Intra-pocket ultrasound-guided axillary vein puncture vs. cephalic vein cutdown for cardiac electronic device implantation: the ACCESS trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Intra-pocket ultrasound-guided axillary vein puncture (IPUS-AVP) for venous access in implantation of transvenous cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) is uncommon due to the lack of clinical evidence supporting this technique. This study investigated the efficacy and early complications of IPUS-AVP compared to the standard method using cephalic vein cutdown (CVC) for CIED implantation. METHODS: ACCESS was an investigator-led, interventional, randomized (1:1 ratio), monocentric, controlled superiority trial. A total of 200 patients undergoing CIED implantation were randomized to IPUS-AVP (n = 101) or CVC (n = 99) as a first assigned route. The primary endpoint was the success rate of insertion of all leads using the first assigned venous access technique. The secondary endpoints were time to venous access, total procedure duration, fluoroscopy time, X-ray exposure, and complications. Complications were monitored during a follow-up period of three months after procedure. RESULTS: IPUS-AVP was significantly superior to CVC for the primary endpoint with 100 (99.0%) vs. 86 (86.9%) procedural successes (P = .001). Cephalic vein cutdown followed by subclavian vein puncture was successful in a total of 95 (96.0%) patients, P = .21 vs. IPUS-AVP. All secondary endpoints were also significantly improved in the IPUS-AVP group with reduction in time to venous access [3.4 vs. 10.6 min, geometric mean ratio (GMR) 0.32 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.28-0.36), P < .001], total procedure duration [33.8 vs. 46.9 min, GMR 0.72 (95% CI 0.67-0.78), P < .001], fluoroscopy time [2.4 vs. 3.3 min, GMR 0.74 (95% CI 0.63-0.86), P < .001], and X-ray exposure [1083 vs. 1423 mGy.cm², GMR 0.76 (95% CI 0.62-0.93), P = .009]. There was no significant difference in complication rates between groups (P = .68). CONCLUSIONS: IPUS-AVP is superior to CVC in terms of success rate, time to venous access, procedure duration, and radiation exposure. Complication rates were similar between the two groups. Intra-pocket ultrasound-guided axillary vein puncture should be a recommended venous access technique for CIED implantation.

A left lateral accessory pathway unmasked by rivastigmine.

A 75-year-old woman was referred for advice regarding surface electrocardiographic modifications after the initiation of rivastigmine. In our patient, the baseline ECGs appeared perfectly normal. However, the initiation of a cholinesterase inhibitor unmasked a left lateral accessory pathway that had never been diagnosed before. Although cholinesterase inhibitors are known to increase vagal tone, the PR interval was shortened after rivastigmine administration, thus excluding this hypothesis to explain the appearance of the accessory pathway. Therefore, we hypothesized that cholinesterase inhibitors may have increased conduction velocity in the accessory pathway or in the atria.

Aorta calcification burden: Towards an integrative predictor of cardiac outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

OBJECTIVE: The principal objective was to determine the effect of total aortic calcification (TAC) burden on outcomes (cardiac mortality, all-cause mortality, and heart failure (HF)) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The secondary aim was to assess the contribution of each segment of the aorta to these outcomes. BACKGROUND: Indications for TAVI are increasing in number. Even after procedural success, however, some patients die soon afterwards, indicating the futility of TAVI in certain cases. METHODS: Aortic calcifications were measured on computed tomography in 164 patients treated by TAVI. TAC, ascending aortic calcification (AsAC), descending aorta calcifications, and abdominal aorta calcifications were expressed as tertiles and their prognostic values were assessed in a multivariable cox analysis adjusted for major confounders including EuroSCORE. RESULTS: Median duration of follow-up was 565 (interquartile range: 246 to 1000) days. TAC (tertile3 vs. tertile1) was significantly and strongly associated with cardiac mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 16.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.21 to 127.05; p = 0.006) and all-cause mortality (HR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.18 to 4.84; p = 0.015) but not with HF (HR: 1.84; 95% CI: 0.87 to 3.90; p = 0.110). Each segment was associated with cardiac mortality, while only AsAC (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1) appeared predictive of HF (hazard ratio: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.12 to 4.66; p = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: TAC is an integrative predictor of cardiac and all-cause mortality after TAVI. It should be included in the assessment of patients before TAVI in order to predict cardiac outcome after valve replacement and avoid futile interventions.