Intracardiac echocardiography in electrophysiology.

Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is a recent, invaluable tool which can provide real-time anatomical guidance in electrophysiological procedures. By inserting intravenously an ultrasound probe and advancing it into the heart, various different views can be obtained which allow to better visualize patient anatomy, to guide the placement of electrophysiological catheters, and to detect immediately procedural complications as they occur. In atrial fibrillation ablation, ICE proves particularly useful to achieve a safer trans-septal puncture (especially in the presence of anatomical anomalies of the interatrial septum) and to help to monitor the visualization of the mapping catheters (circular, high density), or the monitoring of the balloons catheter (Cryo, Laser) position. In ventricular tachycardia ablation, on the other hand, ICE allows for continuous correlation between electrophysiological and structural findings (such as wall motion anomalies or changes in echodensity), and helps to ensure correct catheter contact and to position it, particularly around delicate structures such as the aortic cusps. In any procedure, ICE is also useful to immediately detect procedural complications, such as thrombus formation along catheters, or pericardial effusion. Thanks to its real-time morphological information, ICE provides an ideal complement to simple fluoroscopy or to more complex electroanatomic mapping techniques and is set to gain a wider role in a broad range of electrophysiological procedures.

Clinical use of calcium channel blockers as ventricular unloading agents.

Calcium channel blockers relax the arterial smooth vasculature and lower blood pressure when it is elevated because of excessive vasoconstriction. They may be regarded as ventricular unloading agents. Nifedipine (11 cases, Group 1) and verapamil (12 cases, Group 2) were tested in hypertensive patients with cardiac enlargement (LV diastolic diameter greater than or equal to 60 mm), ECG signs of LV strain, lung congestion and dyspnea at rest, in an acute (nifedipine 20 mg; verapamil 160 mg) and 1-month (nifedipine 20 mg q.i.d.; verapamil 160 mg t.i.d.) therapeutic evaluation. In the acute study nifedipine reduced systemic vascular resistance (SVR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), mean pulmonary wedge pressure (PWP) and LV diastolic diameter (DD) and improved cardiac index (CI) and Vcf. In Group 2 verapamil reduced SVR and MAP, improved CI and was not effective on PWP, LV DD and Vcf. Verapamil was discontinued in 2 patients who developed severe dyspnea at rest after 3-4 days of continued oral treatment. At the end of the trial Vcf, PWP and LV DD were unchanged in the remaining subjects in Group 2 despite persistent pressure reduction. In Group 1 all of the patients had relief of dyspnea and lung congestion, reduction of heart size, persistent decrease of MAP and PWP, and improvement in Vcf. The only side effect was ankle edema in 4 cases. A less potent vasodilating action of verapamil and a predominant depression in cardiac contractility may account for the different results with the two drugs, in spite of a shared antihypertensive effect. These findings prove that functional changes in the failing hypertensive heart may differ after nifedipine compared to verapamil as a result of interaction and relative preponderance of influences on afterload and contractility.