The Impact on Working Conditions and Income Amongst Internists in Indonesia: Lesson Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Internists are at the forefront of providing care for COVID-19 patients. This situation adds more strain on already overburdened internists, particularly in Indonesia, where resources are scarce and unevenly distributed. The pandemic altered working conditions due to restrictions and regulatory changes. Multiple evidence exists for the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on physicians' well-being, but less is known about its impact on their work dynamics and livelihoods. This study provides some lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the changes in working conditions and earnings experienced by Indonesian internists. There were 3,115 and 1,772 participants in the first and second survey, respectively. After one year, the proportion of internists handling COVID-19 cases, including critical COVID-19 cases, increased; with fewer internists over 60 years old involved. Working hours, number of patients, and monthly earnings decreased for the majority of internists. The increased workload was experienced by most participants one year of the pandemic, predominantly reported by female internists. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a considerable impact on working conditions and income amongst internists in Indonesia. These findings may provide information to institutions in formulating strategies and tools to improve the working conditions and livelihoods of internists in Indonesia amidst the pandemic and potential public health emergencies in the future.

Validity and reliability studies of the Indonesian version of Atrial Fibrillation Severity Scale (AFSS).

BACKGROUND: In the atrial fibrillation (AF) population, worsened quality of life (QOL) has been reported even before complications occur. Symptom-based questionnaires can be used to evaluate AF treatment. The Atrial Fibrillation Severity Scale (AFSS) was first developed in Canada in English, which is not the main language in Indonesia. This study aims to test the reliability and validity of the Indonesian version of the Atrial Fibrillation Severity Scale (AFSS). METHODS: Translation of the AFSS from English to Indonesian was done using forward and backward translation. The final version was then validated with the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire, and a test-retest reliability study was done in a 7-14-day interval. RESULTS: An Indonesian version of AFSS was achieved and deemed acceptable by a panel of researchers. This version is reliable and valid, with Cronbach's α of 0.819, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) ranging from 0.803 to 0.975, and total score correlation ranging from 0.333 to 0.895. Pearson's analysis of AFSS and SF-36 revealed that the total AF burden domain was poorly correlated with role limitations due to emotional problems (r:0.427; p < 0.01) and pain (r:0.495; p < 0.01). The symptom severity domain was poorly correlated with physical functioning (r:-0.335; p < 0.01), role limitations due to emotional problems (r:0.499; p < 0.01), pain (r:0.458; p < 0.01), and total SF-36 score (r:-0.361; p < 0.01). Total AFSS score was moderately correlated with role limitations due to emotional problems (r:0.516; p < 0.01) and pain (r:0.538; p < 0.01). The total AFSS score was poorly correlated with the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) score (r:0.315; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The Indonesian version of AFSS has good internal and external validity with good reliability.

Advancing The Cardiovascular Care in Cancer Patients on Chemotherapy.

Cardiotoxicity associated with chemotherapy, also known as Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiac Dysfunction (CTRCD), affects 10% of patients undergoing chemotherapy and is the most undesirable side effect of chemotherapy. Over time, it is anticipated that there would be an increase in the number of cancer patients receiving treatments that could harm their cardiovascular systems. Physicians should choose whether to continue, halt, delay, or reduce the dose of chemotherapeutic drugs to reduce the impact of cardiotoxicity. Cardiotoxicity screening and diagnosis need a variety of methods, primarily echocardiography to evaluate Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) and Global Longitudinal Strain (GLS). Depending on the clinical state, these procedures may be carried out prior to, during, or following chemotherapy. It's critical to reduce cardiovascular risk factors and offer advice on leading a healthy lifestyle before giving cancer patients medicines. There are a lot of cancer treatment facilities all around the world that don't have evidence-based perspective cardiotoxicity scores to stratify the risk of cardiovascular problems caused by cancer therapy. Additionally, comorbid conditions like diabetes and hypertension are frequently present in cancer patients, which can have a significant impact on clinical outcomes and cancer treatment. Therefore, this article aims to discuss assessment methods, clinical practice guidance, and prevention of CTRCD.

Validity and Reliability Studies of the Indonesian Version of Arrhythmia-Specific Questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmia (ASTA).

BACKGROUND: The Arrhythmia-Specific Questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmia (ASTA) was developed in Sweden using English which may pose cultural and language barriers for Indonesian patients. As such, we aimed to translate the original ASTA into Indonesian, then assess its validity and reliability. METHODS: Translation of the ASTA from English to Indonesian was done using forward and backward translation. The final version was then validated with the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire. Test-retest reliability study was done in a 7-14-day interval. RESULTS: The Indonesian version of ASTA was deemed acceptable by a panel of researchers with Cronbach's α of 0.816 and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) ranging from 0.856-0.983. In a comparison to the SF-36, the medication utilization domain was poorly correlated with role limitations due to physical health (r:0.384; p<0.01) and pain (r:-0.317; p<0.05). The arrhythmia-specific symptoms domain was poorly correlated with role limitations due to emotional problems (r:0.271; p<0.05). In addition, the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) domain was poorly correlated with role limitations due to physical health (r:0.359; p<0.01) and emotional problems (r:0.348; p<0.01), also total SF-36 score (r:-0.367; p<0.01). The ASTA total score was poorly correlated with role limitations due to physical health (r:0.37; p<0.01), and emotional problems (r:0.376; p<0.01), also total SF-36 score (r:-0.331; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The Indonesian version of ASTA has good internal and external validity as well as good reliability. Both the physical and mental domains of ASTA are correlated with role limitations due to emotional problems and SF-36 total score.

Clinical efficacy of open-irrigated electrode cooled with half-normal saline for initially failed radiofrequency ablation of idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias.

BACKGROUND: Acute failure of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) occur in 10%-20% of patients and is partly attributed to inadequate lesion depth acquired with standard ablation protocols. Half-normal saline (HNS)-irrigation is a promising strategy to improve the success rate of VA ablation. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the efficacy of HNS-irrigated ablation after a failed standard plain normal saline solution (PNSS)-irrigated ablation on idiopathic outflow tract ventricular arrhythmia (OT-VA). METHOD: This is a prospective observational study of consecutive patients undergoing RFA of idiopathic OT-VA comparing the efficacy of additional HNS-irrigated ablation for failed standard PNSS-irrigated ablation. Acute failure was defined as persistence of spontaneous VA or persistent inducibility of the clinical VA. RESULTS: Out of 160 OT-VA cases (51 ± 15-year-old, 62 males), 31 underwent HNS irrigation after a failed standard PNSS-irrigated ablation. The HNS group had a significantly longer procedure time (60.06 ± 43.83 vs 37.51 ± 33.40 minutes; P = .013) and higher radiation exposure (31.45 ± 20.24 vs 17.22 ± 15.25 minutes; P = .001) than the PNSS group but provided an additional acute success in 21 of 31 (67.7%) patients. Over a follow-up duration of 7.8 ± 4.6 months, 24 recurrences were identified, including 8 (25.8%) in the HNS and 16 (12.4%) in the PNSS group, with lower freedom from recurrence in the HNS group (log rank P = .009). No major complication was observed. CONCLUSION: HNS-irrigated ablation after failed standard PNSS-irrigated ablation is safe and additionally improves acute ablation success by 67.7% for idiopathic OT-VA but with a higher rate of recurrence on follow-up. Whether the application of HNS as initial irrigant could result in better outcome requires further investigation.

Long-term efficacy and safety of adjunctive ethanol infusion into the vein of Marshall during catheter ablation for nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to clarify the effect of vein of Marshall (VOM) ethanol infusion for treating VOM triggers and/or mitral flutter after first-attempt endocardial ablation in patients with nonparoxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). METHODS AND RESULTS: Of the 254 consecutive patients (age, 56 ± 10 years; 221 male) undergoing catheter ablation for drug-refractory nonparoxysmal AF, 32 (12.6%) received VOM ethanol infusion. The patients were stratified into group 1 (pulmonary vein isolation [PVI], substrate modification, VOM ethanol infusion), group 2 (PVI, substrate modification), and group 3 (PVI alone). Propensity-matched analysis (N = 128) of long-term outcomes (3.9 ± 0.5 years) revealed a higher AF recurrence risk in group 2 (hazard ratio [HR], 4.17; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.63-10.69; P = .003) and group 3 (HR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.09-3.04; P = .021) than in group 1, as well as a higher atrial arrhythmia recurrence risk in group 2 than in group 1 (HR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.16-5.03; P = .018). A higher procedural termination rate was observed in group 1 than groups 2 and 3 (41.7% vs 17.2% vs 18.8%; P = .042). On multivariate analysis, VOM ethanol injection was an independent predictor of freedom from recurrence of AF (HR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.08-0.52; P = .001) and atrial arrhythmia (HR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.74; P = .005), whereas a left atrial diameter >45 mm and hypertension were independent risk factors for recurrence. Periprocedural complications rates were comparable among the groups. CONCLUSION: Adjunctive VOM ethanol infusion is effective and safe for treating nonparoxysmal AF in patients with VOM triggers and/or refractory mitral flutter, providing good long-term freedom from AF and atrial arrhythmia.

Electrophysiological and clinical characteristics of catheter ablation for isolated left side atrial tachycardia over a 10-year period.

AIMS: Most left atrial tachycardia (LAT) is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). The clinical and electrophysiological characteristics and outcomes of LAT without AF have not been investigated. This study sought to determine the long-term ablation outcomes and predictors of recurrence of isolated LAT. METHODS: This is a single-center study of consecutive patients with isolated LAT. Atrial arrhythmia recurrence was determined from follow-up records of patients who underwent LAT ablation from 2008 to 2017. Clinical and electrophysiologic characteristics associated with atrial arrhythmia recurrence were identified. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients (53 ± 19 years, 46% male) with 59 LAT (1.16 ± 0.47 per patient) were enrolled. Over a mean follow-up of 37 ± 33 months, atrial arrhythmia recurrence occurred in 22 (44%) patients, 11 with atrial tachycardia (AT) only, five with AF only, and six with concurrent AT and AF. The incidence of pulmonary vein (PV) origins increased significantly in the repeat procedure (P = 0.036). Multivariate analysis identified left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) as the only predictor of any atrial arrhythmia recurrence and LAT recurrence, while smoking and identified macroreentrant LAT in the index procedure predicted AF recurrence. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a higher rate of atrial arrhythmia recurrence, including AF, among patients with initially isolated LAT. A lower LVEF predicted any atrial arrhythmia and LAT recurrence, whereas smoking and index macroreentrant AT mechanism predicted long-term AF. PV ATs were frequently observed in recurrent patients irrespective of index procedure origin.

Comparison of phase mapping and electrogram-based driver mapping for catheter ablation in atrial fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: Adjunctive driver-guided ablation in addition to pulmonary vein isolation has been proposed as a strategy to improve procedural success and outcomes for various populations with atrial fibrillation (AF). First, this study aimed to evaluate the different mapping techniques for driver/rotor identification and second to evaluate the benefits of driver/rotor-guided ablation in patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF (PerAF). METHODS: We searched the electronic database in PubMed using the keywords "atrial fibrillation," "rotor," "rotational driver," "atrial fibrillation source," and "drivers" for both randomized controlled trials and observational controlled trials. Clinical studies reporting efficacy or safety outcomes of driver-guided ablation for paroxysmal AF or (PerAF) were identified. We performed subgroup analyses comparing different driver mapping methods in patients with PerAF. The odds ratios (ORs) with random effects were analyzed. RESULTS: Out of 175 published articles, seven met the inclusion criteria, of which two were randomized controlled trials, one was quasiexperimental study, and four observational studies (three case-controlled studies and one cross-sectional study). Overall, adjunctive driver-guided ablation was associated with higher rates of acute AF termination (OR: 4.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.12-10.08; P < 0.001), lower recurrence of any atrial arrhythmia (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.30-0.065; P < 0.001), and comparable complication incidence. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive driver-guided catheter ablation suggested an increased freedom from AF/AT relative to conventional strategies, irrespective of the mapping techniques. Furthermore, phase mapping appears to be superior to electrogram-based driver mapping in PerAF ablation.

Cigarette smoking causes a worse long-term outcome in persistent atrial fibrillation following catheter ablation.

INTRODUCTION: Cigarette smoking contributes to the development of atrial fibrosis via nicotine. The impact of smoking on ablation results in persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) is unknown. We aimed to investigate the triggers and long-term outcome between smokers and nonsmokers in the patients with persistent AF after catheter ablation. METHODS: This study included 201 (177 males, 53 ± 10 years old) patients who received index catheter ablation, including pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs) ablation for persistent AF, retrospectively. Electrophysiological characteristics at the index procedure and long-term outcome were investigated to determine the differences between smokers and nonsmokers. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar between two groups. Pulmonary vein (PV) triggers were found in all patients in the two groups. There was a higher incidence of nonpulmonary vein (NPV) triggers in smokers than in nonsmokers (61% vs. 31%, P < 0.05). There were no differences of the long-term ablation outcomes between smokers and nonsmokers in Kaplan-Meier analysis. Smokers with PV plus right atrial NPV (RA-NPV) triggers had a higher incidence of recurrence (log-rank P < 0.05) than those without RA-NPV triggers, but not in nonsmokers, after a mean follow-up of 31 ± 25 months. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking increases the incidence of NPV triggers in patients with persistent AF. Smokers who have RA-NPV triggers during index procedure do have a worse outcome after catheter ablation, indicating the harmful effects of nicotine to right atrium.

Novel electrophysiological criteria for septal ventricular outflow tract tachycardias requiring a sequential bilateral ablation.

BACKGROUND: Septal ventricular outflow tract ventricular arrhythmias (OT-VAs) are defined as septal origin VAs from the right ventricular or left ventricular OT. Patients with septal OT-VAs may require a sequential bilateral OT ablation. This study aimed to evaluate the electrophysiological characteristics and ablation outcome in patients with septal OT-VAs. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the electrocardiography and electrophysiological parameters in 96 patients (mean age 49 ± 15 years, 49 male) undergoing bilateral activation mapping before catheter ablation of idiopathic septal OT-VAs. The patients were categorized into three groups based on the successful ablation sites, including the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT), RVOT/left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), and LVOT. RESULTS: Mapping in the three groups demonstrated a gradually decreasing and increasing trend in the earliest activation time obtained from the RVOT and LVOT, respectively. The absolute earliest activation time discrepancy (AEAD) of ≤18 milliseconds could predict the requirement for a sequential bilateral ablation with a sensitivity and specificity of 100.0% and 93.7%, respectively. The small AEAD (≤21 milliseconds) was associated with a higher recurrence rate in patients receiving a successful unilateral ablation, while patients with a longer distance between the bilateral OT earliest activation sites (DEA > 26 mm) increased future recurrences after an initially successful sequential bilateral ablation. CONCLUSIONS: The application of bilateral OT-VA activation mapping and the measurement of the AEAD and DEA provided not only pivotal information for the ablation strategy, but also prognostic implications for recurrences in patients with septal OT-VAs.

Double Culprits in a Patient with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Challenging But Rewarding Case.

Myocardial infarction simultaneously involving two or more culprit lesions is extremely rare and usually has a poor clinical outcomes including mortality. Management of this complicated condition is challenging and limited time. Nevertheless, autopsy studies revealed that thrombotic occlusion of more than one major epicardium coronary artery is not uncommon. A 68-year-old woman presented with sudden onset of limited breath and chest discomfort since two hours prior to admission. She also felt exert dyspnoea since one month ago. She has two risk factors that were uncontrolled that is hypertension (HT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). On admission, she succumbed into cardiogenic shock and pulmonary oedema. ECG revealed a diminished R wave in V2-V4 with ST elevation in V2-V5 and in aVR. Biphasic T wave was seen in V2-V6. The working diagnosis was anterior STEMI, Killip class IV with thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score of 8. While being transferred to catheter lab, she gasped, became desaturation, and was intubated prior to procedure. The patient was given double inotropes which run maximally. By Coronary angiography, there were occlusions at the LAD and LCX. Stent was applied at proximal LAD and LCX. Subsequently, patient's condition improved and post-procedure ECG showed improvement in aVR and precordial leads, and ST elevation was significantly diminished from V5 and aVR, and R wave came back in V2-V4.Previous study found around 50% of STEMI patients had multi-vessels diseases. In this case, ECG suggested LAD region infarction with ST elevation in aVR, commonly associated with left main stenosis (LMS) involvement.Thrombus aspiration in LAD and LCX yielded hemodynamic improvement. V-stenting technique, introduced in 1996, allows delivery and implantation of 2 stents together, and therefore shorten the stent deployment time.

Validity and Reliability of the Indonesian Version of SF-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire on Patients with Permanent Pacemakers.

AIM: to construct and validate Indonesian version of SF-36. METHODS: this is a cross-sectional study, which consist of 2 stages process: 1) language and cultural adaption; and 2) validity and reliability evaluation. We evaluated 32 pacemaker patients during language and cultural adaptation stage and 20 pacemaker patients during validity and reliability evaluation stages from September 2014 to August 2015. We followed cross-cultural adaptation guideline to produce Indonesian version of the questionnaire. The final translated questionnaire was checked by assessing the correlation of SF-36 and 6-minutes walking test (6MWT) and NT pro-BNP result. RESULTS: Indonesian version of SF-36 showed positive correlation between 6MWT result and physical functioning (PF) (r=0.363; p=0.001) and negative correlation between NT pro-BNP score with general health (GH) (r=-0.269; p=0.020) and mental health (MH) (r=-0.271; p=0.019). The internal consistency of Indonesian version of SF-36 questionnaire, which measured by Cronbach's alpha, was good with value of >0.70. Repeatability between day 1 and day 8 was good, with strong positive correlation (r=0.626; p=0.003). CONCLUSION: the Indonesian version of SF-36 could be used as a general questionnaire to assess quality of life in patients with permanent pacemaker.

The validity and reliability of Indonesian version of atrial fibrillation effect on quality of life (AFEQT) questionnaire for atrial fibrillation patients.

BACKGROUND: More than 60% of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a significant health-related quality of life (HRQoL) impairment. HRQoL, a patient-reported outcome (PRO), has become an important endpoint to assess treatment success in AF patients. The Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality of Life (AFEQT) questionnaire is an AF-specific HRQoL tool shown to be feasible, reliable, and valid, with translations in various languages. Since this questionnaire has never been translated or validated in Indonesian, we aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the AFEQT questionnaire for AF patients. RESULTS: This cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in the Integrated Cardiovascular Service Polyclinic, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Indonesia, from December 2021 to March 2022. A total of 30 participants were recruited for cross-cultural adaptation process, which consisted of translation and adaptation process, and a total of 102 participants were consecutively recruited to participate in the validation process, which consisted of validity test (construct validity) and reliability tests (internal consistency and test-retest). The retest was conducted within a 1-2-week interval after the baseline assessment, by analyzing the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The construct validity was determined by multitrait scaling analysis, and the convergent and divergent validity was compared to SF-36 domains. Multitrait scaling analysis revealed that all items in the Indonesian version of the AFEQT questionnaire had a strong negative correlation towards their respective domains (r -0.639--0.960). For convergent and divergent validity, AFEQT domains had weak to strong positive correlations to all SF-36 domains (r 0.338-0.693). This questionnaire also had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α for overall score: 0.947; Domains: Symptoms: 0.818, Daily Activities: 0.943, Treatment Concern: 0.894, and Treatment Satisfaction: 0.865), as well as moderate-to-good test-retest reliability (0.521-0.828). CONCLUSIONS: The Indonesian version of the AFEQT questionnaire has good validity and reliability for assessing quality of life of atrial fibrillation patients in Indonesia.

Electrophysiological properties and heart rate variability of patients with thalassemia major in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Beta thalassemia major (TM) is a common hereditary disease in Indonesia. Iron overload due to regular transfusion may induce myocardial iron deposition leading to electrophysiological dysfunction and functional disorders of the heart. Ventricular arrhythmia is one of the most common causes of sudden cardiac death in thalassemia patients. This cross-sectional study of 62 TM patients aged 10-32 years in Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital was done to assess their electrophysiological properties and heart rate variability, including 24- hour Holter monitoring, signal averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) for detection of ventricular late potential (VLP), and determination of heart rate variability (HRV). We also assessed their 12-lead ECG parameters, such as P wave, QRS complex, QT/ QTc interval, QRS dispersion, and QT/ QTc dispersion. Iron overload was defined by T2-star magnetic resonance (MR-T2*) values of less than 20 ms or ferritin level greater than 2500 ng/mL. Subjects were grouped accordingly. There were significant differences of QTc dispersion (p = 0.026) and deceleration capacity (p = 0.007) between MR-T2* groups. Multivariate analysis showed an inverse correlation between QTc dispersion and MR-T2* values. There was a proportional correlation between heart rate deceleration capacity in the low MR-T2* group (p = 0.058) and the high ferritin group (p = 0.007). No VLPs were detectable in any patients. In conclusion, prolonged QTc dispersion and decreased heart rate deceleration capacity were significantly correlated with greater odds of iron overload among patients with Thalassemia major.

Dynamic unipolar voltage criteria of right ventricular septum for identifying left ventricular septal scar.

PURPOSE: The right ventricular (RV) septal unipolar voltage (UV) for predicting left ventricular (LV) septal scar wall thickness (WT) remains to be elucidated. METHODS: From 2013 to 2015, data obtained from RV and LV electroanatomic maps of 28 patients (mean age, 53 ± 16 years; 19 men [67.9%]) with/without identified LV septal scars were reviewed. Patients with an RV septal scar were excluded (n = 90). Direct measurement of septal WT was conducted (mean distance, 10.4 ± 3.3 mm). Patients in group 1 had a normal LV substrate, while those in group 2 had an LV septal scar. Fisher's linear discriminant formula was used to determine the dynamic UV criteria. RESULTS: A total of 552 points were collected: 323 in 12 patients from group 1 and 229 in 16 patients from group 2. The UV of the RV septum is capable of identifying the opposite LV endocardial bipolar scar and is proportional to the WT of the interventricular septum. In the absence of an RV endocardial scar, the formula of "RV septal cut-off value = 0.736 × WT - 0.117 mV" has better sensitivity and specificity for predicting the LV septal scar (0.96 vs. 0.68 and 0.91 vs. 0.80, respectively) than the predefined fixed criteria of 8.3 mV with a net reclassification improvement of 25.7% (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The combined measurement of UV and WT is more sensitive than the predefined fixed UV criteria for defining deep scars.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Indonesian version of AQUAREL on patients with permanent pacemaker: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The assessment of quality of life has significant impact in device therapy. This research was aimed to translate and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the AQUAREL questionnaire. RESULTS: We evaluated 32 patients during the cross-cultural adaptation stage and 20 patients during validity and reliability evaluation stages. Indonesian version of AQUAREL showed positive correlation between 6-min walking test and dyspnea domain (r = 0.228; p = 0.048), and showed negative correlation between NT pro-BNP and chest discomfort (r = - 0.231; p = 0.043) and dyspnea domain (r = - 0.268; p = 0.020). The total AQUAREL also showed positive moderate correlation toward total SF-36 (r = 0.543; p = 0.000). The internal consistency was good (Cronbach α = 0.728) and the repeatability between day 1 and day 8 was good, with moderate positive correlation (r = 0.581; p = 0.007).

Bleeding and New-Onset Cancers in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Receiving Nonvitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants.

Whether bleeding should be considered a sufficient sign to justify thorough cancer surveillance in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients receiving nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) remains unclear. We investigated the relationships between bleeding events and new-onset cancers in AF patients receiving NOACs in a prospective cohort (n = 395, mean follow-up duration of 2.8 years). There were 18 patients who were diagnosed with new-onset cancers 584 ± 372 days after the initiation of NOACs. The patients with new-onset cancers had higher HAS-BLED scores (no, preexisting and new-onset cancer: 1.51 ± 0.81, 1.69 ± 0.87, and 2.11 ± 0.96, respectively; p = 0.006) and a higher incidence of bleeding events (22%, 33%, 67%, respectively; p<0.001) than did patients without new-onset cancers. Bleeding events that preceded the diagnosis of new-onset cancers were independently correlated with new-onset cancers (odds ratio: 7.89, p = 0.001) in the multivariate logistic regression. More than half of the patients (61%) with new-onset cancers had either a significant period of drug interruption for at least 2 months or discontinued NOACs. In conclusions, bleeding in AF patients receiving NOACs could be an alerting sign of new-onset cancers and should prompt the initiation of thorough surveillance to detect early cancers.

Vasovagal responses during cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation predict favorable mid-term outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Vasovagal responses (VR) encountered during radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) suggest ablation of the atrial tissue subjacent to the ganglionic plexi (GP) and confer durability of PVI. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that VR during cryoballoon PVI (CB-PVI) in PAF can predict mid-term AF recurrence. METHODS: We enrolled 39 patients who underwent PVI using 2nd generation cryoballoon for PAF from November 2014 to July 2016. We evaluated the long term outcomes for those who had VR during index procedure. RESULTS: A total of 39 patients (76% male, mean age 57 ±â€¯9 years) underwent CB-PVI for PAF and 66.67% (26/39) had VR. VR was frequently observed in the LSPV (100%), followed by RSPV (64%), LIPV (60%), and less frequently, RIPV (28%). Overall, the mean difference in the HR and SBP, and the relative differences in the HR and SBP were observed during CB-PVI in the LSPV (mean difference in HR, p < 0.001; mean difference in SBP, p < 0.001; relative difference in HR, p < 0.001); relative difference in SBP, p < 0.001). After PVI, 22/26 (84.62%) and 5/13 (38.46%) of patients in the VR and NVR group, respectively, maintained SR at 14 ±â€¯6 months follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed statistical difference in favor of patients with VR during CB-PVI (log rank p < 0.01) with a better mid-term outcome. CONCLUSION: In a small cohort of patients, VR during CB-PVI in PAF is a surrogate marker for ablation of atrial tissue subjacent to the GP and predicts a favorable mid-term outcome for AF recurrence.

Intermediate Pause at Daytime Is Associated With Increased Cardiovascular Risk and Mortality: An 8-Year Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Long-term cardiovascular risk in patients with intermediate pauses remains unclear. Whether asymptomatic patients with intermediate pauses have increased future cardiovascular events remains unknown. We hypothesize that intermediate pause is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed 5291 patients who have pauses of <3 seconds on 24-hour Holter monitoring. Patients with pauses of 2 to 3 seconds constitute the intermediate pause patients, who are further divided into daytime pause (8:00 am-8:00 pm), nighttime pause (8:00 pm-8:00 am), and daytime plus nighttime pause groups depending on the occurring time of the pauses. The rest of the patients (pause <2 seconds) are the no pause group. The multivariate Cox hazards regression model was used to assess the hazard ratio for mortality (primary outcome) and adverse cardiovascular events (secondary outcome). There were 4859 (91.8%) patients in no pause, 248 (4.7%) in nighttime pause, 103 (1.9%) in daytime pause, and 81 (1.5%) in daytime plus nighttime pause groups. After a follow-up of 8.8±1.7 years' follow-up, 343 (6.5%) patients died. The risk for adverse cardiovascular events, including all-cause hospitalization, cardiovascular-cause hospitalization, pacemaker implantation, new-onset atrial fibrillation/heart failure, and transient ischemic attack, were higher in daytime pause and nighttime pause patients than those in the no pause group. Daytime pause (hazard ratio, 2.35; P=0.008) and daytime plus nighttime pause (hazard ratio, 2.26; P=0.016) patients have a higher mortality rate than that in nighttime pause. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with intermediate pause are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Intermediate pauses occurring at daytime have a higher mortality rate than that at nighttime during long-term follow-up.

High-resolution mapping of pulmonary vein potentials improved the successful pulmonary vein isolation using small electrodes and inter-electrode spacing catheter.

BACKGROUND: Intracardiac electrogram recording is influenced by the electrode size and inter-electrode spacing. Smaller electrodes with a closer inter-electrode spacing may improve the mapping resolution and outcome. METHODS: Substrate mapping of the left atrium and residual pulmonary vein (PV) potentials during sinus rhythm was sequentially performed using a 3.5-mm electrode tip catheter and a 1-mm electrode multielectrode catheter in 33 patients (Group 1) that underwent repeat atrial fibrillation (AF) procedures. PV gap identification and electrophysiological characteristics were compared. Arrhythmia freedom was compared with a propensity matched (1:2) control group (66 patients, Group 2) undergoing repeat AF procedures guided by wide inter-electrode spacing catheter. RESULTS: In the Group 1 patients, the total area of residual PV potentials measured using the 1-mm catheter was larger than that measured by the 3.5-mm catheter. Overall 1.97 ±â€¯0.59 (1-3) and 1.49 ±â€¯0.62 (1-3) PVs were identified by the 1-mm electrode and 3.5 mm catheters, respectively (P = 0.02). The gaps not identified by the 3.5 mm catheter had a smaller width and lower voltage. Radiofrequency catheter ablation in the areas with residual PV potentials identified by the 1-mm catheter resulted in complete electrical isolation of the PVs. Arrhythmia freedom at one year of follow-up was achieved in 26 of 33 (78.8%) patients in Group 1, which was significantly higher than the matched control group (33/66 [50%], P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In the patients with a previous PV isolation, mapping with small, closely spaced electrodes can increase the detection rate of residual PV potentials and improve the outcome.