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Background: This study investigates the impact of the occurrence of Osborn waves during therapeutic hypothermia (TH) on the recurrence of future fatal arrhythmias in patients resuscitated after sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Methods: Of all survivors of out‐of‐hospital SCA, 100 consecutive patients (mean age, 52 ± 15 years; 80% men) who received TH were included in this study. Results: The most common first documented arrhythmia was ventricular fibrillation (VF) (77%), and ischemic heart disease (44%) and idiopathic VF (22%) were the most common causes of SCA in resuscitated patients. During TH, Osborn waves developed in 29 patients (29%). Osborn waves occurred more frequently in patients with Brugada syndrome. Patients with Osborn waves had lower in‐hospital (10.3% vs 26.8%; P =.072) and 1‐year death rates (20.7% vs 39.4%; P =.073) and better cerebral function (cerebral performance category scale, 2.0 ± 1.5 vs 2.7 ± 1.8; P =.053) than those without Osborn waves, although there was no statistical significance. Among 78 in‐hospital survivors, 31 (40%) underwent implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) implantation. Appropriate ICD shocks from fatal arrhythmias were more frequent in patients who had Osborn waves than in those without Osborn waves (43% vs 6%; P =.032). Conclusions: Osborn waves during TH had no significant effect on the survival and cerebral function of patients resuscitated SCA. However, appropriate ICD shocks due to the recurrence of VF were more frequent in patients with Osborn waves during long‐term follow‐up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Electrocardiogram (ECG) and signal-averaged ECG (SAECG) are important as diagnostic tools in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). The aim of this study was to investigate changes in follow-up ECGs and SAECGs in patients with ARVC. Methods We collected 185 follow-up ECGs from 38 patients and 35 follow-up SAECGs from 18 patients during a mean follow-up period of 64 ± 36 months. Results On baseline ECG and SAECG, epsilon waves, T-wave inversion (TWI), and terminal activation delay (TAD) of QRS ≥55 ms in right precordial leads, and late potentials (LPs) were observed in six (16%), 11 (29%), 13 (34%), and 23 (68%) patients, respectively. During the follow-up period, 15 (39%) patients had 18 changes in ECG and/or SAECG features included in modified Task Force Criteria (TFC) of ARVC. Two patients developed new epsilon waves, and another two patients had dynamic epsilon waves. Newly developed TAD of QRS ≥55 ms was observed in two patients and disappeared in one patient. Eight patients, seven with and one without TWI in V1-V3 or beyond, showed dynamic changes. LP developed in three patients. One patient with dynamic change of TWI and another patient with dynamic change of epsilon wave and TAD of QRS ≥55 ms could not satisfy the modified TFC during follow-up. Conclusions Follow-up ECGs and SAECGs showed changes in 39% of patients with ARVC. Larger studies with a longer follow-up period are needed to investigate the clinical implications of changes in follow-up ECG and SAECG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the clinical characteristics of patients with situational syncope such as defecation syncope (DS) or micturition syncope (MS) compared with those with common vasovagal syncope (VVS). Methods: Among 680 consecutive patients, who underwent a head-up tilt test between January 2006 and November 2010, 282 patients (40.4± 16.7 years; 48.6% men) diagnosed as DS (n = 38), MS (n = 38), or common VVS (n = 208) were included. Results: Ages at diagnosis (38.7± 17.3 vs 48.3± 14.1 vs 42.0± 13.8, P = 0.004) and the first syncope (33.7± 18.4 vs 44.5± 15.3 vs 37.5± 14.6, P = 0.002) were significantly less in patients with common VVS than those with DS or MS, respectively. The patients with MS were more likely to be men (73.7%, P = 0.036), whereas patients with DS were more commonly women (73.7%). No sexual preference was observed in patients with common VVS. Body mass index was significantly lower (P = 0.047) and syncopal episodes were more recurrent (P = 0.049) in patients with common VVS than those with DS or MS. The frequency of drinking alcohol before syncope was significantly higher in patients with MS (39.5%, P < 0.001). Conclusions: DS tended to occur in older women, whereas MS tended to occur in middle-aged men and drinking alcohol was an important precipitating factor for MS. However, common VVS was observed more in a thin and young population, which was more recurrent compared with those situational syncopes. (PACE 2011;1-7) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]