrophysiological study had shown that PVCs arose from Purkinje fibres but catheter ablation was unsuccessful. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2021 Apr 30;21(9). Epub 2021 Apr 30.

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, Korea.

There are few reports on head-to-head comparisons of electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring between adhesive single-lead and Holter devices for arrhythmias other than atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to compare 24 h ECG monitoring between the two devices in patients with general arrhythmia. Twenty-nine non-AF patients with a workup of pre-diagnosed arrhythmias or suspicious arrhythmic episodes were evaluated. Read More

Comput Methods Programs Biomed 2021 Apr 15;205:106102. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Insitute of Science and Technology, Japan. Electronic address:

Background And Objective: Malignant ventricular arrhythmias (MAs) occur unpredictably and lead to emergencies. A new approach that uses a timely tracking device e.g. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2021 Apr 19;22(8). Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Department of Medicine I, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich, Germany.

Heart rate variability (HRV) represents the activity and balance of the autonomic nervous system and its capability to react to internal and external stimuli. As a measure of general body homeostasis, HRV is linked to lifestyle factors and it is associated with morbidity and mortality. It is easily accessible by heart rate monitoring and gains interest in the era of smart watches and self-monitoring. Read More

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 2021 Apr 20;13(1):41. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Zhejiang Sino-German Institute of Life science and Healthcare, School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, China.

Background: The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) has been adopted as an important component of preparticipation cardiovascular screening. However, there are still controversies in the screening and few studies with a large sample size have reported the results of ECGs of marathon runners. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of normal, borderline, and abnormal ECG changes in marathon runners. Read More

Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2021 Apr 16;14(4):e009677. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Department of Cardiology, Geisinger Heart Institute, Wilkes Barre, PA (P.V.).

Prog Cardiovasc Dis 2021 Apr 20. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Pauley Heart Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States of America.

The medical community's understanding of the consequences of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and PVC-induced cardiomyopathy has been derived mostly from observational and large population-based studies. Due to the difficulty of predicting the development of PVC-cardiomyopathy, the acute and chronic cardiac effects of PVCs and the mechanism of PVC-cardiomyopathy have been derived from pre-clinical studies with large animal models. Recently, these studies have described myocardial substrates that could potentially increase morbidity and mortality in patients with frequent PVCs and PVC-cardiomyopathy. Read More

Europace 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Heart Institute, Teknon Medical Center, C/Vilana, 12, 08022 Barcelona, Spain.

Aims: To assess potential benefits of a local activation time (LAT) automatic acquisition protocol using wavefront annotation plus an ECG pattern matching algorithm [automatic (AUT)-arm] during premature ventricular complex (PVC) ablation procedures.

Methods And Results: Prospective, randomized, controlled, and international multicentre study (NCT03340922). One hundred consecutive patients with indication for PVC ablation were enrolled and randomized to AUT (n = 50) or manual (MAN, n = 50) annotation protocols using the CARTO3 navigation system. Read More

Heart Rhythm 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, UCLA Neurocardiology Research Program of Excellence, University of California, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address:

Background: The mechanisms underlying premature ventricular contraction (PVC)-induced cardiomyopathy (PIC) remain unknown. Transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1) afferent fibers are implicated in the reflex processing of cardiac stress.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether cardiac TRPV1 afferent signaling promote PIC. Read More

Handb Exp Pharmacol 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei, China.

The human ether-á-go-go related gene (hERG, KCNH2) encodes the pore-forming subunit of the potassium channel responsible for a fast component of the cardiac delayed rectifier potassium current (I). Outward I is an important determinant of cardiac action potential (AP) repolarization and effectively controls the duration of the QT interval in humans. Dysfunction of hERG channel can cause severe ventricular arrhythmias and thus modulators of the channel, including hERG inhibitors and activators, continue to attract intense pharmacological interest. Read More

Acta Cardiol 2021 Apr 7:1-8. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Chest Diseases, M.D. Kars Harakani State Hospital, Kars, Turkey.

Background: COVID-19 can cause a variety of cardiac complications and a range of electrocardiographic abnormalities. We analysed cardiological parameters including ECG and high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) level and their association with mortality in hospitalised patients with COVID-19.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed the demographics, comorbidities, laboratory findings and electrocardiographic parameters of 453 consecutive patients, whose outcome was clear, died or discharged. Read More

Biosensors (Basel) 2021 Mar 4;11(3). Epub 2021 Mar 4.

School of Electronic Engineering, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Beijing 100876, China.

Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), common in the general and patient population, are irregular heartbeats that indicate potential heart diseases. Clinically, long-term electrocardiograms (ECG) collected from the wearable device is a non-invasive and inexpensive tool widely used to diagnose PVCs by physicians. However, analyzing these long-term ECG is time-consuming and labor-intensive for cardiologists. Read More

Medicina (Kaunas) 2021 Mar 25;57(4). Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Biomedical Science and Public Health, Cardiology and Arrhythmology Clinic, University Hospital "Ospedali Riuniti Umberto I-Lancisi-Salesi", Marche Polytechnic University, 60100 Ancona, Italy.

The prediction and prevention of sudden cardiac death is the philosopher's stone of clinical cardiac electrophysiology. Sports can act as triggers of fatal arrhythmias and therefore it is essential to promptly frame the athlete at risk and to carefully evaluate the suitability for both competitive and recreational sports activity. A history of syncope or palpitations, the presence of premature ventricular complexes or more complex arrhythmias, a reduced left ventricular systolic function, or the presence of known or familiar heart disease should prompt a thorough evaluation with second level examinations. Read More

Nat Sci Sleep 2021 25;13:447-456. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and myocardial fibrosis are associated with cardiac arrhythmia. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between OSA and myocardial fibrosis, as well as their impact on cardiac arrhythmia in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) patients.

Methods: We prospectively studied 151 consecutive patients with a confirmed diagnosis of HOCM at the Fuwai Hospital between September 2017 and 2018. Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2021 Mar 30. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Cardiology Department, ESTAV Toscana Sud Est, Misericordia Hospital, Grosseto, Italy.

Ventricular tachycardia and premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) arising from right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) are the most common type of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in patients without structural heart disease. Radiofrequency ablation is now the gold standard of treatment in this setting due to high efficacy rates and optimal safety profile. During the last few years, the pulmonary valve (PV) and the pulmonary artery (PA) have attracted much attention as reliable sites of origin of RVOT-type arrhythmias. Read More

J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2021 Mar 26. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Introduction: Preferential pathway conduction is mostly detected as fractionated presystolic-potentials preceding the QRS during premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and late-potentials during sinus rhythm (SR), but the electrophysiologic mechanisms and significance of these potentials have not been fully clarified. We describe a PVC case series in which the preferential pathway conduction was three-dimensionally visualized.

Methods: Five PVCs (two from the left coronary cusp, two from the commissure of the left and right coronary cusps, and one from the pulmonary artery) in four patients for which a fractionated presystolic-potential during the PVCs and late-potential during SR were recorded at the successful ablation site were reviewed, and three-dimensional coherent activation maps with the conduction velocity vector during the PVCs and SR were reconstructed. Read More

Clin Res Cardiol 2021 Mar 26. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Märkische Kliniken GmbH, Klinikum Luedenscheid, Luedenscheid, Germany.

Background: The short-coupled variant of torsade de pointes (sc-TdP) is a malignant arrhythmia that frequently presents with ventricular fibrillation (VF) electrical storm. Verapamil is considered the first-line therapy of sc-TdP while catheter ablation is not widely adopted. The aim of this study was to determine the origin of sc-TdP and to assess the outcome of catheter ablation using 3D-mapping. Read More

Adv Clin Exp Med 2021 Mar;30(3):279-288

National Institute of Cardiology, Warszawa, Poland.

Background: Prediction of sudden cardiac death remains a significant challenge. There is some evidence that ventricular ectopic activity could be regarded as a predictive marker.

Objectives: We carried out an analysis to explore whether premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) are a risk factor in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) interventions. Read More

Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol 2021 Mar 19:e12833. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

East Atlanta Cardiology, Decatur, GA, USA.

Background: Cardiovascular events have been reported in the setting of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). It has been hypothesized that systemic inflammation may aggravate arrhythmias or trigger new-onset conduction abnormalities. However, the specific type and distribution of electrocardiographic disturbances in COVID-19 as well as their influence on mortality remain to be fully characterized. Read More

J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2021 Mar 19. Epub 2021 Mar 19.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2021 Mar 25;7(3):395-407. Epub 2020 Nov 25.

Alliance for Cardiovascular Diagnostic and Treatment Innovation, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Section of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to present a new system, the Automatic Arrhythmia Origin Localization (AAOL) system, which used incomplete electroanatomic mapping (EAM) for localization of idiopathic ventricular arrhythmia (IVA) origin on the patient-specific geometry of left ventricular, right ventricular, and neighboring vessels. The study assessed the accuracy of the system in localizing IVA source sites on cardiac structures where pace mapping is challenging.

Background: An intraprocedural automated site of origin localization system was previously developed to identify the origin of early left ventricular activation by using 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs). Read More

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2021 Mar 25;7(3):380-390. Epub 2020 Nov 25.

Washington Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the rate and outcomes of premature ventricular contractions (PVC)-cardiomyopathy from the CHF-STAT (Survival Trial of Antiarrhythmic Therapy in Congestive Heart Failure) trial, a population with cardiomyopathy (left ventricular [LV] ejection fraction of <40%) and frequent PVCs (>10 PVCs per hour).

Background: PVCs are associated with heart failure and PVC-cardiomyopathy. The prevalence of PVC-cardiomyopathy and outcome benefits of PVC suppression are not clear. Read More

AIDS 2021 04;35(5):846-849

Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.

Front Physiol 2021 24;12:641358. Epub 2021 Feb 24.

Department of Electronic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Pace mapping is commonly used to locate the origin of ventricular arrhythmias, especially premature ventricular contraction (PVC). However, this technique relies on clinicians' ability to rapidly interpret ECG data. To avoid time-consuming interpretation of ECG morphology, some automated algorithms or computational models have been explored to guide the ablation. Read More

Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2021 Mar 13. Epub 2021 Mar 13.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.

Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs 2021 Mar 8. Epub 2021 Mar 8.

Department of Cardiology, Karolinska University Hospital, C2-82, S-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden.

Aims: Palpitations, particularly common in women, are generally considered benign symptoms rarely caused by clinically important arrhythmias. Nevertheless, palpitations may cause anxiety, depression, and decreased health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study investigates to what degree palpitations cause symptoms such as anxiety and depression and affect HRQOL in women and whether direct feedback of underlying heart rhythm during palpitations decrease anxiety and depression and increase HRQOL in women. Read More

Front Pharmacol 2021 22;12:613922. Epub 2021 Feb 22.

Department of Cardiology, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Shensong Yangxin capsule (SSYX) is a well-known traditional Chinese patent medicine for treating arrhythmia. Recently, a flurry of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of SSYX combined with amiodarone (SSYX-amiodarone) was reported in the treatment of heart failure (HF) complicated by ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in China. However, these RCTs have not been systematically evaluated. Read More

Technol Health Care 2021 ;29(S1):475-486

The Machine Learning Laboratory, Ukrainian Catholic University Lviv, Ukraine.

Background: Premature ventricular contraction (PVC) is among the most frequently occurring types of arrhythmias. Existing approaches for automated PVC identification suffer from a range of disadvantages related to hand-crafted features and benchmarking on datasets with a tiny sample of PVC beats.

Objective: The main objective is to address the drawbacks described above in the proposed framework, which takes a raw ECG signal as an input and localizes R peaks of the PVC beats. Read More

Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 2021 Apr 15;44(4):703-710. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Department of Cardiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Background: Radiofrequency catheter ablation of idiopathic premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) is an effective method for eliminating symptoms and preventing/reversing arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy. One reason for procedural failure is low PVC frequency during the procedure. We aimed to investigate the relation between pre-procedural PVC burden and outcome of idiopathic PVC catheter ablation. Read More

HeartRhythm Case Rep 2021 Feb 10;7(2):127-130. Epub 2020 Nov 10.

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