Personalized paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ablation by tailoring ablation index to the left atrial wall thickness: the 'Ablate by-LAW' single-centre study-a pilot study.

AIMS: To determine if adapting the ablation index (AI) to the left atrial wall thickness (LAWT), which is a determinant of lesion transmurality, is feasible, effective, and safe during paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients referred for PAF first ablation. Left atrial wall thickness three-dimensional maps were obtained from multidetector computed tomography and integrated into the CARTO navigation system. Left atrial wall thickness was categorized into 1 mm layers and AI was titrated to the LAWT. The ablation line was personalized to avoid thicker regions. Primary endpoints were acute efficacy and safety, and freedom from atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrences. Follow-up (FU) was scheduled at 1, 3, 6, and every 6 months thereafter. Ninety patients [60 (67%) male, age 58 ± 13 years] were included. Mean LAWT was 1.25 ± 0.62 mm. Mean AI was 366 ± 26 on the right pulmonary veins with a first-pass isolation in 84 (93%) patients and 380 ± 42 on the left pulmonary veins with first-pass in 87 (97%). Procedure time was 59 min (49-66); radiofrequency (RF) time 14 min (12.5-16); and fluoroscopy time 0.7 min (0.5-1.4). No major complication occurred. Eighty-four out of 90 (93.3%) patients were free of recurrence after a mean FU of 16 ± 4 months. CONCLUSION: Personalized AF ablation, adapting the AI to LAWT allowed pulmonary vein isolation with low RF delivery, fluoroscopy, and procedure time while obtaining a high rate of first-pass isolation, in this patient population. Freedom from AF recurrences was as high as in more demanding ablation protocols. A multicentre trial is ongoing to evaluate reproducibility of these results.

Left atrial wall thickness of the pulmonary vein reconnection sites during atrial fibrillation redo procedures.

BACKGROUND: Left atrial wall thickness (LAWT) has been related to pulmonary vein (PV) reconnections after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. The aim was to integrate 3D-LAWT maps in the navigation system and analyze the relationship with local reconnection sites during AF-redo procedures. METHODS: Consecutive patients referred for AF-redo ablation were included. Procedure was performed using a single catheter technique. LAWT maps obtained from multidetector computerized tomography (MDCT) were imported into the navigation system. LAWT of the circumferential PV line, the reconnected segment and the reconnected point, were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty patients [44 (73%) male, age 61 ± 10 years] were included. All reconnected veins were isolated using a single catheter technique with 55 min (IQR 47-67) procedure time and 75 s (IQR 50-120) fluoroscopy time. Mean LAWT of the circumferential PV line was 1.46 ± 0.22 mm. The reconnected segment was thicker than the rest of segments of the circumferential PV line (2.05 + 0.86 vs. 1.47 + 0.76, p < .001 for the LPVs; 1.55 + 0.57 vs. 1.27 + 0.57, p < .001 for the RPVs). Mean reconnection point wall thickness (WT) was at the 82nd percentile of the circumferential line in the LPVs and at the 82nd percentile in the RPVs. CONCLUSION: A single catheter technique is feasible and efficient for AF-redo procedures. Integrating the 3D-LAWT map into the navigation system allows a direct periprocedural estimation of the WT at any point of the LA. Reconnection points were more frequently present in thicker segments of the PV line. The use of 3D-LAWT maps can facilitate reconnection point identification during AF-redo ablation.

Differential Diagnosis and Clinical Implications of Remnants of the Right Valve of the Sinus Venosus.

Anatomic variants of the remnants of the right valve of the sinus venosus in adults are common and usually observed on cardiac imaging studies. Because the anatomy and function of these vestiges are not well known, errors may occur in the differential diagnosis and treatment of patients with unclear images in the right atrium. Clinical implications may arise from (1) differential diagnosis with some diseases, especially when the remnants act as sites of attachment for masses; (2) the need for invasive treatment if the anatomic variant displays obstructive behavior; (3) the association between remnants and patent foramen ovale; and (4) secondary complications related to these structures in invasive procedures. Thus, the aim of this review is to provide cardiologists and radiologists specializing in cardiac imaging techniques with the basic anatomic information and clinical implications required to understand morphologic variants of right sinus venosus valve vestiges in adults.

Clinical and neurohumoral consequences of diuretic withdrawal in patients with chronic, stabilized heart failure and systolic dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Loop diuretics are beneficial in heart failure in the short term because they eliminate fluid retention, but in the long-term, they could adversely influence prognosis due to activation of neurohumoral mechanisms. AIMS: To explore the changes induced by diuretic withdrawal in chronic nonadvanced heart failure. METHODS: Diuretics were withdrawn in 26 stabilized heart failure patients with systolic dysfunction (ejection fraction [EF]<45%). Clinical status was evaluated by physical exam, exercise capacity (corridor test) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. Biochemical and neurohumoral determinations were performed at baseline and at 3 months. RESULTS: At 3 months, 17 out of 26 patients (65%) were able to tolerate diuretic interruption without a deterioration in exercise capacity or New York Heart Association functional class. Renal function parameters improved (baseline urea 46.2+/-10.8 to 39.2+/-10.1 mg/dl at 3 months, p=0.014; creatinine 1.1+/-0.23 to 0.98+/-0.2 mg/dl, p=0.013). Glucose metabolism also improved (fasting glucose 151+/-91 to 122+/-14 mg/dl, p=0.035). Heart rate and systolic blood pressure did not significantly change, while diastolic blood pressure increased (from 80+/-10 to 87+/-13 mm Hg, p=0.006). Neurohumoral determinations showed a decrease in plasma renin activity (4.19+/-5.96 to 2.88+/-4.98 ng/ml, p=0.026), with no changes in aldosterone, arginine-vasopressin, endothelin-1 and norepinephrine. In contrast, atrial natriuretic peptide significantly increased (115+/-87 to 168+/-155 pg/ml, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Diuretic withdrawal in stabilized heart failure with systolic dysfunction is associated with an improvement in renal function parameters, glucose metabolism and some neurohumoral parameters, such as plasma renin activity; however, atrial natriuretic peptide levels increased.

[Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in adult patients. Clinical course and prognostic factors in 119 patients]. / Miocardiopatía hipertrófica en el adulto. Curso clínico y factores pronósticos de 119 pacientes.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to characterize adult patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), to compare their mortality with that of the general population and to establish a prognosis based on clinical and noninvasive techniques. PATIENTS AND METHOD: One hundred nineteen consecutive patients (60 women, mean: 52 [12] years) with HCM were prospectively studied by ECG, Holter, echo-Doppler, exercise testing, myocardial perfusion SPET and radionuclide ventriculography. Prognostic variables included clinical data and parameters derived from these noninvasive techniques. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 10 [6.7] years, 7 patients (5.8%) died of cardiovascular causes (4 cardiac failure and 3 sudden death). The annual mortality rate was 0.6% and the actuarial survival curve for patients with HCM was significantly worse compared with the expected survival curve derived from the general population after adjustment for age and sex (p = 0.008). The presence of atrial fibrillation (p = 0.04), moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (p = 0.02), dynamic gradient > 50 mmHg (p = 0.02), left atrial diameter > 45 mm (p = 0.02), and interventricular septal thickness > 25 mm (p = 0.04) were all predictive of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality rate of adult patients with HCM is significantly higher than that expected for the general population and heart failure and sudden death are almost evenly distributed as a cause of death in these patients. Atrial fibrillation, magnitude of mitral regurgitation, dynamic gradient, left atrial dilatation and interventricular septal thickness are the main predictors of death.