Outcomes of left bundle branch area pacing compared to His bundle pacing as a primary pacing strategy: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Novel pacing technologies, such as His bundle pacing (HBP) and left bundle branch area pacing (LBBaP), have emerged to maintain physiological ventricular activation. We investigated the outcomes of LBBP with HBP for patients requiring a de novo permanent pacing. METHODS AND RESULTS: Systematic review of randomized clinical trials and observational studies comparing LBBaP with HBP until March 01, 2023 was performed. Random and fixed effects meta-analyses of the effect of pacing technology on outcomes were performed. Study outcomes included pacing metrics, QRS duration, lead revision, procedure parameters, all-cause mortality and heart failure hospitalization (HFH). Overall, 10 studies with 1596 patients were included. Implant success rate was higher in LBBaP compared with HBP (RR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.42, p = .002). LBBaP was associated with lower capture threshold at implantation (mean difference (MD) -0.62 V, 95% CI: -0.74 to -0.51 V, p < .0001) and at follow-up (MD -0.74 V, 95% CI: -0.96 to -0.53, p < .0001), shorter procedure duration (MD -14.66 min, 95% CI: -23.54 to -5.78, p = .001) and shorter fluoroscopy time (MD -4.2 min, 95% CI: -8.4 to -0.0, p = .05). Compared with HBP, LBBaP was associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality (RR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.77, p = .002) and HFH (RR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.33 to 1.00, p = .05). No statistical differences were found in lead revisions and QRS duration before and after pacing. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis found that LBBaP was superior to HBP regarding pacing metrics and implant success rate as an initial pacing strategy, although absence of head-to-head randomized comparison warrants caution in interpretation of the results.

A collective European experience with left atrial appendage suture ligation using the LARIAT+ device.

AIMS: We report the collective European experience of percutaneous left atrial appendage (LAA) suture ligation using the recent generation LARIAT+ suture delivery device. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 141 patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and contraindication to oral anticoagulation (OAC), thrombo-embolic events despite OAC or electrical LAA isolation were enrolled at seven European hospitals to undergo LAA ligation. Patients were followed up by clinical visits and transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) following LAA closure. Left atrial appendage ligation was completed in 138/141 patients (97.8%). Three patients did not undergo attempted deployment of the LARIAT device due to pericardial adhesion after previous epicardial ventricular tachycardia ablation (n = 1), a pericardial access-related complication (n = 1), and multiple posterior LAA lobes (n = 1). Serious 30-day procedural adverse events occurred in 4/141 patients (2.8%). There were two device-related LAA perforations (1.4%) not resulting in any corrective intervention as the LAA was completely sealed with the LARIAT. Minor adverse events occurred in 19 patients (13.5%), including two pericardial effusions due to procedure-related pericarditis requiring pericardiocentesis. Transoesophageal echocardiography was performed after LAA ligation in 103/138 patients (74.6%) after a mean of 181 ± 72 days. Complete LAA closure was documented in 100 patients (97.1%). Two patients (1.8% of patients with follow-up) experienced a transient ischaemic attack at 4 and 7 months follow-up, although there was no leak observed with TOE. There were two deaths during long-term follow-up which were both not device related. CONCLUSION: Initial experience with the LARIAT+ device demonstrates feasibility of LAA exclusion. Further larger prospective studies with longer follow-up are warranted.

Nonfluoroscopic catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

AIMS: Radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most complex ablation procedures. Both patients and operators are exposed to scattered radiation. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of intracardiac echo (ICE)-guided pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) without fluoroscopy. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 481 consecutive patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing radiofrequency PVI with the CARTO 3 system (Biosense Webster, Diamond Bar, CA, USA). ICE-guided PVI without fluoroscopy and without CT/MRI integration (Nonfluoro group) was performed for 245 patients, and conventional fluoroscopy-guided PVI (Fluoro group) was performed for 236 patients. The primary safety endpoint was the incidence of major adverse events. The primary efficacy endpoint was freedom from AF during follow-up. Secondary endpoints included procedure duration, fluoroscopy duration, and acute PVI rate. RESULTS: Mean procedure times between groups were similar (108.8 ± 18.2 minutes in the Non-fluoro group vs 113.6 ± 26.8 minutes in the Fluoro group; P  =  not significant [NS]). Acute PVI was achieved in all patients, with mean radiofrequency application times of 43.4 ± 7.5 and 44.4 ± 10.7 minutes for the Nonfluoro and Fluoro groups, respectively (P  =  NS). The incidence of cardiac tamponade was 1.2% (3/245 patients) in the Nonfluoro group and 0.8% (2/236 patients) in the Fluoro group (P  =  NS). During 15.2 ± 4.1 months of follow-up, after a single procedure, AF recurrence was documented in 65 of 245 (26.5%) patients and 61 of 236 (25.8%) patients in the Nonfluoro and Fluoro groups, respectively (P  =  NS). CONCLUSIONS: Nonfluoroscopic ICE-guided catheter ablation of AF without prior cardiac image integration or angiography is feasible and safe. PVI without fluoroscopy did not affect procedure duration or long-term efficacy.

Cardiac sympathetic denervation in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy and refractory ventricular arrhythmias: a single-center experience.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) is an effective therapy for selected patients with drug refractory ventricular arrhythmias (VA). Data about the role of CSD in patients with structural heart disease and VAs are sparse. We herein present our experience of CSD in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy and VAs despite prior ablation procedure and/or antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) therapy. METHODS: A total of ten patients (mean age 61.6 ± 19.6, mean LVEF 29.5 ± 12.1%) with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NICM) (n = 9) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) (n = 1) underwent CSD (left sided in six and bilateral in four patients) due to refractory VA despite multiple AADs (mean number of AADs was 1.6 ± 0.7) and prior VT ablation (mean number of procedures per patient was 1.5 ± 1.3). RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 10.1 ± 6.9 months. The median number of VA and ICD shocks decreased significantly from 9.0 and 2.5 episodes 6 months prior to CSD to 0 and 0 episodes within 6 months after CSD (p = 0.012 and p = 0.011). Five patients remained free from sustained VA recurrences. Two patients experienced single ICD shock due to a polymorphic VT (triggered by severe hypokalemia in one patient) and one patient a single shock due to monomorphic VT. One patient had five episodes of slow VT under amiodarone therapy (three of them terminated by antitachycardia pacing) and underwent endo- epicardial re-ablation. Two patients died 1 month after CSD. One of them due to electrical storm and cardiogenic shock and the second one due to refractory cardiogenic shock, without recurrence of VAs though. No major complications of CSD occurred. No patient suffered from Horner syndrome. CONCLUSION: In this study, CSD was effective for treatment of VAs in patients with structural heart disease refractory to antiarrhythmic drugs and catheter ablation. Further larger studies are required to confirm these findings.

[24h Electrocardiography: step by step]. / Langzeit-EKG ­ Schritt für Schritt.

24h electrocardiography is an important diagnostic tool in modern cardiology. It has the ability to detect cardiac arrythmias that occur intermittently and therefore can be missed in a standard ECG. However, interpretation of the Holter ECG traces can be difficult and ambiguous. Here, we suggest a step-wise approach to identify all major heart rhythm disorders.

Safety and efficacy of cryoballoon ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation (CA) is an established therapy for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, data about AF ablation using the cryoballoon (CB) in the elderly population are sparse. The aim of this single center retrospective study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of CB ablation in patients ≥ 75 years compared to patients < 75 years. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty-five consecutive patients aged ≥ 75 years (elderly group) were compared with 183 patients aged < 75 years (control group). All patients underwent pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) using the second-generation CB. The mean age in the elderly group was 78 ± 2.8 years and 60.8 ± 9.5 in the control group (p < 0.001). During 11.8 ± 5.4 months of follow-up, single procedure success rate for the elderly and the control group was 72.8 and 76%, respectively (p = 0.37). During redo ablation (n = 40), low-voltage areas in the LA were more frequently observed in elderly patients compared to the control group [1.0 (IQR 0-2.0) segments vs 2.0 (IQR 2.0-3.0) segments, respectively, p = 0.03]. The most common complication was transient phrenic nerve palsy, which only occurred in patients < 75 years (0 vs 7, p = 0.33). No severe complication such as procedure-related deaths, atrio-esophageal fistula, or cerebrovascular embolic events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Our data strengthen the value of CB ablation for the treatment of AF as an effective and safe procedure in elderly patients, with similar success and complication rates when compared with a younger population.

Mechanism, underlying substrate and predictors of atrial tachycardia following atrial fibrillation ablation using the second-generation cryoballoon.

BACKGROUND: Data regarding atrial tachycardia (AT) following second-generation cryoballoon ablation (CBA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) are limited. AIM: To describe the incidence, mechanisms, and clinical predictors of ATs following CBA. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this retrospective single-center study 238 patients undergoing CBA for treatment of paroxysmal (91/238; 38.2%) or persistent AF were analyzed. During a mean follow-up of 11.9 ± 5.5 months recurrence of AF occurred in 49/238 patients (20.6%) and AT in 27/238 (11.3%). Twenty-six patients with AT and 14 with AF only underwent a redo ablation. The prevailing mechanism of AT was macroreentry [typical atrial flutter (AFL) (n = 10), left atrial macroreentry (n = 14), focal left-AT (n = 2)]. Non-cavotricuspid-isthmus-dependent macroreentry right-AT was mapped and ablated in 3 patients after initial AFL ablation. In a multivariate regression model, persistent type of AF (HR = 3.3; CI = 1.2-9.4), cardiomyopathy (HR = 3.5; CI = 1.5-8.4), treatment with beta-blockers (HR = 0.3; CI = 0.1-0.6), and pulmonary vein-abnormality (HR = 4.6; CI = 2.1-10.4) were independent predictors of AT. Substrate analysis revealed a significantly higher number of low voltage areas in the left atrium in patients with left-AT in comparison to patients with AF recurrence only (2.0; IQR=2.0-4.0 vs. 0.5; IQR = 0.0-2.25; p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: In this study, AT after CBA occurred in 11.3% of patients with macroreentry being the prevalent mechanism. All patients with left-AT presented with low voltage areas in the left atrium, suggesting a more progressive underlying fibrotic disease in these patients.

Safety and efficacy of persistent atrial fibrillation ablation using the second-generation cryoballoon.

BACKGROUND: The second-generation cryoballoon (CB) is increasingly used for treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Data regarding the clinical outcome and mechanism of arrhythmia recurrence following persistent AF ablation using CB is sparse. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of CB and mechanisms of atrial tachyarrhythmia (ATA) recurrence in patients with persistent AF. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 133 patients (66 ± 10 years, 60% male) with symptomatic persistent AF, who were scheduled for PVI using the second-generation CB were enrolled. Follow-up included 24 h Holter recording at 3, 6 and 12 months. Any documented episode of ATA lasting more than 30 s was considered as a recurrent arrhythmic event. All targeted veins were isolated (100%). Phrenic nerve palsy with recovery during follow-up occurred in six patients (4.5%), no patient experienced tamponade or a cerebrovascular event. During 12.6 ± 5.4 months of follow-up, 89/133 (67%) patients were free of ATA recurrences. Multivariable analysis revealed recurrence in the blanking period (HR 11.46, 0.95 CI 3.92-33.49, p < 0.001), presence of cardiomyopathy (HR 2.75, 0.95 CI 1.09-6.96, p = 0.032) and PV abnormality (HR 3.56, 0.95 CI 1.21-10.43, p = 0.021) as predictors for late recurrence. CONCLUSION: In patients with persistent AF, second-generation cryoballoon use is associated with an excellent safety profile and favorable outcomes. Arrhythmia recurrence during the blanking period, presence of cardiomyopathy and PV abnormality were independent predictors of long-term AF recurrence.