Comparison of strategies for catheter ablation of left posterior fascicular ventricular tachycardia.

AIMS: Traditional ablation strategies including targeting the earliest Purkinje potential (PP) during left posterior fascicular (LPF) ventricular tachycardia (VT) or linear ablation at the middle segment of LPF during sinus rhythm are commonly used for the treatment of LPF-VT. Catheter ablation for LPF-VT targeting fragmented antegrade Purkinje (FAP) potential during sinus rhythm is a novel approach. We aimed to compare safety and efficacy of different ablation strategies (FAP ablation vs. traditional ablation) for the treatment of LPF-VT. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients with electrocardiographically documented LPF-VT referred for catheter ablation received either FAP ablation approach or traditional ablation approach. Electrophysiological characteristics, procedural complications, and long-term clinical outcome were assessed. A total of 189 consecutive patients who underwent catheter ablation for LPF-VT were included. Fragmented antegrade Purkinje ablation was attempted in 95 patients, and traditional ablation was attempted in 94 patients. Acute ablation success with elimination of LPF-VT was achieved in all patients. Left posterior fascicular block occurred in 11 of 95 (11.6%) patients in the FAP group compared with 75 of 94 (79.8%) patients in the traditional group (P < 0.001). Fragmented antegrade Purkinje ablation was associated with significant shorter procedure time (94 ± 26 vs. 117 ± 23 min, P = 0.03) and fewer radiofrequency energy applications (4.1 ± 2.4 vs. 6.3 ± 3.5, P = 0.003) compared with the traditional group. One complete atrioventricular block and one left bundle branch block were seen in the traditional group. Over mean follow-up of 65 months, 89 (93.7%) patients in the FAP group and 81 (86.2%) patients in the traditional group remained free of recurrent VT off antiarrhythmic drugs (P = 0.157). CONCLUSION: Left posterior fascicular-ventricular tachycardia ablation utilizing FAP and traditional ablation approaches resulted in similar acute and long-term procedural outcomes. Serious His-Purkinje injury did occur infrequently during traditional ablation. The use of FAP ablation approach was associated with shorter procedure time and fewer radiofrequency energy applications, especially for non-inducible patients.

Metabolic Insight Into the Neuroprotective Effect of Tao-He-Cheng-Qi (THCQ) Decoction on ICH Rats Using Untargeted Metabolomics.

Tao-He-Cheng-Qi decoction (THCQ) is an effective traditional Chinese medicine used to treat intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). This study was performed to investigate the possible neuroprotective effect of THCQ decoction on secondary brain damage in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage and to elucidate the potential mechanism based on a metabolomics approach. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into five groups: the sham group, collagenase-induced ICH model group, THCQ low-dose (THCQ-L)-treated group, THCQ moderate-dose (THCQ-M)-treated group and THCQ high-dose (THCQ-H)-treated group. Following 3 days of treatment, behavioral changes and histopathological lesions in the brain were estimated. Untargeted metabolomics analysis with multivariate statistics was performed by using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS). THCQ treatment at two dosages (5.64 and 11.27 g/kg·d) remarkably improved behavior (p < 0.05), brain water content (BMC) and hemorheology (p < 0.05) and improved brain nerve tissue pathology and inflammatory infiltration in ICH rats. Moreover, a metabolomic analysis demonstrated that the serum metabolic profiles of ICH patients were significantly different between the sham group and the ICH-induced model group. Twenty-seven biomarkers were identified that potentially predict the clinical benefits of THCQ decoction. Of these, 4 biomarkers were found to be THCQ-H group-specific, while others were shared between two clusters. These metabolites are mainly involved in amino acid metabolism and glutamate-mediated cell excitotoxicity, lipid metabolism-mediated oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction caused by energy metabolism disorders. In addition, a correlation analysis showed that the behavioral scores, brain water content and hemorheology were correlated with levels of serum metabolites derived from amino acid and lipid metabolism. In conclusion, the results indicate that THCQ decoction significantly attenuates ICH-induced secondary brain injury, which could be mediated by improving metabolic disorders in cerebral hemorrhage rats.

Risk prediction in infective endocarditis by modified MELD-XI score.

The suitability of the model for end-stage liver disease excluding international normalized ratio (MELD-XI) score to predict adverse outcomes in infective endocarditis (IE) patients remains uncertain. This study was performed to explore the prognostic value of the MELD-XI score and modified MELD-XI score for patients with IE. A total of 858 patients with IE were consecutively enrolled and classified into two groups: MELD-XI ≤ 10 (n = 588) and MELD-XI > 10 (n = 270). Multivariate analysis was performed to determine risk factors independent of MELD-XI score. Higher MELD-XI score was associated with higher in-hospital mortality (15.6 vs. 4.8%, p < 0.001) and major adverse clinical events (33.3 vs. 18.4%, p < 0.001). MELD-XI score was an independent predictor of in-hospital death (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06, 95% CI, 1.02-1.10, p = 0.005). Based on a multivariate analysis, NYHA class III or IV (3 points), C-reactive protein > 9.5 mg/L (4 points), and non-surgical treatment (6 points) were added to MELD-XI score. Modified MELD-XI score produced higher predictive power than previous (AUC 0.823 vs. 0.701, p < 0.001). The cumulative incidence of long-term mortality (median 29 months) was significantly higher in patients with modified MELD-XI score > 13 than those without (log-rank = 25.30, p < 0.001). Modified MELD-XI score was independently associated with long-term mortality (hazard ratio = 1.08, 95% CI, 1.04-1.12, p < 0.001). MELD-XI score could be used as a risk assessment tool in IE. Furthermore, modified MELD-XI score remained simple and more effective in predicting poor prognosis.