Noradrenergic cardiac denervation is associated with gait velocity in Parkinson disease: a dual ligand PET study.

PURPOSE: Preliminary data suggest that gait abnormalities in Parkinson disease (PD) may be associated with sympathetic cardiac denervation. No kinematic gait studies were performed to confirm this observation. We aimed to correlate spatiotemporal kinematic gait parameters with cardiac sympathetic denervation as determined by cardiac [11C]HED PET in PD. METHODS: Retrospective database analysis of 27 PD patients with cardiac sympathetic denervation. All patients underwent spatiotemporal kinematic gait assessment (medication 'off' state), cardiac [11C]HED and dopaminergic brain [11C]DTBZ PET scans. We employed a hierarchical regression approach to examine associations between the extent of cardiac denervation, dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurodegeneration, and three gait parameters - velocity, step length and cadence. RESULTS: More extensive cardiac denervation was associated with slower velocity (estimate: -1.034, 95% CI [-1.65, -0.42], p = 0.002), shorter step length (estimate: -0.818, 95% CI [-1.43, -0.21], p = 0.011) and lower cadence (estimate: -0.752, 95% CI [-1.28, -0.23], p = 0.007) explaining alone 30% (Adjusted-R²: 0.297), 20% (Adjusted-R²: 0.202) and 23% (Adjusted-R²: 0.227) of the variability, respecivetly. These associations remained independent of striatal dopaminergic impairment and confounding factors such as age, Hoehn and Yahr (HY) stages, peripheral neuropathy, cognition, and autonomic symptoms. In contrast, striatal dopaminergic denervation was significantly associated with step length (estimate: 0.883, 95% CI [0.29, 1.48], p = 0.005), explaining about 24% of the variability but was dependent of HY stage. CONCLUSIONS: More severe cardiac noradrenergic denervation was associated with lower gait velocity, independent of striatal dopaminergic denervation and HY stage, impacting both step length and cadence. These results suggest independent contributions of the peripheral autonomic system degeneration on gait dynsfunction in PD.

Impairment of Cognitive Function Increases Mortality Risk in Relation to Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation and Renal Dysfunction in Patients With Systolic Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: In contrast to the well-known prognostic values of the cardiorenal linkage, it remains unclear whether impaired cognitive function affects cardiac prognosis in relation to cardiac sympathetic innervation and renal function in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 433 consecutive HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% underwent the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a neuropsychological test for screening of cognition impairment or subclinical dementia. Following metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy, patient outcomes with a primary endpoint of lethal cardiac events (CEs) were evaluated for a mean period of 14.8 months. CEs were documented in 84 HF patients during follow-up. MMSE score, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and standardized heart-to-mediastinum ratio of MIBG activity (sHMR) were significantly reduced in patients with CEs compared with patients without CEs. Furthermore, overall multivariate analysis revealed that these parameters were significant independent determinants of CEs. The cutoff values of MMSE score (<26), sHMR (<1.80) and eGFR (<47.0 mL/min/1.73 m2) determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis successfully differentiated HF patients at more increased risk for CEs from other HF patients. CONCLUSIONS: Impairment of cognitive function is not only independently related to but also synergistically increases cardiac mortality risk in association with cardiac sympathetic function and renal function in patients with HF.

Stellate ganglion ablation by conventional radiofrequency in patients with electrical storm.

AIMS: We report a series of patients with Electrical Storm (ES) who underwent bilateral stellate ganglion ablation by using conventional radio frequency (RFA). METHODS AND RESULTS: The procedure was done with fluoroscopic guidance using the COSMAN™ 1A RF Generator and a 22G RF needle (5 cm length and 5 mm active tip). Six patients, four male and two female (mean age 55 ± 7 years and mean LVEF-42 ± 21%) with ES underwent the procedure under fluoroscopic guidance. All patients experienced recurrent ICD shocks or required multiple external defibrillation shocks. There were no procedural complications. All patients survived free of ES at discharge. At a mean follow-up of 22 ± 8months, all were alive free of ES but two patients received appropriate shocks for VT and one patient had VT terminated by ATP. CONCLUSION: This small series of cases is a proof of concept that neuromodulation by conventional RFA targeting bilateral stellate ganglia appears safe, feasible, and effective in treating selected unstable patients with ES.

Left cardiac sympathetic denervation in children with Jervell Lange-Nielsen syndrome and drug refractory torsades - A case series.

INTRODUCTION: Long QT syndrome is an inherited malignant channelopathy which leads to life-threatening arrhythmia, with multiple genotypes. Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome (JLNS) is an autosomal recessive subtype of this disease, characterized by congenital sensorineural deafness and a high incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD). METHODOLOGY: We prospectively followed up six children who underwent left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) for JLNS in view of high-risk features despite being on maximally tolerated doses of oral propranolol. RESULTS: Mean age at diagnosis was 2.75 ± 0.39 years, with a significant delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis (mean 7.2 ± 3.5 months). All had sensorineural hearing loss, conforming to the JLNS phenotype. Mean QTc interval was 603 ± 93 ms, with T wave alternans (TWA) seen in all cases. All were started on propranolol and subsequently subjected to LCSD, and 3 underwent AAI permanent pacemaker implantation. Over a mean follow-up of 20 months, there was a significant reduction in QTc (603 ± 93 ms to 501 ± 33 ms, p = .04), which was persistent on follow-up (525 ± 41 ms) and only two out of six had persistent T wave alternans on ECG (p < .01). None of these children had presyncope, syncope, seizures, torsades de pointes, cardiac arrest or death on follow up following LCSD. CONCLUSION: Jervell Lange-Nielsen syndrome is a subtype of LQTS with high-risk features. LCSD, an effective therapeutic option for those having symptoms despite being on propranolol, results in significant reduction of QTc interval and amelioration of symptoms.

Cardiac sympathetic denervation in the prevention of genetically mediated life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

Proper management of patients affected by genetic disorders causing life-threatening arrhythmias is important for several reasons, including even societal ones, given the predominantly young age of those affected. Incorrect management often has dire consequences, ranging from unnecessary psychologic damage for the patients whose life becomes too limited by the fear of sudden death to equally avoidable tragedies when the entire armamentarium of effective therapies is not fully utilized. In this review, we focus primarily on long QT syndrome (LQTS) and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) and deal specifically with the clinical impact of the most commonly used cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD), namely left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD). The two of us have used LCSD in the management of our patients with either LQTS or CPVT for a very long time and have been involved in ∼500 such interventions. It is on the basis of this personal and direct experience that we wish to share our views with clinical cardiologists and electrophysiologists, adult and paediatric, and with genetic cardiologists. We will begin by reviewing the history and rationale underlying sympathetic denervation therapy and will continue with a disease-specific intensification of therapy, and then with a discussion on how the impressive efficacy of LCSD should translate into guideline-directed therapy in both current and future guidelines, in order to upgrade the quality of care in the era of precision medicine.

Comparison of disease progression between brain-predominant Parkinson's disease versus Parkinson's disease with body-involvement phenotypes.

Recently, new disease phenotyping has been proposed based on the origin site of α-synuclein pathology in Parkinson's disease (PD). In addition, a great deal of evidences suggested of parallel degeneration in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system in PD. The myocardial uptake pattern of 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine can be a surrogate imaging biomarker for the peripheral nervous system involvement in PD. This study aimed to compare the clinical progression between brain-predominant PD (br-PD) and PD with body-involvement (bo-PD) phenotypes according to the onset of cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD); the bo-PD group was defined as having the early onset of CSD and the br-PD phenotype was defined as those without initial CSD but later developed CSD in subsequent scans (the delayed onset of CSD). Clinical chracteristics, dopamine transporter activity, and non-motor manifestations were compared between the groups. Motor symptoms and cognitive functions at the initial and follow-up tests [3.1 (±1.4) years interval] were compared between the groups. This study included 29 br-PD and 103 bo-PD patients. Symptoms of rapid-eye-movement sleep behavior disorder, excessive daytime sleepiness, constipation, and orthostatic hypotension were more frequent in the bo-PD than in the br-PD group. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III score was higher at the initial and increased more steeply during the follow-up period in the bo-PD patients than in the br-PD patients. Although the general cognitive status was not much different between the groups at initial and follow-up, each group showed statistically different cognitive domain profiles and progression patterns. The results demonstrated that the bo-PD group had more severe initial symptoms and steeper motor deterioration than the br-PD group, which indicated that there may be the more pathological involvements of central and peripheral nervous systems in the bo-PD group.

Assessment of myocardial sympathetic innervation with 18F-FDOPA-PET/CT in patients with autonomic dysfunction: feasibility study in IPD patients.

BACKGROUND: Dysfunction and denervation of myocardial nor-adrenergic sympathetic neurons has been documented in IPD patients with dysautonomia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of single tracer imaging of myocardial sympathetic and cerebral striatal involvement in these patients. METHODS: Twenty-two controls (mean-age 59.09 ± 12.39 years, 15 men) with no clinical autonomic-dysfunction and normal striatal-uptake in 18F-FDOPA-PET/CT; and 28 patients (mean-age 58.18 ± 8.25 years, 18 men) with autonomic-dysfunction (in Autonomic Function Tests) and striatal dopaminergic-dysfunction were enrolled. Both cardiac-PET/CT (40 minutes post IV-injection of 185-259MBq 18F-FDOPA) and Brain-PET/CT (60 minutes post-IV) were acquired in same session. ROIs were drawn over the entire left ventricular myocardium, individual walls and mediastinum for quantification. Patients and controls were followed-up for 26.93 ± 5.43 months and 37.91 ± 8.63 months, respectively. RESULTS: Striatal and myocardial-parameters were significantly lower in patients compared to controls; with Myocardium/mediastinal ratio (MwMR) yielding the area-under-the-curve of .941 (P < .001). MwMR correlated negatively with the drop in systolic blood pressure (SBP) during AFTs {Pearson-coefficient (-).565, P = .002}. Mean MwMR in patients with abnormal-AFTs was significantly lower than patients with borderline-AFTs (1.39 ± .12 vs 1.55 ± .10; P = .002). 9/20 patients with abnormal-AFTs showed functional worsening during follow-up, compared to 2/8 with borderline-AFTs. CONCLUSION: Single tracer, single session imaging of striatal and cardiac sympathetic dysfunction in patients with advanced IPD is feasible with use of 18F-FDOPA. Significantly reduced 18F-FDOPA uptake is seen in the myocardium of the IPD patients with sympathetic dysfunction.

Outcomes following cardiac sympathetic denervation in patients with structural heart disease and refractory ventricular arrhythmia.

AIM: Cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) has been introduced as a bailout therapy in patients with structural heart disease and refractory ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), but available data are scarce. Purpose of this study was to estimate immediate results, complications, and mid-term outcomes of CSD following recurrent VA after catheter ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Adult patients who underwent CSD in the Heart Center Leipzig from March 2017 to February 2021 were retrospectively analysed. Follow-up (FU) was executed via implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) interrogation, telephone interviews, and reviewing medical records. Twenty-one patients (age 63.7 ± 14.4 years, all men, 71.4% non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy, left ventricular ejection fraction 31.6 ± 12.6%) received CSD via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (90.5% bilateral, 9.5% left-sided only). Indication for CSD was monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in 76.2% and ventricular fibrillation in 23.8 with 71.4% of patients presenting with electrical storm before index hospitalization. Procedure-related major complications occurred in 9.5% of patients. In-hospital adverse events not related to surgery were common (28.6%) and two patients died during the index hospital stay. During FU (mean duration 9.1 ± 6.5 months), five more patients died. Of the remaining patients, 38.5 and 76.9% were free from any VA or ICD shocks, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The CSD showed additional moderate efficacy to suppress VAs, when performed as a bailout therapy after previously unsuccessful catheter ablation. At 9 months, it was associated with freedom of ICD shocks in two-thirds of patients. In a population with many comorbidities, the rate of CSD-related complications was acceptable, although there was an overall high risk of procedure unrelated adverse events and death.

Cardiac sympathetic innervation in Parkinson's disease versus multiple system atrophy.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the dual imaging method combining cardiac iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine single-photon emission computed tomography combined with low-dose chest computed tomography compared to routine cardiac scintigraphy, and assess regional differences in tracer distribution and the relationships between imaging and autonomic function in Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy. METHODS: A prospective study including 19 Parkinson's disease and 12 multiple system atrophy patients was performed. Patients underwent clinical evaluation, iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine single-photon emission computed tomography combined with chest computed tomography, planar scintigraphy, and cardiovascular autonomic function tests. RESULTS: Co-registration of single-photon emission computed tomography and chest computed tomography resulted in three groups with distinct patterns of tracer uptake: homogeneous, non-homogeneously reduced and absent. There was a significant difference in group allocation among patients with multiple system atrophy and Parkinson's disease (p = 0.001). Most multiple system atrophy patients showed homogeneous uptake, and the majority of Parkinson's disease patients showed absent cardiac tracer uptake. We identified a pattern of heterogeneous cardiac tracer uptake in both diseases with reductions in the apex and the lateral myocardial wall. Sympathetic dysfunction reflected by a missing blood pressure overshoot during Valsalva manoeuvre correlated with cardiac tracer distribution in Parkinson's disease patients (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic accuracy of the dual imaging method and routine cardiac scintigraphy were similar. Anatomical tracer allocation provided by the dual imaging method of cardiac iodine-123-metaiodobenzylguanidine single-photon emission computed tomography and chest computed tomography identified a heterogeneous subgroup of Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy patients with reduced cardiac tracer uptake in the apex and the lateral wall. Sympathetic dysfunction correlated with cardiac imaging in Parkinson's disease patients.

Bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation on an ECMO patient for refractory ventricular arrhythmia: A case report.

Genetic syndrome such as Brugada syndrome can lead to lethal ventricular arrhythmias. Cardiac sympathetic denervation has been shown to be effective in ameliorating refractory ventricular arrhythmias. We present a 33-year-old black female with a medical history of Brugada syndrome with an implantable cardiac defibrillator who presented with refractory ventricular tachycardia leading to cardiogenic shock, requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The patient subsequently underwent bilateral stellate ganglion sympathetic denervation in the setting of refractory ventricular arrhythmias. We present this case report to showcase that thoracoscopic bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation can be an effective treatment option for ventricular arrhythmias refractory to medical management.

1970-2020: 50 years of research on the long QT syndrome-from almost zero knowledge to precision medicine.

To those of us involved in clinical research it seldom happens to begin working on a rather obscure disease, still largely unexplored, and to follow its ripening into a medical entity of large interest to clinicians and basic scientists alike, and moreover to do so for exactly 50 years. This is what has been my privilege in the relentless pursuit of the intriguing disease known as the long QT syndrome (LQTS). This essay begins with the encounter with my first patient affected by LQTS when just a handful of cardiologists had seen similar cases and continues with the series of efforts, some sound some amateurish, which eventually led-together with many brilliant partners and associates-to describe and understand the natural history of the disease and the most effective therapies. It then touches on how our International Registry for LQTS, with its well-documented family trees, constituted the necessary springboard for the major genetic discoveries of the 1990s. From the explosion of genetic data, my own interest focused first on the intriguing genotype-phenotype correlation and then on 'modifier genes', in the attempt of understanding why family members with the same disease-causing mutation could have an opposite clinical history. And from there on to iPS-derived cardiomyocytes, used to unravelling the specific mechanisms of action of modifier genes and to exploring novel therapeutic strategies. This long, and highly rewarding, journey continues because the fascination and the attraction of the unknown are irresistible.

Bilateral thoracoscopic cardiac sympathetic denervation in patients with refractory ventricular tachyarrhythmias non­responsive to other treatment.

OBJECTIVES:  To explore the efficacy and safety of bilateral thoracoscopic cardiac sympathetic denervation (BTCSD) as an underutilised last­resort surgical technique for patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmias and electrical storm non-responsive to other treatment. BACKGROUND:  Patients with refractory ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and electrical storm are at high risk of sudden cardiac death. In some patients, suboptimal results are achieved despite treatment with anti-arrhythmic drugs, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and cardiac catheter ablation. Minimally invasive surgery affecting the stellate ganglions and sympathetic chain is an additional alternative treatment modality that may help avoid heart transplantation. METHODS:  We present our experience of 3 patients who were treated with this technique for the first time in Slovakia in cooperation with the National Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases. Publications on this issue are scarce despite its potential for specific patients. Modifications to avoid complications derived from our experience of sympathectomies for hyperhidrosis are introduced, and improvements are proposed to promote this technique. RESULTS:  All patients showed a reduction or cessation of arrhythmias and ICD shocks with no periprocedural complications. CONCLUSION:  Our experience showed that BTCSD is a safe and feasible technique with a low complication rate and promising results. The limitation of this paper is the low number of patients in our group (Tab. 1, Fig. 3, Ref. 25).

Effectiveness of ultrasonography-guided cardiac sympathetic denervation in acute control of electrical storm: A retrospective case series.

Background and Aims: Ultrasonography-guided left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) or bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation (BCSD) may be a useful intervention in the electrical storm (ES) that persists despite pharmacological therapy. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasonography-guided LCSD or BCSD in the acute control of ES. We conducted a retrospective case series of patients who underwent ultrasonography-guided CSD for control of ES at a tertiary care hospital. Material and Methods: Data of all patients who underwent unilateral or bilateral CSD were collected from January 2017 to December 2019. Eleven patients with ES refractory to standard antiarrhythmic therapy underwent ultrasonography-guided pharmacological CSD (eight underwent LCSD and three underwent BCSD). Quantitative data was expressed as mean and median with interquartile range (IQR). Non-quantitative data was expressed in proportions. Results: Eleven patients underwent ultrasonography-guided pharmacological CSD (eight underwent LCSD and three underwent BCSD). Six of the eleven patients were female (54.5%). Ischemia was the underlying substrate in nine patients (81.8%). Five patients (46%) had complete resolution of ventricular tachycardia (VT) after CSD and one had 90% reduction in episodes of VT. The median follow-up duration was 8 months inter-quartile range IQR (7-18). One patient succumbed to heart failure and one patient was lost to follow up. The other patients had no further events and were well at last follow up. Conclusion: Ultrasonography-guided pharmacological CSD is effective in the acute control of ES. It is easily performed with equipment that is readily available and relatively safe in terms of immediate complications and is an ideal second-line intervention when ES persists despite drug therapy.

Recurrent ventricular tachycardia after cardiac sympathetic denervation: Prolonged cycle length with improved hemodynamic tolerance and ablation outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) is utilized for the management of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in structural heart disease when refractory to radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or when patient/VT characteristics are not conducive to RFA. METHODS: We studied consecutive patients who underwent CSD at our institution from 2009 to 2018 with VT requiring repeat RFA post-CSD. Patient demographics, VT/procedural characteristics, and outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients had CSD, 16 patients underwent RFA for VT post-CSD. There were 15 male and 1 female patients with mean age of 54.2 ± 13.2 years. Fourteen patients had nonischemic cardiomyopathy. A mean of 2.0 ± 0.8 RFAs for VT was unsuccessful before the patient undergoing CSD. The median time between CSD and RFA was 104 days (interquartile range [IQR] = 15-241). The clinical VT cycle length was significantly increased after CSD both spontaneously on ECG and/or ICD interrogation (355 ± 73 ms pre-CSD vs. 422 ± 94 ms post-CSD, p = .001) and intraprocedurally (406 ± 86 ms pre-CSD vs. 457 ± 88 ms post-CSD, p = .03). Two patients had polymorphic and 14 had monomorphic VT (MMVT) pre-CSD, and all patients had MMVT post-CSD. The proportion of mappable, hemodynamically stable VTs increased from 35% during pre-CSD RFA to 58% during post-CSD RFA (p = .038). At median follow-up of 413 days (IQR = 43-1840) after RFA, eight patients had no further VT. CONCLUSION: RFA for recurrent MMVT post-CSD is a reasonable treatment option with intermediate-term clinical success in 50% of patients. Clinical VT cycle length was significantly increased after CSD with associated improvement in mappable, hemodynamically tolerated VT during RFA.

The Year in Electrophysiology: Selected Highlights from 2019.

This article is the second in an annual series for the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. The authors thank the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Kaplan, the Associate Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Augoustides, and the editorial board for the opportunity to continue this series, namely the highlights of the year that pertain to electrophysiology in relation to cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia. This second article focuses on cardiac sympathetic denervation, the management of patients with atrial fibrillation, cerebral oximetry for catheter ablation procedures, advancements in leadless pacemaker and subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator technology, and the emergence of pulsed field ablation for pulmonary vein isolation.

The Brain-Heart Connection in Sympathetically Triggered Inherited Arrhythmia Syndromes.

Sympathetically triggered inherited arrhythmia syndromes, including the long QT syndrome (LQTS) and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), can cause sudden cardiac death in young individuals with structurally normal hearts. With cardiac events typically triggered by physical or emotional stress, not surprisingly, two of the most common treatments are neuromodulators, including mainstay beta blocker pharmacotherapy, and surgical sympathetic cardiac denervation. This review updates the clinician on the relevant anatomy and physiology of the cardiac autonomic nervous system, outlines neurocardiac arrhythmia mechanisms, and discusses the latest rationale for a neurocardiac therapeutic approach to manage sympathetic-induced arrhythmia in patients with inherited cardiac disease.

Bilateral sympathetic stellate ganglionectomy attenuates myocardial remodelling and fibrosis in a rat model of chronic volume overload.

Reducing sympathetic neurohormone expression is a key therapeutic option in attenuating cardiac remodelling. Present study tested the feasibility of attenuating cardiac remodelling through reducing sympathetic neurohormone level by partial cardiac sympathetic denervation in a rat model of chronic volume overload. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into sham group (S, n = 7), aortocaval fistula group (AV, n = 7), and aortocaval fistula with bilateral sympathetic stellate ganglionectomy group (AD, n = 8). After 12 weeks, myocardial protein expression of sympathetic neurohormones, including tyrosine hydroxylase, neuropeptide Y, growth associated protein 43, and protein gene product 9.5, were significantly up-regulated in AV group compared to S group, and down-regulated in AD group. Cardiac remodelling was aggravated in AV group compared to S group and attenuated in AD group. The myocardial deposition of extracellular matrix, including collagen I and III, was enhanced in AV group, which was reduced in AD group. Myocardial angiotensin II and aldosterone expressions were significantly up-regulated in AV group and down-regulated in AD group. Our results show that bilateral sympathetic stellate ganglionectomy could attenuate cardiac remodelling and fibrosis by down-regulating sympathetic neurohormones expression in this rat model of chronic volume overload.

Electrophysiologic effects and outcomes of sympatholysis in patients with recurrent ventricular arrhythmia and structural heart disease.

INTRODUCTION: Autonomic modulation has been used as a therapy to control recurrent ventricular arrhythmia (VA). This study was to explore stellate ganglion block (SGB) effect on cardiac electrophysiologic properties and evaluate the long-term outcome of cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) for patients with recurrent VA and structural heart disease (SHD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who had recurrent VA due to SHD were enrolled prospectively. Electrophysiologic study and ventricular tachycardia (VT) induction were performed before and after left and right SGB. VA burden and long-term outcomes were assessed for a separate patient group who underwent left or bilateral CSD for drug-refractory VA due to SHD. RESULTS: Electrophysiologic study of nine patients showed that baseline mean (SD) corrected sinus node recovery time (cSNRT) increased from 320.4 (73.3) ms to 402.9 (114.2) ms after left and 482.4 (95.7) ms after bilateral SGB (P = .03). SGB did not significantly change P-R, QRS, and Q-T intervals and ventricular effective refractory period, nor did the inducibility of VA. Nineteen patients underwent left (n = 14) or bilateral (n = 5) CSD. CSD reduced VA burden and appropriate ICD therapies from a median (interquartile range) of 2.5 (0.4-11.6) episodes weekly to 0.1 (0.0-2.4) episodes weekly at 6-month follow-up (P = .002). Three-year freedom from orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) and death was 52.6%. New York Heart Association functional class III/IV and VT rate less than 160 beats per minute were predictors of recurrent VA, OHT, and death. CONCLUSION: SGB increased cSNRT without changing heart rate. CSD was more beneficial for patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure and faster VA.

Stellate ganglion block and cardiac sympathetic denervation in patients with inappropriate sinus tachycardia.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) remains a clinical challenge because patients often are highly symptomatic and not responsive to medical therapy. OBJECTIVE: To study the safety and efficacy of stellate ganglion (SG) block and cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) in patients with IST. METHODS: Twelve consecutive patients who had drug-refractory IST (10 women) were studied. According to a prospectively initiated protocol, five patients underwent an electrophysiologic study before and after SG block (electrophysiology study group). The subsequent seven patients had ambulatory Holter monitoring before and after SG block (ambulatory group). All patients underwent SG block on the right side first, and then on the left side. Selected patients who had heart rate reduction ≥15 beats per minute (bpm) were recommended to consider CSD. RESULTS: The mean (SD) baseline heart rate (HR) was 106 (21) bpm. The HR significantly decreased to 93 (20) bpm (P = .02) at 10 minutes after right SG block and remained significantly slower at 97(19) bpm at 60 minutes. Left SG block reduced HR from 99 (21) to 87(16) bpm (P = .02) at 60 minutes. SG block had no significant effect on blood pressure or HR response to isoproterenol or exercise (all P > .05). Five patients underwent right (n = 4) or bilateral (n = 1) CSD. The clinical outcomes were heterogeneous: one patient had complete and two had partial symptomatic relief, and two did not have improvement. CONCLUSION: SG blockade modestly reduces resting HR but has no significant effect on HR during exercise. Permanent CSD may have a modest role in alleviating symptoms in selected patients with IST.

Thoracoscopic Left Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation in a Child with Refractory Long QT Syndrome.

Long QT syndrome is a cardiac disorder which presents with recurrent syncopal attacks and has risk of sudden cardiac death. A 5-year-old boy presented to us with this syndrome. The child was symptomatic despite medical management and was successfully managed with cardiac denervation. The current report highlights the efficacy and safety of the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for this procedure.