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Although several investigations have shown a relationship between increased epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and atrial fibrillation (AF), the association between EAT and ventricular tachycardia (VT) has not been evaluated. We investigated the association between EAT and post-ablation VT recurrence. In this study, sixty-one consecutive patients (mean age=62.0±13.9) undergoing VT ablation with pre-procedural cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were recruited. EAT thickness was measured using cardiac MRI in the right and left atrioventricular grooves (AVGs), RV free wall, anterior, inferior, and superior interventricular grooves (IVGs). During a mean follow-up period of 392.9±180.2 days, post-ablation VT recurrence occurred in 15 (24.6%) patients. EAT thickness was significantly higher in the VT recurrence group than that in the non-recurrent VT at the right (18.7±5.7 vs. 14.1±4.4 mm; p=0.012) and left (13.3±3.9 vs. 10.4±4.1; p=0.020) AVGs. The best cut-off points for predicting VT recurrence were calculated as 15.5 mm for the right AVG (area under ROC curve=0.74) and 11.5 mm for the left AVG (area under ROC curve=0.72). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that pre procedural right AVG-EAT (HR: 1.2; 95% CI: [1.06-1.39], p=0.004) was the only independent predictor of VT recurrence after adjustment for covariates. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a difference for post-ablation VT recurrence between the two groups with right AVG-EAT thickness cut-off value of

Some of the recently released smartwatch products feature a single-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) recording capability. The reliability of obtaining 3-lead ECG with smartwatches is yet to be confirmed in a large study. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and reliability of smartwatch to obtain 3-lead ECG recordings, the classical Einthoven ECG leads I-III compared to standard ECG. To record lead I, the watch was worn on the left wrist and the right index finger was placed on the digital crown for 30 s. For lead II, the watch was placed on the lower abdomen and the right index finger was placed on the digital crown for 30 s. For lead III, the same process was repeated with the left index finger. Spearman correlation and Bland-Altman tests were used for data analysis. A total of 300 smartwatch ECG tracings were successfully obtained. ECG waves&rsquo, characteristics of all three leads obtained from the smartwatch had a similar duration, amplitude, and polarity compared to standard ECG. The results of this study suggested that the examined smartwatch (Apple Watch Series 4) could obtain 3-lead ECG tracings, including Einthoven leads I, II, and III by placing the smartwatch on the described positions.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing health problem worldwide. In recent years, there has been a rising interest in the relationship between sleep disorders and AF. Several studies have reported higher prevalence and incidence rates of AF in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). However, some believe that OSAHS is not a risk factor for AF; but AF, by itself, is regarded as one of the possible triggers for OSAHS. In this study, the related literature investigating the association between OSAHS and AF was reviewed, and then the possible mechanisms of this interplay were discussed. To conclude, recommendations for further research in this field were presented to researchers and some points were highlighted for physicians.[GMJ.2018;7:e1416]

Nonsurgical bleeding after complex thoracic aortic procedures (such as aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm) is a great challenge for cardiac surgeons because of severe coagulopathy, exsanguinous bleeding, and inevitable death. Temporary mediastinal packing (with sponge) in such cases is the only life-saving technique with good result in most cases. Herein, we presented three cases with acute aortic dissection with intractable bleeding that was successfully managed with mediastinal packing.