Search

Neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS) is a common clinical condition characterized by abrupt cardiovascular autonomic changes resulting in syncope. This is a recurring condition with mixed results from current strategies of treatment. Subjects with a diagnosis of NCS were screened and enrolled. All the participants were given a DVD containing yoga videos and were instructed to practice yoga therapy for 60 min, three times a week for 3 consecutive months. Syncope functional status questionnaire score (SFSQS) was administered at the beginning and the end of the study. The subjects were followed for 3 months and underwent repeat tilt table testing at the end of the study. Of the 60 patients screened, 44 subjects were enrolled, 21 in the intervention group and 23 in the control group. Most of the participants were females, and the mean age was 21 ± 3 years. In the intervention group, who finished the yoga regimen, there was a statistically significant improvement from control phase to the intervention phase, in number of episodes of syncope (4 ± 1 vs 1.3 ± 0.7, p

Pre- and postablation atrial fibrillation (AF) brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels were shown to predict increased recurrence of AF following ablation. Our objective was to assess whether elevated BNP levels merely represent the presence of AF at the time of measurement or indeed the true recurrence of AF. In a prospective study of 88 patients undergoing AF ablation, BNP levels were measured immediately before, after, 24 h, and 4–6 months postablation. BNP levels were stratified by presenting rhythm and ventricular rate at the time of measurement. Median BNP level preablation was higher in patients presenting in AF compared to sinus rhythm (SR) (54(44–79) pg/ml vs. 30(18–47) pg/ml, p