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IEEE Rev Biomed Eng 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have been widely deployed to reduce sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk in patients with a history of life-threatening arrhythmia in the last four decades. By continuous monitoring of the heart rate, ICDs can use decision algorithms to distinguish normal cardiac sinus rhythm or supra-ventricular tachycardia from abnormal cardiac rhythms like ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation and deliver appropriate therapy such as an electrical stimulus. Despite the success of ICDs, more research is still needed, particularly in decision-making algorithms. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2019 Mar 6;3(1):ytz007. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, 389-1 Asakura-cho, Maebashi-shi, Gunma, Japan.

Background: Thromboembolic occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is a serious event in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Extensive bowel resection is frequently required, and the resulting short bowel syndrome hampers the intake of anticoagulant or anti-arrhythmic medication.

Case Summary: We report the case of thoracoscopic surgery consisting of stapler-closure of the left atrial appendage and bilateral epicardial clamp-isolation of the pulmonary veins performed in a 66-year-old male patient with symptomatic persistent non-valvular AF who became unable to take in anticoagulants or anti-arrhythmic drugs because of thromboembolic SMA occlusion and subsequent total resection of the small intestine. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2019 Mar 12;3(1):yty168. Epub 2019 Jan 12.

Cardiology Department, Cardiovascular Institute (ICCV), Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, C/Villarroel, 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain.

Background: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an infrequent and often misdiagnosis of a non-atherosclerotic cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). It is an important cause of ACS in young women, responsible for up to 25% of all cases in women <50 years of age without cardiovascular risk factors. Clinical presentation ranges from ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (MI) to ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2019 Mar 22;3(1):yty154. Epub 2018 Dec 22.

Department of Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University and University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic.

Background: Fabry disease is an inherited rare metabolic disease caused by mutation in the gene, encoding lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase A. The disorder is a systemic disease that manifests as cerebrovascular and cardiac disease, chronic renal failure, skin lesion, peripheral neuropathy, and other abnormalities. Ventricular tachycardia as a Fabry disease presentation is very rare. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2018 Sep 12;2(3):yty099. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

Department of Electrophysiology, University Hospital Cologne, Heart Center, Kerpener Str. 62, Cologne, Germany.

Background: Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy is indicated in patients with structural heart disease who have had an aborted cardiac arrest (ACA). After atrial repair of d-transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA, Mustard repair) patients seem to be at a higher risk of failing intraoperative subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) shock testing.

Case Summary: We report the case of a 45-year-old patient with congenital heart disease (CHD) who suffered a cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation and was subsequently implanted with a S-ICD. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2018 Sep 3;2(3):yty074. Epub 2018 Jul 3.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-Ward, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Coronary artery spasm usually has a good prognosis, except when it induces lethal ventricular arrhythmias. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation in addition to optimal medical therapy including prescription of coronary vasodilators and smoking cessation is a therapeutic option for coronary artery spasm patients who present with lethal ventricular arrhythmia. Subcutaneous ICDs are now available as an alternative to conventional transvenous ICDs. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2018 Jun 25;2(2):yty050. Epub 2018 Apr 25.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan.

Introduction: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is characterized by tissue and blood eosinophilia, vasculitis of small to medium-sized vessels, and allergy symptoms, and can cause various manifestations, including heart, lung, gastrointestinal, skin, and peripheral nerve disorders.

Case Presentation: A 34-year-old woman with a history of asthma, nasal polyp, and sinusitis presented with ventricular fibrillation after severe chest pain. Emergent coronary angiography showed no coronary stenosis. Read More

Eur Heart J Case Rep 2018 Mar 5;2(1):yty020. Epub 2018 Mar 5.

Department of Cardiology and Angiology I, Heart Center Freiburg University, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.

Introduction: Parasystole refers to an ectopic pacemaker that discharges with a constant rate competing with the primary pacemaker of the heart the sinus node. Parasystolic pacemakers have been described in the atrium, atrioventricular node, His bundle, and in the ventricle. Ventricular parasystole usually carries a benign prognosis, but there are a few reports of ventricular tachyarrhythmia initiated by parasystolic beats. Read More

Cardiol Res 2019 Apr 11;10(2):98-105. Epub 2019 Apr 11.

Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation Unit, DSB 29 "S. Gennaro dei Poveri Hospital", via S.Gennaro dei Poveri 25, 80136 Naples, Italy.

Background: Clinical management of patients with a history of atrial fibrillation (AF) focuses on the goal of preventing AF recurrences, or, if this is impossible due to the fact that the arrhythmia has by now become permanent, it is aimed at the control of the ventricular response. In patients with AF, an important topic is the comparative evaluation in the mid/long-term of clinical outcomes arising from the various therapeutic regimens, including pharmacological approaches as well as radiofrequency catheter ablation (abl).

Methods: In the present cohort retrospective study, 175 cases of paroxysmal, persistent or long-lasting persistent AF have been grouped depending on therapeutic approach: abl-isolated or followed by chronic use of antiarrhythmics (74 cases), drug treatment for rate control strategy (60 cases), drug treatment for rhythm control strategy (41 cases). Read More

J Clin Med Res 2019 May 14;11(5):345-352. Epub 2019 Apr 14.

Division of Geriatrics, Clinic "S. Maria del Pozzo", via Pomigliano 40, Somma Vesuviana, Italy.

Background: A retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate the respective prevalence of proarrhythmic events depending on various therapeutic regimens within a population of patients with history of atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing a rhythm control strategy.

Methods: Inclusion criterion was the presence of AF in the patient's clinical history, whose cardioversion had been followed by the adoption of rhythm control strategy. The primary endpoint was the determination of the respective prevalences of paradoxical arrhythmias in the various therapeutic groups. Read More

Circ J 2019 Apr 24. Epub 2019 Apr 24.

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.

Background: Hemocompatibility-related adverse events (HRAEs) are substantial issues in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs). Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with worse prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF), but its effect on HRAEs following LVAD implantation remain uncertain.Methods and Results:Data from the Japanese Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support registry of consecutive patients who received HeartMate II LVADs and were followed for 1 year were retrospectively reviewed. Read More

Heart 2019 Apr 24. Epub 2019 Apr 24.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Natonal Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan.

Objective: The impact of right ventricular (RV) apical pacing on very long-term cardiac prognosis is little known. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated the relationship between RV apical pacing and cardiovascular events (CEs) in patients with sick sinus syndrome (SSS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >35%.

Methods: Total of 532 consecutive pacemaker recipients with SSS and LVEF >35% were divided into two groups according to the mean cumulative per cent RV apical ventricular pacing (mean %VP) (<50%; non-VP group vs ≥50%; VP group) and occurrence of CE was compared using Kaplan-Meier analysis between two groups. Read More

Heart Rhythm 2019 Apr 20. Epub 2019 Apr 20.

(5)Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Access to the epicardial space is fundamental to several cardiac procedures. Whilst traditional indications include catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias and accessory pathways, novel indications include left atrial appendage occlusion, esophageal protection, mapping and ablation during atrial fibrillation procedures, implantation of epicardial pacing leads, and phrenic nerve displacement to facilitate safe ablation of arrhythmias. Accessing the epicardial space safely is a major challenge requiring intimate knowledge of cardiac anatomy, extensive training and expertise. Read More

J Cardiol 2019 Apr 20. Epub 2019 Apr 20.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is characterized by a progression from paroxysmal to persistent or permanent AF. Recent studies have shown that AF progression is related to a worse morbidity and mortality, and poorer outcomes of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). We previously showed that left ventricular (LV) compliance assessed by diastolic wall strain (DWS) was a strong determinant of prevalent AF. Read More

Oman Med J 2013 Nov;28(6):e061

Department of Cardilogy, Shere-Kashmir-Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Srinagar, J&K. 190011.

Electric injury can cause a variety of cardiac arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation as a result of such injury is very rare. We present a case of a young asymptomatic patient who developed acute atrial fibrillation with antegrade conduction over the atrioventricular bypass tract and very high ventricular rate after accidental low voltage electric injury, which was reverted successfully by DC shock. Read More

Heart Surg Forum 2019 Mar 11;22(2):E140-E148. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Department of Laboratory, the First People's Hospital of Xianyang City, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, China.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are widely involved in the regulation of physiological processes, such as cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and lipid metabolism. They might be associated with the pathological process of atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of our study is to investigate whether plasma miRNA-155 levels have a relationship with AF recurrence. Read More

Resuscitation 2019 Apr 19. Epub 2019 Apr 19.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Laboratory of Emergency Medical Services, Seoul National University Hospital Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Background: Supraglottic airway devices (SGDs) are widely used during the resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The effect of SGDs on carotid blood flow (CBF) as resuscitation time passes is controversial. We assessed the effects of endotracheal intubation (ETI) and 3 types of SGD placement on CBF over time in prolonged resuscitation through an experimental porcine cardiac arrest study. Read More

JAMA Intern Med 2019 Apr 22. Epub 2019 Apr 22.

Division of Cardiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Apr;98(16):e14965

Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University.

Beraprost is used to treat peripheral chronic arterial occlusive disease. However, the efficacy and safety of beraprost in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction (PH-HFrEF) remains unknown. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of beraprost on PH-HFrEF. Read More

A A Pract 2019 Apr 17. Epub 2019 Apr 17.

From the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine, California.

We report a case of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in a morbidly obese pediatric patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy for the primary prevention of sudden cardiac death. During routine defibrillator threshold testing of the newly placed subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator, normal sinus rhythm could not be restored despite repeated attempts at defibrillation using the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator and transcutaneous pads. Here, we describe the successful intraoperative resuscitation and management after failure to restore normal sinus rhythm using the newly placed subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator and repeated transcutaneous defibrillation attempts. Read More

J Cardiovasc Echogr 2019 Jan-Mar;29(1):1-6

Cardiomyopathies and Heart Failure Department, Monaldi Hospital, Università della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," Nocera Inferiore, Italy.

Introduction: In patients affected by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), left atrial volume index (LAVi) is associated with an increased risk of tachyarrhythmias and major clinical events. To date, the clinical meaning of LAVi measured during exercise (stress LAVi [sLAVi]) has not yet been investigated in HCM. This study sought to evaluate the correlation between LAVi/sLAVi and clinical outcome (risk of arrhythmias and heart failure [HF]) in patients with HCM. Read More

J Arrhythm 2019 Apr 15;35(2):300-302. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Saiseikai Yokohamashi Tobu Hospital Yokohama-City, Kanagawa Japan.

A 23-year-old male with manifest Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome presented with a first occurrence of ventricular fibrillation (VF). Initially, we anticipated the occurrence of atrial fibrillation, causing rapid antegrade conduction over the accessory pathway and, thus, resulting in hemodynamic deterioration. Electrophysiological study revealed that the atrioventricular accessory pathway was located at the mid-septum. Read More

J Arrhythm 2019 Apr 30;35(2):287-289. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine/Heart Rhythm Center Tokyo Medical and Dental University Bunkyoku Tokyo Japan.

Recent studies have demonstrated the utility of cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) in patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) refractory to antiarrhythmic drugs and catheter or surgical ablation. We present our experience with bilateral CSD in a patient with a recurrent VT despite attempts at treatment with catheter ablation and antiarrhythmic drugs, and this is the first description of the successful management of an idiopathic refractory VT with a bilateral CSD and concomitant oral amiodarone, occurring after catheter ablation of persistent atrial fibrillation and idiopathic outflow tract premature ventricular contractions. Read More

J Arrhythm 2019 Apr 22;35(2):276-278. Epub 2019 Feb 22.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center Suita Japan.

J Arrhythm 2019 Apr 24;35(2):182-189. Epub 2019 Jan 24.

Division of Cardiology Department of Internal Medicine Memorial Heart Center Iwate Medical University Morioka Iwate Japan.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: A total 648 of consecutive ACS patients were divided into non-AF and all-AF groups. The all-AF group was further subdivided into new-onset AF and pre-existing AF groups. Read More

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Apr 10. Epub 2019 Apr 10.

Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address:

Objectives: This study sought to assess the association of baseline left atrial (LA) phasic function measured with cardia magnetic resonance (CMR) and incident ischemic cerebrovascular events (CVE).

Background: LA remodeling is a known predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF), which is a risk factor for ischemic CVE. Despite studies showing an association between LA remodeling and ischemic CVE, the association of LA mechanical function with ischemic CVE in a population free of known cardiovascular disease is not fully studied. Read More

Cardiovasc Pathol 2019 Apr 1;41:8-10. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

Cardiac Surgery Unit, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.

Acute aortic root thrombosis extended to coronary ostia is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of aortic valve replacement with bioprosthetic substitutes. We aimed to present the case of a 72-year-old woman with symptomatic rheumatic valve disease and associated atrial fibrillation who underwent conventional mitroaortic valve replacement with two stented bioprostheses (pericardial and porcine, respectively). Eight days after surgery, she had cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation, requiring immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Read More

Front Cardiovasc Med 2019 3;6:34. Epub 2019 Apr 3.

National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.

Dissimilar ventricular rhythms refer to the occurrence of different ventricular tachyarrhythmias in the right and left ventricles or different rates of the same tachyarrhythmia in the two ventricles. We investigated the inducibility of dissimilar ventricular rhythms, their underlying mechanisms, and the impact of anti-arrhythmic drugs (lidocaine and amiodarone) on their occurrence. Ventricular tachyarrhythmias were induced with burst pacing in 28 Langendorff-perfused Sprague Dawley rat hearts (14 control, 8 lidocaine, 6 amiodarone) and bipolar electrograms recorded from the right and left ventricles. Read More

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2019 Apr;5(4):467-469

Center for Arrhythmia Care, Pritzker School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.

JACC Clin Electrophysiol 2019 Apr 30;5(4):459-466. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Electrophysiology Section, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio. Electronic address:

Objectives: This study sought to describe the burden of atrial fibrillation (AF)/atrial flutter (AFL) in patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) and to evaluate the impact of rhythm control strategies.

Background: AF and AFL among patients with LVADs are poorly characterized.

Methods: Retrospective multivariable survival analysis of all LVAD recipients at the Cleveland Clinic from January 1, 2004 to June 30, 2016 examining the association of death, thromboembolism, and major bleeding with AF/AFL and exposure to rhythm control measures. Read More

J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord 2019 May;7(3):364-374

Department of Surgery, Rijnstate, Arnhem, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

Objective: Endothermal techniques have proved to be effective for treatment of incompetent truncal veins. The tumescentless mechanochemical ablation (MOCA) technique has become an alternative treatment modality, but its outcome with regard to endothermal techniques is still unclear.

Methods: A multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial was designed comparing MOCA with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to treat great saphenous vein incompetence with the hypothesis that MOCA is associated with less postprocedural pain and a comparable anatomic and clinical success rate at 1-year follow-up. Read More

Resuscitation 2019 Apr 15. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Department of Cardiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein Zuid 10, 6525 GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Background: The amplitude spectrum area (AMSA) of the ventricular fibrillation (VF) waveform predicts shock success and clinical outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Recently, also AMSA-changes demonstrated prognostic value. Until now, most studies focused on early shocks, while many patients require prolonged resuscitations. Read More

HeartRhythm Case Rep 2019 Apr 18;5(4):237-239. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

Heart Clinic of Hammond, Hammond, Louisiana.

HeartRhythm Case Rep 2019 Apr 26;5(4):229-232. Epub 2019 Jan 26.

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa.

HeartRhythm Case Rep 2019 Apr 31;5(4):196-200. Epub 2018 Dec 31.

Kentucky Children's Hospital, University of Kentucky, UK Healthcare, Lexington, Kentucky.

BMJ Case Rep 2019 Apr 16;12(4). Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Internal Medicine, Centro Hospitalar e Universitario de Coimbra EPE, Coimbra, Portugal.

Benign multinodular goitre is a common illness. When accompanied by obstructive symptoms, such as dyspnoea, it carries an indication for surgery. Benign multinodular goitres rarely cause acute airway obstruction. Read More

Med Princ Pract 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Objectives: Coronary artery fistulas connecting coronary arteries to cardiac cavities are rare but clinically significant anomalies.

Clinical Presentation And Intervention: A 47-year-old male patient presented with syncope. Left ventricular dysfunction was detected on echocardiography. Read More

J Cardiovasc Imaging 2019 Apr;27(2):122-133

Division of Cardiology, Severance Cardiovascular Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Background: Limited data are available on the prognosis of progressive mitral stenosis (MS). We evaluated the factors associated with adverse events in patients with progressive MS.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 259 consecutive patients with pure progressive MS with a mitral valve area (MVA) between 1. Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd., Dallas, TX, 75390-9047, USA.

Aims: The relationship between resting stroke volume (SV) and prognostic markers in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is not well established. We evaluated the association of SV index (SVI) at rest with exercise capacity and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in stable patients with HFpEF.

Methods And Results: Participants enrolled in the Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibition to Improve Clinical Status and Exercise Capacity in Diastolic Heart Failure (RELAX) trial with available data on SVI by the Doppler method were included in this analysis (n = 185). Read More

ESC Heart Fail 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Aims: Left atrial (LA) remodelling is an important predictor of cardiovascular events of heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation. Data regarding diagnostic value of LA remodelling on diastolic dysfunction (DD) and preclinical HF remain largely unexplored.

Methods And Results: We assessed LA dimension (LAD) in 8368 consecutive asymptomatic Asians (mean age: 49. Read More

J Clin Pharm Ther 2019 Apr 15. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

Department of Pharmacy, NYU Langone Health, New York, New York.

What Is Known And Objective: There is limited guidance on how to transition critically ill patients from intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) amiodarone. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of IV and PO amiodarone overlap on short-term tachyarrhythmia recurrence and adverse hemodynamic outcomes in the intensive care unit.

Methods: This is a retrospective, single-center analysis of critically ill adults who were treated with IV amiodarone for a supraventricular arrhythmia with rapid ventricular rate (RVR) and transitioned to PO amiodarone while inpatient. Read More

Clin Cardiol 2019 Apr 16. Epub 2019 Apr 16.

PoloCardio-Toraco-Vascolare, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Background: The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) is an effective alternative to the transvenous one. Defibrillation efficacy depends on maximum device output and on the optimal device location at device implantation.

Hypothesis: We sought to investigate the defibrillation safety margin in real life clinical practice. Read More

Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther 2019 Apr 15. Epub 2019 Apr 15.

b Division of Cardiology, Kingston Health Science Center , Queen's University , Kingston , Ontario , Canada.

Introduction: With greater social acceptance and the evolution of transgender medicine as a specialty, more trans women are seeking hormone therapy (HT). Several studies have identified an increase in cardiovascular disease in trans women, however no studies have investigated the incidence of arrhythmias. Using two cases from the authors' clinic as examples, we propose that hormone therapy in trans women may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2019 Apr 2;20(7). Epub 2019 Apr 2.

Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary.

Background: The pathological heart contractions, called arrhythmias, especially ventricular fibrillation (VF), are a prominent feature of many cardiovascular diseases leading to sudden cardiac death. The present investigation evaluates the effect of electrically stimulated VF on cardiac functions related to autophagy and apoptotic mechanisms in isolated working rat hearts.

Methods: Each group of hearts was subjected to 0 (Control), 1, 3, or 10 min of spacing-induced VF, followed by 120 min of recovery period and evaluated for cardiac functions, including aortic flow (AF), coronary flow (CF), cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), and heart rate (HR). Read More

Shock 2019 May;51(5):667-673

Weil Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.

Neurotensin is an endogenous tridecapeptide that binds to neurotensin receptors in the brain, which induce hypothermia. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the receptor agonist ABS 201 could induce therapeutic hypothermia and improve postresuscitation outcomes in a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest (VFCA) rat model. VF was electrically induced in 12 rats. Read More

J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) 2019 Apr 9. Epub 2019 Apr 9.

Department of Cardiology, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, Kingston upon Hull, UK.

Background: The total atrial conduction time can be measured as the time from the onset of the P wave on the ECG to the peak of the A wave recorded at the mitral annulus using tissue Doppler imaging (A'; P-A'TDI); when prolonged, it might predict incident atrial fibrillation.

Methods: We measured P-A'TDI in outpatients with heart failure and sinus rhythm enrolled in the SICA-HF programme.

Results: P-A'TDI measured at the lateral mitral annulus was longer in patients with HF with reduced [LVEF<50%, N = 141; 126 (112-146) ms; P = 0. Read More

Anat Cell Biol 2019 Mar 29;52(1):48-56. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Department of Anatomy and Institute of Medical Sciences, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea.

Few information had been reported on deep intracardiac nerves in the myocardium of late human fetuses such as nerves at the atrial-pulmonary vein junction and in the atrial and ventricular septa. We examined histological sections of the heart obtained from 12 human fetuses at 25-33 weeks. A high density of intracardiac nerves was evident around the mitral valve annulus in contrast to few nerves around the tricuspid annulus. Read More

Case Rep Crit Care 2019 7;2019:7825915. Epub 2019 Mar 7.

Department of Anaesthesia, Dijon University Hospital and University of Dijon, Dijon, France.

Objective: To describe the case of a patient who developed a serotonin syndrome due to a 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine ingestion with electrical storm and refractory cardiac arrest.

Design: Case report.

Study Selection: ICU of a university hospital. Read More

Front Physiol 2019 29;10:350. Epub 2019 Mar 29.

Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Following myocardial infarction (MI), the myocardium is prone to calcium-driven alternans, which typically precedes ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation. MI is also associated with remodeling of the sympathetic innervation in the infarct border zone, although how this influences arrhythmogenesis is controversial. We hypothesize that the border zone is most vulnerable to alternans, that β-adrenergic receptor stimulation can suppresses this, and investigate the consequences in terms of arrhythmogenic mechanisms. Read More