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J Interv Card Electrophysiol 2022 Jun 25. Epub 2022 Jun 25.

University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

Background: Ganglionated plexi (GP) ablation may be associated with improved syncope or arrhythmia-free survival arrhythmia patients with vasovagal syncope (VVS) and atrial fibrillation (AF), respectively. We aimed to compare the characteristics of vagal response (VR) and clarify the effect on heart rate after GP ablation based on clinical diagnosis.

Methods: A total of 83 consecutive patients undergoing GP ablation were divided following two groups: (1) GP ablation for VVS (VVS group, n = 43) and (2) GP ablation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (AF group, n = 40). Read More

J Cardiol 2022 Jun 21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Osaka, Japan; Department of Advanced Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.

PLoS One 2022 24;17(6):e0270398. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Medtronic Inc, Cardiac Rhythm & Heart Failure, Mounds View, MN, United States of America.

Diagnosing cardiac pauses that could produce syncopal episodes is important to guide appropriate therapy. However, the infrequent nature of these episodes can make detection challenging with conventional monitoring (CM) strategies with short-term ECG monitors. Insertable cardiac monitors (ICMs) continuously monitor for arrhythmias but present a higher up-front cost. Read More

Br J Cardiol 2022 26;29(1). Epub 2022 Jan 26.

General Practitioner, Solihull, Visiting Professor, Birmingham City University, and Trustee and Chair of PoTS UK Seacole Building, Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3TN.

There is emerging evidence that a proportion of patients who develop long (post)-COVID-19 have abnormalities in the regulation of their autonomic nervous system manifesting as postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS). We report a series of 14 patients who developed symptoms and signs compatible with PoTS following clinically diagnosed COVID-19 infection. Their symptoms and clinical findings were consistent with those of patients with non-COVID-related PoTS. Read More

Br J Cardiol 2022 8;29(1). Epub 2022 Mar 8.

Independent Nurse, Founder of Learn With Nurses, and Trustee, PoTS UK Smart Health Solutions, 2-6 Boundary Road, London, SE1 8HP.

Br J Cardiol 2021 13;28(4):46. Epub 2021 Oct 13.

Consultant Cardiologist/Electrophysiologist Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, S5 7AU.

Loperamide is an over-the-counter, peripherally-acting, -opioid receptor agonist commonly used in the treatment of diarrhoea. It has increasingly been recognised as a potential drug of misuse, having previously been thought to have low potential for abuse owing to its low bioavailability and poor penetration of the central nervous system. High doses can result in life-threatening cardiac-toxicity. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Jun 7;19(12). Epub 2022 Jun 7.

Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.

In children, vasovagal syncope and postural tachycardia syndrome constitute the major types of orthostatic intolerance. The clinical characteristics of postural tachycardia syndrome and vasovagal syncope are similar but their treatments differ. Therefore, their differential diagnosis is important to guide the correct treatment. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States of America.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2022 May 12;166. Epub 2022 May 12.

Amsterdam UMC, afd. Klinische en Experimentele Cardiologie, Amsterdam.

Background: The use of waterpipe in shisha lounges is popular among young people, but it has a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and can lead to serious cardiac problems.

Case Description: A 26-year-old man presented to the emergency department with chest pain, dyspnea and syncope after working in a shisha lounge. Blood gas analysis showed carbon monoxide intoxication and an increased lactate level. Read More

J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2022 Jun 6;9(6). Epub 2022 Jun 6.

Institute of Sports Medicine, Sport e Salute, 00197 Rome, Italy.

: The "FIDE Project" (Fitness Implantable DEvice) was organized by the Institute of Sports Medicine and Science and the World Society of Arrhythmias with the aim of demonstrating the usefulness of exercise training in improving functional capacity in patients with implantable cardiac devices. : Thirty sedentary patients were selected for the project (25 males and 5 females), with a mean age of 73 ± 5 years (range 44-94 years). Twenty-five were implanted with a Pacemaker (PM) and five with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). Read More

Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2022 Jun 31;78:103884. Epub 2022 May 31.

Department of Internal Medicine, Choithrams Memorial Hospital, Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Introduction: Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava (PLSVC) is a rare congenital vascular anomaly that may occur alone or in combination with complex congenital heart anomalies and dangerous arrhythmias. We report the first case in the literature of combined PLSVC, Ebstein's Anomaly (Type A) and complete atrioventricular block in an adult female, being successfully managed with permanent pacemaker implantation in Sierra Leone.

Case Summary: We present an interesting case of a 29-year-old female, referred to the cardiology clinic on account of breathlessness, dizziness, and recurrent syncope. Read More

Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2022 Jun 4;78:103920. Epub 2022 Jun 4.

Department of Internal Medicine. Grand Strand Medical Center, Myrtle Beach, SC, 29572, USA.

Introduction: and Importance: Melanomas are capable of metastasizing to both regional and distant sites and are notably known to metastasize to the skin, lungs, brain, liver, bone, and gastrointestinal tract. Metastatic melanoma is infrequently diagnosed , and usually found only on evaluation at autopsy.

Case Presentation: Here we present the case of a 64-year-old male who originally presented with melena, fatigue, exertional dyspnea and one episode of near-syncope. Read More

Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2022 Jun 5;78:103940. Epub 2022 Jun 5.

Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences, Sanobharyang, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Introduction: Carotid sinus hypersensitivity is one of the unexplained causes of syncope in old age. There are variations in presentations of carotid sinus hypersensitivity.

Case Presentation: A 56-year-old male, known case of coronary artery disease, presenting with syncope, was diagnosed as carotid sinus hypersensitivity finally. Read More

Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2022 Jun 6;78:103505. Epub 2022 May 6.

Department of Cardiology, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Oujda, Mohammed First University, Oujda, Morocco.

Introduction: and importance: Although radiotherapy is a well-known cancer treatment and an important part of the therapeutic strategy for achieving long-term remission or disease control, the radiation-induced heart disease rates are high and may occur years later. This article aims to raise clinician awareness of cardiac side effects that can occur years after radiation therapy. In order to develop effective prevention strategies and improve clinical outcomes. Read More

Acta Clin Croat 2021 Dec;60(4):739-748

1School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; 2Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia; 3Merkur University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia.

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a disorder of myocardial repolarization defined by a prolonged QT interval on electrocardiogram (ECG) that can cause ventricular arrhythmias and lead to sudden cardiac death. LQTS was first described in 1957 and since then its genetic etiology has been researched in many studies, but it is still not fully understood. Depending on the type of monogenic mutation, LQTS is currently divided into 17 subtypes, with LQT1, LQT2, and LQT3 being the most common forms. Read More

Diving Hyperb Med 2022 Jun;52(2):103-107

Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville (FL), USA.

Introduction: Drysuits use flexible neck and wrist seals to maintain water-tight seals. However, if the seals exert too much pressure adverse physiological effects are possible, including dizziness, lightheadedness, syncope, and paresthesias in the hands. We aimed to quantify the seal pressures of neck and wrist seals in non-immersed divers. Read More

Metabolism 2022 Jun 19:155243. Epub 2022 Jun 19.

Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy; "Mediterranea Cardiocentro", Naples, Italy. Electronic address:

Background: In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) the vaso-vagal syncope (VVS) recurrence could be due to the alteration of autonomic system function, evaluated by heart rate variability (HRV), and by 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (123I-mIBG) myocardial scintigraphy indexes: Heart to Mediastinum ratio (H/M), and Washout rate (WR). The SGLT2-I could modulate/reduce autonomic dysfunction in T2DM patients with VVS. This effect could reduce the VVS recurrence in T2DM patients. Read More

J Cardiol 2022 Jun 17. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan. Electronic address:

Heart Rhythm 2022 Jun 17. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Ospedale San Luca, Milan, Italy.

Aging Clin Exp Res 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.

Background: Polypharmacy is a prevalent condition in older adults, especially those with multiple chronic diseases, and has been largely associated with adverse outcomes, including disability, hospitalizations, and death.

Aims: This systematic review focused on diabetes and aimed to investigate the prevalence and impact of polypharmacy in older adults affected by such disease.

Methods: Observational (either cross-sectional or longitudinal) or experimental studies investigating the frequency and impact of polypharmacy in older adults with diabetes were identified from scientific databases and grey literature until August 2021. Read More

Front Pediatr 2022 2;10:901919. Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Department of Pediatric Cardiovasology, Children's Medical Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China.

Background: To explore the relationship between unexplained chest pain in children and head-up tilt test (HUTT).

Materials And Methods: A total of 825 children with the main symptom of unexplained chest pain were admitted to the Specialist Outpatient Clinic of Children's Cardiovascular Disease from October 2000 to November 2021 at The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. Among them, 473 were male and 352 were female, with a mean age of 10. Read More

Ann Transl Med 2022 May;10(10):612

Department of Operation Room, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Linhai, China.

Background: Floating right heart thrombi (FRHTS), known as thrombi in transit, are usually located in the atrium or ventricle. Generally, it occurs in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and dyspnea, chest pain, syncope and palpitations are the most common symptoms on presentation. The mortality of patients with FRHTS is higher than that of those without FRHTS. Read More

Front Neurol 2022 27;13:886609. Epub 2022 May 27.

ATHENEA Neuroclinics, Policlínica Gipuzkoa Grupo Quironsalud, Donostia, Spain.

Introduction: On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization sounded the COVID-19 pandemic alarm. While efforts in the first few months focused on reducing the mortality of infected patients, there is increasing data on the effects of long-term infection (Post-COVID-19 condition). Among the different symptoms described after acute infection, those derived from autonomic dysfunction are especially frequent and limiting. Read More

J Alzheimers Dis Rep 2022 10;6(1):223-228. Epub 2022 May 10.

Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.

Background: A 79-year-old woman was admitted to the Neurology Clinic of the University of Chieti-Pescara for a syncope. At admission, the occurrence of an acute stroke was ruled out. Her cognitive status was unimpaired. Read More

Pharmacoecon Open 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

MyoKardia, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb, Brisbane, CA, USA.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) symptoms include shortness of breath (SOB), fatigue, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, and fainting. The HCM Symptom Questionnaire (HCMSQ), the only patient-reported outcome instrument designed to specifically measure HCM symptoms, yields four domain scores (SOB, tiredness, cardiovascular symptoms, syncope) and a total score. We evaluated the longitudinal psychometric properties of the HCMSQ using baseline to week 30 data from the phase III EXPLORER-HCM trial (NCT03470545). Read More

Int J Cardiol 2022 Jun 16. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

MD, Unité médico-chirurgicale de cardiologie congénitale et pédiatrique, centre de référence des maladies cardiaques congénitales complexes - M3C, Hôpital universitaire Necker-Enfants Malades, Université de Paris, France and Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Meyer, Florence, Italy. Electronic address:

Background: Clinical and prognostic role of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in adult population with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have been largely assessed. We sought to investigate the role of CMR for predicting cardiovascular events in children with HCM.

Methods: CMR was performed in 116 patients with HCM (37 sarcomeric mutations, 31 other mutations, mean age 10. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2022 Jun 15. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

3rd Cardiology Department, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University Medical School, Konstantinoupoleos 49, 54642, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Int J Cardiol 2022 Jun 16. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain; Advanced Life Support, Emergency Medical Services (SACYL), Valladolid, Spain; Prehospital Early Warning Scoring-System Investigation Group, Valladolid, Spain.

Introduction: The evidence about the use of natriuretic peptides (NP) to predict mortality in the pre-hospital setting is limited. The main objective of this study is to assess the ability of point-of-care testing (POCT) N-terminal portion of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) to predict 2-day in-hospital mortality of acute cardiovascular diseases (ACVD).

Methods: We conducted a multicentric, prospective, observational study in adults with ACVD transferred by ambulance to emergency departments (ED). Read More

Heart Rhythm 2022 Jun 15. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Background: Cardioneuroablation (CNA) has emerged as promising therapy in patients with refractory vasovagal syncope (VVS).

Objective: To provide a freedom from syncope estimate for CNA, including subgroup analysis by method and target of ablation.

Methods: A systematic search was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE according to the PRISMA guidelines until 14 February 2022. Read More