Impact of SMART Pass filter in patients with ajmaline-induced Brugada syndrome and subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator eligibility failure: results from a prospective multicentre study.

AIMS: Ajmaline challenge can unmask subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) screening failure in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS) and non-diagnostic baseline electrocardiogram (ECG). The efficacy of the SMART Pass (SP) filter, a high-pass filter designed to reduce cardiac oversensing (while maintaining an appropriate sensing margin), has not yet been assessed in patients with BrS. The aim of this prospective multicentre study was to investigate the effect of the SP filter on dynamic Brugada ECG changes evoked by ajmaline and to assess its value in reducing S-ICD screening failure in patients with drug-induced Brugada ECGs. METHODS AND RESULTS: The S-ICD screening with conventional automated screening tool (AST) was performed during ajmaline challenge in subjects with suspected BrS. The S-ICD recordings were obtained before, during and after ajmaline administration and evaluated by the means of a simulation model that emulates the AST behaviour with and without SP filter. A patient was considered suitable for S-ICD if at least one sensing vector was acceptable in all tested postures. A sensing vector was considered acceptable in the presence of QRS amplitude >0.5 mV, QRS/T-wave ratio >3.5, and sense vector score >100. Of the 126 subjects (mean age: 42 ± 14 years, males: 61%, sensing vectors: 6786), 46 (36%) presented with an ajmaline-induced Brugada type 1 ECG. Up to 30% of subjects and 40% of vectors failed the screening during the appearance of Brugada type 1 ECG evoked by ajmaline. The S-ICD screening failure rate was not significantly reduced in patients with Brugada ECGs when SP filter was enabled (30% vs. 24%). Similarly, there was only a trend in reduction of vector-failure rate attributable to the SP filter (from 40% to 36%). The most frequent reason for screening failure was low QRS amplitude or low QRS/T-wave ratio. None of these patients was implanted with an S-ICD. CONCLUSION: Patients who pass the sensing screening during ajmaline can be considered good candidates for S-ICD implantation, while those who fail might be susceptible to sensing issues. Although there was a trend towards reduction of vector sensing failure rate when SP filter was enabled, the reduction in S-ICD screening failure in patients with Brugada ECGs did not reach statistical significance. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov Unique Identifier NCT04504591.

Irregular Rhythm in a Middle-Aged Man Presenting With New-Onset Heart Failure.

A man in his 50s with recurrent palpitations, fatigue, and progressive exertion dyspnea had irregular narrow-QRS tachycardia in an incessant, repetitive fashion with heart rates up to 180 beats per minute and occasional short runs of wide-QRS tachycardia on Holter monitoring and 12-lead electrocardiogram. What would you do next?

Para-Hisian Pacing: New Insights of an Old Pacing Maneuver.

More than 2 decades ago, para-Hisian pacing was introduced to assess the pattern of retrograde conduction during electrophysiological studies. Although there is no ideal maneuver for every patient and condition, para-Hisian pacing is a valuable and handy strategy to differentiate between retrograde conduction over the atrioventricular node and the accessory pathways. The dynamic behavior of para-Hisian pacing, in a region with unique anatomical features, can produce various activation patterns and intriguing electrophysiological phenomena. Although the demonstration of a retrograde nodal activation pattern during para-Hisian pacing does not rule out the presence of an accessory pathway, evidence of retrograde conduction over an accessory pathway does not prove its active role in the culprit tachycardia. Multipolar His bundle recordings, detailed atrial mapping, and recognition of the truly captured structures and the impact of temporal changes of autonomic tone or pacing rates, are essential keys for accurate interpretation of this maneuver that may ultimately guide judicious catheter ablation of the arrhythmic substrate. This review aims to summarize the practical usefulness and potential pitfalls of the para-Hisian pacing maneuver, focusing on the interpretation of electrocardiograms and intracardiac recordings.

Nearly fatal ventricular arrhythmia following pacemaker implantation in a young female with complete heart block.

This case concerns a 24-year-old female who developed malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmia a few weeks after pacemaker implantation for complete heart block. Apparently, right ventricular pacing caused significant repolarization abnormalities in both native and paced rhythms with marked QT prolongation and substantial electrical instability. This case highlights other intriguing phenomena in the puzzle of cardiac repolarization and how pacing therapy may alter this complex process providing arrhythmic substrate in vulnerable subjects. Though such arrhythmic events are clinically rare, vulnerable patients or with suspected myocardial disease that may cause QT prolongation should be carefully followed in the course of pacing therapy.

The diagnostic process of stable angina: still many doubts since Heberden's first description 250 years ago.

: Since Heberden's first description, stable angina has represented a challenge for the clinicians. Even the most recent guidelines seem ineffective to correctly identify patients who should be sent to cath labs. Still too many patients who undergo coronary angiography are found not to have significant lesions; moreover, its extensive use as the first diagnostic test leads to revascularizations with uncertain appropriateness and prognostic significance. These considerations underline the importance of noninvasive testing before sending patients to invasive coronary angiography. However, it is still debatable whether it is better to pursue anatomic evaluation of the coronary tree with the use of computed tomography or assessment of myocardial ischemia, a controversy which has not been resolved by recent trials comparing the two diagnostic modalities. A combined approach using both functional and anatomic testing may lead to a more careful risk stratification before invasive coronary angiography. The aim of this article is to discuss the most recent evidence in this field, and its application in clinical practice.