The valuable interaction among cardiac surgeon and electrophysiologist for transvenous rotational mechanical lead extraction.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that Evolution RL bidirectional rotational mechanical sheath (Cook Medical, USA) is an effective and safe technique for transvenous lead extraction (TLE). We reported our experience with the bidirectional rotational mechanical tools using a multidisciplinary approach highlighting the value of a joint cardiac surgeon and electrophysiologist collaboration. METHODS: The study population comprised 84 patients (77% male; mean age 65 ± 18 years) undergoing TLE. After a multidisciplinary evaluation, a combined procedure was considered. RESULTS: The main indication for TLE was infection in 54 cases (64%). Overall, 152 leads were extracted with a mean implant duration of 94 ± 63 months (range 12-421). Complete procedural success rate, clinical success rate, and lead removal with clinical success rate were 91.6% (77/84), 97.6% (82/84), and 98.6% (150/152), respectively. Eighteen combined procedures were performed in 12 patients (14%), such as "hybrid approach" (n = 2) or TLE concomitant to: 1) transcatheter aspiration procedure for large vegetation (n = 8); 2) left ventricular assistance device implantation as bridge to cardiac transplantation (n = 1); 3) permanent pacing with epicardial leads (n = 6); 4) tricuspid valve replacement (n = 1). One major complication (1.2%) and 11 (13%) minor complications were encountered. No injury to the superior vena cava occurred and no procedure-related deaths were reported. During a mean time follow-up of 21 ± 18 months, 17 patients (20%) died. They were more often diabetics (p = .02), and they underwent TLE more often for infection (p = .004). CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the finding that excellent outcomes can be achieved in performing TLE of chronically implanted leads by using the Evolution RL bidirectional rotational mechanical sheath and a multidisciplinary team approach involving both electrophysiologist and cardiac surgeon as first line operators.

Thyroid dysfunction on the heart: clinical effects, prognostic impact and management strategies.

Thyroid hormones have a considerable influence on cardiac function and structure. There are direct and indirect effects of thyroid hormone on the cardiovascular system, which are prominent in both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. In this review, we discuss how thyroid dysfunction impacts cardiovascular pathophysiology and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

'Hot phase' clinical presentation in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

AIMS: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical features of patients affected by arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC), presenting with chest pain and myocardial enzyme release in the setting of normal coronary arteries ('hot phase'). METHODS AND RESULTS: We collected detailed anamnestic, clinical, instrumental, genetic, and histopathological findings as well as follow-up data in a series of AC patients who experienced a hot phase. A total of 23 subjects (12 males, mean age at the first episode 27 ± 16 years) were identified among 560 AC probands and family members (5%). At first episode, 10 patients (43%) already fulfilled AC diagnostic criteria. Twelve-lead electrocardiogram recorded during symptoms showed ST-segment elevation in 11 patients (48%). Endomyocardial biopsy was performed in 11 patients, 8 of them during the acute phase showing histologic evidence of virus-negative myocarditis in 88%. Cardiac magnetic resonance was performed in 21 patients, 12 of them during the acute phase; oedema and/or hyperaemia were detected in 7 (58%) and late gadolinium enhancement in 11 (92%). At the end of follow-up (mean 17 years, range 1-32), 12 additional patients achieved an AC diagnosis. Genetic testing was positive in 77% of cases and pathogenic mutations in desmoplakin gene were the most frequent. No patient complained of sustained ventricular arrhythmias or died suddenly during the 'hot phase'. CONCLUSION: 'Hot phase' represents an uncommon clinical presentation of AC, which often occurs in paediatric patients and carriers of desmoplakin gene mutations. Tissue characterization, family history, and genetic test represent fundamental diagnostic tools for differential diagnosis.

First-degree atrioventricular block on basal electrocardiogram predicts future arrhythmic events in patients with Brugada syndrome: a long-term follow-up study from the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy.

AIMS: This study was designed to assess the prognostic value of clinical and electrocardiographic parameters in Brugada syndrome (BrS). METHODS AND RESULTS: The study population included 272 consecutive patients (82% males; mean age 43 ± 12 years), with either a spontaneous (n = 137, 50%) or drug-induced (n = 135, 50%) Type 1 Brugada electrocardiogram (ECG) pattern. The study combined endpoint included sudden cardiac death (SCD), cardiac arrest, and appropriate intervention of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). A first-degree atrioventricular (AV) block (PR = 219 ± 17 ms) was documented at basal ECG in 45 patients (16.5%); 27 of these underwent an electrophysiological study with recording in 21 (78%) of an HV interval ≥55 ms (mean 61 ± 3 ms). Patients with first-degree AV block had a wider QRS complex (median 110 ms vs. 95 ms; P = 0.04) and more often showed a left anterior hemiblock pattern (n = 13, 29% vs. n = 35, 16%; P = 0.056). During a mean follow-up of 85 ± 55 months, 17 patients (6.3%) experienced ≥1 major arrhythmic events (appropriate ICD intervention, n = 13 and SCD, n = 4). At univariate analysis, the occurrence of major arrhythmic events was significantly associated with a history of syncope or cardiac arrest (P < 0.001), Type 1 ECG pattern (P = 0.04), and first-degree AV block (P < 0.001). Univariate and multivariable predictors of events included a history of syncope or cardiac arrest [hazard ratio (HR) 5.8, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2.04-16.5; P < 0.001; and HR 6.68, 95% CI 2.34-19.1; P < 0.001; respectively], a spontaneous Type 1 ECG pattern (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.03-4.24; P = 0.033; and HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.01-4.29; P = 0.044; respectively) and a first-degree AV block at baseline ECG (HR 3.84, 95% CI 1.47-9.99; P = 0.006; and HR 4.65, 95% CI 2.34-19.1; P = 0.002; respectively). CONCLUSION: Besides a history of cardiac arrest or syncope, first-degree AV block on basal ECG is an independent predictor of malignant arrhythmic events and a stronger marker of arrhythmic risk than a spontaneous 'coved-type' ECG pattern in patients with BrS.

Economic impact of remote monitoring after implantable defibrillators implantation in heart failure patients: an analysis from the EFFECT study.

AIMS: Heart failure (HF) patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) require admissions for disease management and out-patient visits for disease management and assessment of device performance. These admissions place a significant burden on the National Health Service. Remote monitoring (RM) is an effective alternative to frequent hospital visits. The EFFECT study was a multicentre observational investigation aiming to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of RM compared with in-office visits standard management (SM). The present analysis is an economic evaluation of the results of the EFFECT trial. METHODS AND RESULTS: The present analysis considered the direct consumption of healthcare resources over 12-month follow-up. Standard tariffs were applied to hospitalizations, in-office visits and remote device interrogations. Economic comparisons were also carried out by means of propensity score (PS) analysis to take into account the lack of randomization in the study design. The analysis involved 858 patients with ICD or CRT-D. Of these, 401 (47%) were followed up via an SM approach, while 457 (53%) were assigned to RM. The rate of hospitalizations was 0.27/year in the SM group and 0.16/year in the RM group (risk reduction =0.59; P = 0.0004). In the non-adjusted analysis, the annual cost for each patient was €817 in the SM group and €604 in the RM group (P = 0.014). Propensity score analysis, in which 292 RM patients were matched with 292 SM patients, confirmed the results of the non-adjusted analysis (€872 in the SM group vs. €757 in the RM group; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: There is a reduction in direct healthcare costs of RM for HF patients with ICDs, particularly CRT-D, compared with standard monitoring. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://clinicaltrials.gov/Identifier, NCT01723865.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in the elderly: Predictors of appropriate interventions and mortality at 12-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in the elderly is uncertain, given their competing risk of nonarrhythmic death. Guidelines state that an ICD should be implanted if the expectation of survival is at least 1 year. However, survival is not easy to predict in elderly patients with severe cardiac disease. AIM: To assess 12-month survival after ICD implantation in patients aged ≥75 years, to identify predictors of 12-month mortality, and to evaluate the incidence of ICD therapy during follow-up. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed all clinical, instrumental, and survival data of patients ≥75 years old who received an ICD in our center from 2000 to 2013. RESULTS: We included 127 patients (mean age 78 years). ICD was implanted for primary prevention in 61%. The 12-month survival rate was 87.4%. At both univariate and multivariate analyses, left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) ≤ 25%, and moderate to severe impaired renal function (IRF) independently predicted 12-month mortality that was as high as 45.5% in patients with both risk factors. During a median follow-up of 38 months, 30 patients (23.6%) received ≥1 appropriate ICD interventions, but only 3.1% of shocks occurred during the first year, and none in the subgroup of patients with EF ≤ 25% and IRF. CONCLUSION: Twelve-month survival in elderly patients after ICD implantation is good and the indication for ICD should not be based on age alone. However, the subgroup with EF ≤ 25% and IRF showed a high 12-month nonarrhythmic mortality and did not benefit from ICD implantation.

Pulmonary Vein Isolation with the Cryoballoon Technique: Feasibility, Procedural Outcomes, and Adoption in the Real World: Data from One Shot Technologies TO Pulmonary Vein Isolation (1STOP) Project.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation (CA) is recommended for patients with drug refractory symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). "One Shot" catheters have been introduced to simplify CA and cryoballoon ablation (CBA) is spreading rapidly. Few real-world data are available on standard clinical practice, mainly from single-center experience. We aimed to evaluate clinical settings, demographics, and acute procedural outcomes in a large cohort of patients treated with CBA. METHODS: A total of 903 patients (73% male, mean age 59 ± 11) underwent pulmonary vein CBA. Correlations between the patient's inclusion time and clinical characteristics, procedure duration, acute success rate, and intraprocedural complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Seventy-seven percent of patients were affected by paroxysmal AF and 23% by persistent AF. Overall, acute success rate was 97.9% and periprocedural complications were observed in 35 (3.9%) patients, 13 (1.4%) of which were classified as major complications. With respect to the patient's inclusion time analysis, an increase in treatment of persistent AF was observed, a significant decrease in CBA times (procedure, ablation, and fluoroscopy: 136.0 ± 46.5 minutes, 28.8 ± 19.6 minutes, and 34.3 ± 15.4 minutes, respectively) was observed, with comparable acute success rate and intraprocedural complications over time. The rate of major complications was extremely low (1.4%); no death, atrioesophageal fistula, stroke, or other major periinterventional or late complications occurred. CONCLUSION: This series represents the largest experience of CBA in the treatment of AF that also describes the adoption curve of this relatively recent technology. CBA showed an excellent safety profile when performed in a large real-world clinical setting, with satisfactory acute success rate and, on average, short procedural times. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01007474).

Interventricular conduction disorders after orthotopic heart transplantation: risk factors and clinical relevance.

BACKGROUND: Causes and significance of interventricular conduction disorders (IVCDs) after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) are still unknown. METHODS: We retrospectively researched the presence of IVCDs in 240 patients who underwent bicaval OHT in three time periods: at day 1, after 1 year, and after 3 years from OHT. To evaluate the impact of the surgical technique, a control population treated with biatrial anastomosis was used. RESULTS: The most common IVCD was right bundle branch block (RBBB). Its presence at day 1 correlated with transpulmonary gradient before OHT. Its presence after 1 year and its development correlated with a 1-month acute rejection score≥2 (p = .050 and p = .006). The incidence of RBBB was higher in the biatrial control population (40.7% vs 23.8%, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: RBBB is the most common IVCD. Its presence can be explained by a susceptibility of the right branch to heart positioning, pressure overload, and acute rejection. IVCDs do not affect prognosis.

Premature ventricular complexes in children with structurally normal hearts: clinical review and recommendations for diagnosis and treatment.

Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) have always been a matter of debate among physicians and a cause for concern for family members of affected patients. The available literature on isolated PVCs in children is limited to case reports and small single-center retrospective series that are consistent in demonstrating the benign course of PVCs and their frequent disappearance during childhood, though many questions remain unanswered. Nevertheless, two key actions should be undertaken in pediatric patients with documented PVCs: 1) to rule out the presence of structural heart disease; 2) to determine whether symptoms are due to PVCs, or whether PVC frequency is responsible for left ventricular dysfunction. This document aims to provide concise and easy to understand recommendations on the diagnostic work-up of healthy children with simple PVCs and the appropriate clinical and therapeutic approach.

Plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulins and bethametasone - a combined protocol to treat autoimmune congenital heart block: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: At the moment there are no standard guidelines for the treatment of autoimmune congenital heart block (CHB). We set out to carry out a prospective cohort study to evaluate the benefits, limits, and safety of a combined therapy protocol to treat antibody-related CHB. METHODS: Twelve consecutive pregnant patients positive to anti-SSA/Ro ± anti-SSB/La antibodies in whom CHB was detected were prospectively evaluated from 2009 to 2014. The treatment protocol consisted of: weekly plasmapheresis, fortnightly intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG), and daily 4 mg betamethasone from CHB detection until delivery; IVIG was administered to the neonates soon after birth. RESULTS: At the time CHB was detected, six of the foetuses presented atrioventricular blocks of 2(nd) degree type and six of 3(rd) degree type. Two of the foetuses with a 2(nd) degree block reverted to a 1st degree block and one to a normal atrioventricular conduction. The condition was stable throughout the pregnancy in the other three cases of 2(nd) degree block. All six 3(rd) degree blocks were stable during pregnancy and confirmed at birth. After a mean of 37.6 months ± 19.6 SD post-birth, the infants with 1st, normal sinus rhythm, and 2(nd) degree blocks at birth were all found to be stable. During the follow-up (29 months ± 19.8 SD), pacemakers were implanted in three of the six infants with 3(rd) degree blocks. CONCLUSIONS: This combined therapy seems to be effective and safe in treating 2(nd) degree CHB, while its efficacy in treating 3rd degree CHB remains to be established.

Remote monitoring improves outcome after ICD implantation: the clinical efficacy in the management of heart failure (EFFECT) study.

AIMS: Internet-based remote interrogation systems have been shown to reduce emergency department and in-office visits in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), resulting in increased efficiency for healthcare providers. Nonetheless, studies sized to demonstrate the impact of remote monitoring on patients' outcome have been lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: The EFFECT study was a multicentre clinical trial aimed at measuring and comparing the outcome of ICD patients conventionally followed-up by means of in-clinic visits (Standard arm) or by remote monitoring (Remote arm) in the clinical practice of 25 Italian centres. From 2011 to 2013, 987 consecutive patients were enrolled and followed up for at least 12 months. The primary endpoint was the rate of death and cardiovascular hospitalizations. Remote monitoring was adopted by 499 patients. Patients in the Standard and Remote arms did not differ significantly in terms of baseline clinical characteristics, except for a more frequent use of ICD with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-D) in the Remote arm (48 vs. 36%, P < 0.001). One-year rates of the primary combined endpoint were 0.27 events/year for patients in the Standard arm and were 0.15 events/year for those in the Remote arm (incident rate ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.41-0.73; P < 0.001). The endpoint rates in the Standard and Remote arms were 0.27 and 0.08 events/year, respectively, among CRT-D recipients (P < 0.001), and 0.28 vs. 0.21 among ICD patients (P = 0.094). The rates of in-office visits were 1.9 per year in the Standard arm and 1.7 per year in the Remote arm. CONCLUSION: Compared with the standard follow-up through in-office visits, remote monitoring is associated with reduced death and cardiovascular hospitalizations in patients with ICD in clinical practice. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ Identifier: NCT01723865.

Pacemaker remote monitoring in the pediatric population: is it a real solution?

BACKGROUND: Clinical utility of remote monitoring of implantable cardiac devices has been previously demonstrated in several trials in the adult population. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical utility of remote monitoring in a pediatric population undergoing pacemakers implantation. METHODS: The study population included 73 consecutive pediatric patients who received an implantable pacemaker. The remote device check was programmed for every 3 months and all patients had a yearly out-patient visit. Data on device-related events, hospitalization, and other clinical information were collected during remote checks and out-patient visits. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 18 ± 10 months, 470 remote transmissions were collected and analyzed. Two deaths were reported. Eight transmissions (1.7%) triggered an urgent out-patient visit. Twenty percent of transmissions reported evidence of significant clinical or technical events. All young patients and their families were very satisfied when using remote monitoring to replace out-patient visits. CONCLUSIONS: The ease in use, together with satisfaction and acceptance of remote monitoring in pediatric patients, brought very good results. The remote management of our pediatric population was safe and remote monitoring adequately replaced the periodic out-patient device checks without compromising patient safety.

Incidence, management, and prevention of right ventricular perforation by pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator leads.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac perforation of the right ventricle (RV) is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication of both pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implant. Appropriate management is still uncertain. We assessed the incidence of subacute (24 hours-1 month) or delayed (>1 month) cardiac perforation by RV lead and the results of percutaneous lead extraction. METHOD: The study population included all patients diagnosed with subacute or delayed RV-lead perforation during the period 2007-2013. The incidence of perforation according to device type and fixation mechanism was calculated. The outcome of the percutaneous approach, consisting of lead extraction by simple traction, was assessed. RESULTS: Cardiac perforation was diagnosed in 14 (eight females, mean age 71 [range 47-83] years) patients out of 3,815 who received an RV-lead implant (0.4%). The overall incidence of RV-lead perforation was similar between ICD (0.3%) and PM (0.4%) implants (P = 1.0) and between active (0.5%) and passive (0.3%) fixation leads (P = 0.3). All perforating leads were originally placed at the RV apex. Five patients were asymptomatic, but all presented altered lead electrical parameters. Surgical removal of the lead was performed in one patient while in the remaining the leads were successfully extracted by direct manual traction in the absence of any complications. In all patients, new active fixation leads were positioned in the RV septum and the follow-up (42 ± 27 months) was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: RV perforation is a rare complication of both PM and ICD implants, regardless of the lead fixation mechanism. In most patients, percutaneous lead extraction is a safe and effective management approach.

New Guidelines of Pediatric Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices: What Is Changing in Clinical Practice?

Guidelines are important tools to guide the diagnosis and treatment of patients to improve the decision-making process of health professionals. They are periodically updated according to new evidence. Four new Guidelines in 2021, 2022 and 2023 referred to pediatric pacing and defibrillation. There are some relevant changes in permanent pacing. In patients with atrioventricular block, the heart rate limit in which pacemaker implantation is recommended was decreased to reduce too-early device implantation. However, it was underlined that the heart rate criterion is not absolute, as signs or symptoms of hemodynamically not tolerated bradycardia may even occur at higher rates. In sinus node dysfunction, symptomatic bradycardia is the most relevant recommendation for pacing. Physiological pacing is increasingly used and recommended when the amount of ventricular pacing is presumed to be high. New recommendations suggest that loop recorders may guide the management of inherited arrhythmia syndromes and may be useful for severe but not frequent palpitations. Regarding defibrillator implantation, the main changes are in primary prevention recommendations. In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, pediatric risk calculators have been included in the Guidelines. In dilated cardiomyopathy, due to the rarity of sudden cardiac death in pediatric age, low ejection fraction criteria were demoted to class II. In long QT syndrome, new criteria included severely prolonged QTc with different limits according to genotype, and some specific mutations. In arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, hemodynamically tolerated ventricular tachycardia and arrhythmic syncope were downgraded to class II recommendation. In conclusion, these new Guidelines aim to assess all aspects of cardiac implantable electronic devices and improve treatment strategies.

Diagnosis and treatment of fetal and pediatric age patients (0-12 years) with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and atrioventricular accessory pathways.

Overt or concealed accessory pathways are the anatomic substrates of ventricular preexcitation (VP), Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). These arrhythmias are commonly observed in pediatric age. PSVT may occur at any age, from fetus to adulthood, and its symptoms range from none to syncope or heart failure. VP too can range from no symptoms to sudden cardiac death. Therefore, these arrhythmias frequently need risk stratification, electrophysiologic study, drug or ablation treatment. In this review of the literature, recommendations are given for diagnosis and treatment of fetal and pediatric age (≤12 years) WPW, VP, PSVT, and criteria for sport participation.

Surgical management of failing Fontan circulation: results from 30 cases with 285 patient-years follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: Fontan patients are known to suffer from clinical attrition over the years, which has been characterized as Fontan failure. We sought to evaluate the clinical outcomes of such Fontan patients undergoing surgical management in a 25-year, single-centre experience. METHODS: A retrospective single-centre analysis of patients undergoing surgical treatment for failing Fontan between 1995 and 2020, including any reoperations when ventricular function was preserved, or a heart transplant (HTx), when ventricular contractility was impaired. We analysed survival, indications for surgery and early and late complication rates. RESULTS: We collected 30 patients (mean age 24.7 years) who required surgery after a mean time of 19.3 years from the original Fontan procedure: Fontan conversion in 21 (70%, extracardiac conduit in 19, lateral tunnel in 2), a HTx in 4 (13.3%) and other reoperations in 5 (16.7%). The most common indications for surgery were tachyarrhythmias (63.3%) and severe right atrial dilatation (63.3%). Overall survival at the 1-, 5-, 10- and 20-year follow-up examinations were 75.9% [95% confidence interval (CI): 91.4-60.4%], 75.9% (95% CI: 91.4-60.4%), 70% (95% CI: 78-52%) and 70% (95% CI: 78-52%), respectively. The most frequent complications were postoperative tachyarrhythmias (50%) and late Fontan-associated liver disease (56.5%). HTx and Fontan conversion provided comparably good outcomes compared to other reoperations (P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for failing Fontan can be performed effectively with overall good long-term survival. However, early and late morbidities are still a significant burden. Because other reoperations performed when patients presented with contraindications for a HTx have carried high mortality, close clinical follow-up is mandatory, and an earlier indication for Fontan conversion or a HTx is advisable to optimize outcomes.

Impact of coronavirus disease 19 outbreak on arrhythmic events and mortality among implantable cardioverter defibrillator patients followed up by remote monitoring: a single center study from the Veneto region of Italy.

BACKGROUND: The 2020 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak entailed reduced availability of traditional (in-office) cardiology consultations. Remote monitoring is an alternative way of caring that may potentially mitigate the negative effects of the epidemic to the care of cardiovascular diseases. We evaluated the outcome of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) carriers followed up remotely in 2020 (epidemic period) versus 2019 (control). METHODS: We included all patients with an ICD who remained remotely monitored from the beginning to the end of each year. The combined end point included: new-onset atrial fibrillation; sustained ventricular tachycardia >170 bpm without ICD intervention; appropriate ICD intervention (either shock or antitachycardia pacing); any-cause death. Multiple events in the same patients were counted separately if occurring ≥48 h apart. RESULTS: In 2020, 52 end points occurred in 37 of 366 (10%) ICD carriers [0.14/patient (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.11-0.19)] versus 43 end points in 32 of 325 (10%) ICD carriers in 2019 [0.13/patient (95% CI = 0.10-0.18) P  = 0.75]. There was no difference between the distribution of any individual end point in 2020 versus 2019 although a nonsignificant mortality increase was observed (from 2.8% to 4.6%, P  = 0.19). The lowest weekly event rate occurred during the national lock down in spring 2020 but a similar trend occurred also in 2019 suggesting that the effect may not be linked to social distancing measures. CONCLUSIONS: We did not observe an increase in a combined end point including arrhythmic events and mortality in ICD carriers who were remotely monitored in 2020, compared to 2019, despite the negative impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak on the healthcare system.

Long QT syndrome and left ventricular non-compaction in a family with KCNH2 mutation: A case report.

Background: Left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) is an abnormality of the myocardium, characterized by prominent left ventricular trabeculae and deep inter-trabecular recesses. Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiac ion channelopathy presenting with a prolonged QT interval on resting electrocardiogram and is associated with increased susceptibility to sudden death. The association between LVNC and LQTS is uncommon. Case presentation: We report an Italian family with a novel pathogenic KCNH2 variant who presented with clinical features of LVNC and LQTS. The proband came to our attention after two syncopal episodes without prodromal symptoms. His ECG showed QTc prolongation and deep T wave inversion in anterior leads, and the echocardiogram fulfilled LVNC criteria. After that, also his sister was found to have LQTS and LVNC, while his father only presented LQTS. Conclusions: Physicians should be aware of the possible association between LVNC and LQTS. Even if this association is rare, patients with LVNC should be investigated for LQTS to prevent possible severe or even life-threatening arrhythmic episodes.

Added Value of CCTA-Derived Features to Predict MACEs in Stable Patients Undergoing Coronary Computed Tomography.

Clinical evidence has emphasized the importance of coronary plaques' characteristics, rather than lumen stenosis, for the outcome of cardiovascular events. Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) has a well-established role as a non-invasive tool for assessing plaques. The aim of this study was to compare clinical characteristics and CCTA-derived information of stable patients with non-severe plaques in predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) during follow-up. We retrospectively selected 371 patients (64% male) who underwent CCTA in our center from March 2016 to January 2021 with Coronary Artery Disease­Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) 0 to 3. Of those, 198 patients (53% male) had CAD-RADS 0 to 1. Among them, 183 (49%) had normal pericoronary fat attenuation index (pFAI), while 15 (60% male) had pFAI ≥ 70.1 Hounsfield unit (HU). The remaining 173 patients (76% male) had CAD-RADS 2 to 3 and were divided into patients with at least one low attenuation plaque (LAP) and patients without LAPs (n-LAP). Compared to n-LAP, patients with LAPs had higher pFAI (p = 0.005) and had more plaques than patients with n-LAP. Presence of LAPs was significantly higher in elderly (p < 0.001), males (p < 0.001) and patients with traditional risk factors (hypertension p = 0.0001, hyperlipemia p = 0.0003, smoking p = 0.0003, diabetes p = <0.0001, familiarity p = 0.0007). Among patients with CAD-RADS 0 to 1, the ones with pFAI ≥ 70.1 HU were more often hyperlipidemic (p = 0.05) and smokers (p = 0.007). Follow-up (25,4 months, range: 17.6−39.2 months) demonstrated that LAP and pFAI ≥ 70.1 significantly and independently (p = 0.04) predisposed to outcomes (overall mortality and interventional procedures). There is an added value of CCTA-derived features in stratifying cardiovascular risk in low- to intermediate-risk patients with non-severe, non-calcified coronary plaques. This is of utmost clinical relevance as it is possible to identify a subset of patients with increased risk who need strengthening in therapeutic management and closer follow-up even in the absence of severe CAD. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of medical treatments on pericoronary inflammation and plaque composition.