Does antiarrhythmic drugs premedication improve electrical cardioversion success in persistent atrial fibrillation?

AIMS: Aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) administration for at least one month before ECV on the acute and long term success rate of the procedure. METHODS: 1313 consecutive persistent AF patients were enrolled in 3 different centers (Turin, Asti and Avellino): 692 patients received AADs before and after ECV (group A), 621 patients were treated only after the procedure, at discharge (group B). Primary end point was the restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm acutely and at a long-term follow up. RESULTS: Acute ECV success was higher in group A compared with group B (99% vs. 88%, p=0.0001) and a fewer number of shock attempts were administered (1.15±0.42 vs. 1.27±0.53 p<0.0001). Moreover group A maintained SR more often than group B at one month (99% vs. 89%, log-rank p<0.0001), at one year (55% vs. 48% log-rank p=0.01) and at the end of follow up (mean 2.7±2.1years, 45% vs. 29%, log-rank p<0.0001). At multivariate analysis AADs premedication was the strongest independent predictor of acute and long-term ECV success (respectively p<0.0001 OR 10.71 CI 5.10-22.50 and p=0.004, OR 1.50 CI 1.14-1.97). At sensitivity analysis no differences were found between ADDs in terms of acute success improvement (p=0.605), number of shock attempts (p=0.853) and long term SR maintenance (log-rank p=0.480). CONCLUSIONS: AADs administration for at least 4weeks before the ECV in persistent AF increases significantly the acute success rate and this result was maintained over a long-term follow-up.

Unconventional diagnosis of bradyarrhythmic syncope in Brugada syndrome: a case report.

Background: The Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited disorder associated with the risk of ventricular fibrillation and sudden cardiac death (SCD). The current main therapy is an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). However, the risk stratification and management of patients remain challenging. Here, we present a case of BrS representative of the pitfalls that clinicians may encounter in the management of Brugada patients in routine clinical practice. Case summary: A 39-year-old man with BrS and recurring syncope was implanted with a subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) (EMBLEM MRI S-ICD, Boston Scientific). Syncope recurred some months later. Subcutaneous ICD interrogation showed no arrhythmic events, but SMART Pass (high-pass filter) deactivation was noted. A query was sent to Boston Scientific clinical service, unveiling an extremely long asystolic pause as syncope determinant. Subcutaneous ICD was explanted and replaced by conventional single chamber ICD in the pre-pectoral region. Discussion: Brugada syndrome patients with high-risk features are candidates for ICD implantation to prevent SCD. Recent evidence highlighted that symptomatic patients carry a substantially higher risk compared with asymptomatic ones. Syncope may represent a pivotal symptom in BrS patients, but young patients with Type 1 Brugada pattern may experience syncope other than from tachyarrhythmias. Subcutaneous ICD is an advisable option in young ICD recipients to avoid lifetime complication related to standard transvenous systems. However, S-ICD lacks pacing capabilities and, therefore, is not indicated when an anti-bradycardia system is needed. The diagnostic workup of syncope in Brugada patients may be ineffective in elucidating the underlying aetiology whose understanding is essential to offer a personalized therapeutic approach.

Incidental and anticipated arrhythmic diagnoses in patients with an implantable cardiac monitor.

AIMS: In this study, we investigated a cohort of unselected patients with various indications for an implantable cardiac monitor (ICM). Our main objectives were to determine the incidence of arrhythmic diagnoses, both anticipated and incidental in relation to the ICM indication, and to assess their clinical relevance. METHODS: We examined remote monitoring transmissions from patients with an ICM at four Italian sites to identify occurrences of cardiac arrhythmias. Concurrently, we collected data on medical actions taken in response to arrhythmic findings. RESULTS: The study included 119 patients, with a median follow-up period of 371 days. ICM indications were syncope/presyncope (46.2%), atrial fibrillation management (31.1%), and cryptogenic stroke (22.7%). In the atrial fibrillation management group, atrial fibrillation was the most common finding, with an incidence of 36% [95% confidence interval (CI) 22-55%] at 18 months. Rates of atrial fibrillation were not significantly different between patients with cryptogenic stroke and syncope/presyncope [17% (95% CI 7-40%) vs. 8% (95% CI 3-19%), P  = 0.229].For patients with cryptogenic stroke, the incidence of asystole and bradyarrhythmias at 18 months was 23% (95% CI 11-45%) and 42% (95% CI 24-65%), respectively, similar to estimates obtained for patients implanted for syncope/presyncope ( P  = 0.277 vs. P  = 0.836).Overall, 30 patients (25.2%) required medical intervention following ICM-detected arrhythmias, predominantly involving atrial fibrillation ablation (10.9%) and medication therapy changes (10.1%). CONCLUSION: In a real-life population with heterogeneous insertion indications, approximately 25% of patients received ICM-guided medical interventions within a short timeframe, including treatments for incidental findings. Common incidental arrhythmic diagnoses were bradyarrhythmias in patients with cryptogenic stroke and atrial fibrillation in patients with unexplained syncope.

Prolonged ventricular pauses in an asymptomatic athlete with "apparent Mobitz type II second-degree atrioventricular block".

We report the case of a 30-year-old basketball player with asymptomatic, nocturnal ventricular pauses of >3,000 ms, the longest being ∼12,000 ms, who was misdiagnosed with Mobitz type II second-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. Conversely, the tracings were characteristic of a vagally mediated AV block, a phenomenon first described by Massie and called "apparent Mobitz type II AV block." Although the patient was asymptomatic with ventricular pauses occurring only at night, it was decided to implant a permanent pacemaker to prevent neurological damage or life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias resulting from repeated, abnormally prolonged ventricular pauses. The persistence of AV block after a 3-month detraining period led us to believe that our decision was reasonable.

Management of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation and Complex Aorta Anatomy: The Importance of Pre-Procedural Planning.

Aortic stenosis is the most common primary valve lesion requiring surgery or, especially for older patients, transcatheter intervention (TAVI). We showcase a successful transfemoral TAVI procedure in a very high-risk patient and an extremely tortuous S-shaped descending aorta, characterized by heavy calcifications and multiple strong resistance points. We demonstrated that transfemoral TAVI using the "buddy stiff guidewire" technique could be a feasible, simple, quick, and easy procedure able to straighten an extremely abdominal aorta tortuosity. With all techniques available and careful pre-procedural planning, and thanks to the flexibility of new generation TAVI delivery systems, it is possible to safely perform the procedure even in the most challenging patients.

Sustained ventricular tachycardia in renal cell carcinoma metastatic to anterior-apical wall of the left ventricle.

A 50-year-old man with a history of renal cell carcinoma was admitted with ventricular tachycardia. Echocardiography showed a mass in the apex of the left ventricle. Cardiac magnetic resonance confirmed a mass infiltrating the anterior-apical wall of the left ventricle. This is the first case describing an association between ventricular tachycardia and renal cell carcinoma metastatic to the left ventricle.

"Tako-tsubo" cardiomyopathy and duloxetine use.

We report the case of a 68-year-old woman in whom the use of duloxetine, a potent serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, was associated with "tako-tsubo" cardiomyopathy (TTC). Although several pathophysiological mechanisms for TTC have been proposed, available evidence suggests that an excess of catecholamines may play a major role. Our patient had a history of myocardial infarction with normal coronary arteries, probably the first manifestation of TTC. We speculate that duloxetine may have precipitated TTC by increasing plasma catecholamine concentration in a predisposed patient.

Atypical response of class IC atrial flutter to adenosine.

We report the case of a 67-year-old female with a wide QRS complex tachycardia at 180 bpm. A diagnosis of class IC atrial flutter with aberrant ventricular conduction caused by flecainide therapy was formulated. Intravenous adenosine administration resulted in adequate slowing of the ventricular rate and normalization of QRS complexes. Restoration of sinus rhythm was achieved with intravenous amiodarone. The response to adenosine confirmed the diagnosis of supraventricular tachycardia with aberrant conduction, but the transition from arrhythmia onset to restoration of sinus rhythm showed interesting peculiarities.

[Time-delay to avoid: delayed recovery of a percutaneous central venous catheter fractured and embolized in the pulmonary artery]. / Ritardo da evitare: recupero tardivo per via percutanea di catetere venoso centrale fratturato ed embolizzato in arteria polmonare.

We report the case of a 68-year-old man with a fracture of the catheter of a port-a-cath, dislodged into the right atrium. Two days after the diagnosis, the fragment embolized into the lobar artery of the left lower lung lobe. The catheter was removed using a gooseneck snare.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy in a patient with pacemaker syndrome.

We report the case of a 71-year-old woman, with a dual chamber pacemaker (PM), in whom a PM syndrome, due to loss of atrial sensing and pacing, was associated with a tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC). The repositioning of the atrial lead immediately improved symptoms, whereas complete regression of left ventricular wall motion abnormalities occurred after 1 month. We hypothesize that haemodynamic and hormonal responses associated with a PM syndrome, such as increased levels of catecholamines, may account for TTC in our patient.

Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy complicated by recurrent torsade de pointes in a patient with anorexia nervosa.

We report the case of a 57-year-old woman with anorexia nervosa showing evidence of "tako-tsubo" cardiomyopathy complicated by several syncopes due to recurrent episodes of torsades de pointes. Prolongation of QT interval and QT dispersion have been reported both in the "tako-tsubo" cardiomyopathy and in anorexia nervosa. The QT prolongation and the QT dispersion has been linked as risk indicators for sudden cardiac death. The combination of "tako-tsubo" cardiomyopathy with a condition associated with the prolongation of QT and/or with an increase of QT dispersion, such as anorexia nervosa, makes the acute and subacute prognosis of this disease much more severe than usual.

Osborn waves in severe accidental hypothermia secondary to prolonged immobilization and malnutrition.

We report the case of a 77-year-old man, in whom accidental hypothermia was secondary to prolonged immobilization and malnutrition. The electrocardiogram showed typical Osborn waves, which disappeared with the rewarming of the patient. The diagnosis of hypothermia is easy in patients with a history of prolonged exposure to a cold environment but accidental hypothermia may also occur as a consequence of prolonged immobilization and malnutrition. ECG analysis is very important for a correct and fast diagnosis.

[Electrocardiographic pattern of Brugada syndrome during fever and podagra]. / Elettrocardiogramma tipico della sindrome di Brugada in corso di episodio febbrile da podagra.

We report the case of a 42-year-old man from Madagascar who, having fever and pain in his left big toe, underwent electrocardiography, which showed the pattern of Brugada syndrome. These peculiar electrocardiographic abnormalities in Brugada syndrome warrant caution for physicians working in the emergency room because they may be mistaken as signs of acute myocardial infarction or acute pericarditis. In this case report the typical electrocardiographic abnormalities, their variability, the effects of fever, and the role of electrode position are discussed.