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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Catheter ablation (CA) is an important treatment strategy to reduce the burden and complications of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aims to predict the risk of recurrence in patients with paroxysmal AF (pAF) after CA by an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled electrocardiography (ECG) algorithm. Methods and Results: 1618 ≥ 18 years old patients with pAF who underwent CA in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from 1 January 2012 to 31 May 2019 were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) by experienced operators. Baseline clinical features were recorded in detail before the operation and standard follow-up (≥12 months) was conducted. The convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained and validated by 12-lead ECGs within 30 days before CA to predict the risk of recurrence. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was created for the testing and validation sets, and the predictive performance of AI-enabled ECG was assessed by the area under the curve (AUC). After training and internal validation, the AUC of the AI algorithm was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.78–0.89), with a sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision and balanced F Score (F1 score) of 72.3%, 95.0%, 92.0%, 69.1% and 0.707, respectively. Compared with current prognostic models (APPLE, BASE-AF2, CAAP-AF, DR-FLASH and MB-LATER), the performance of the AI algorithm was better (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The AI-enabled ECG algorithm seemed to be an effective method to predict the risk of recurrence in patients with pAF after CA. This is of great clinical significance in decision-making for personalized ablation strategies and postoperative treatment plans in patients with pAF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the electrophysiological characteristics and long-term outcome of patients undergoing substrate-based ablation of left posterior fascicular ventricular tachycardia (LPF-VT) guided by targeting of fragmented antegrade Purkinje potentials (FAPs) during sinus rhythm. Methods and results This study retrospectively analysed 50 consecutive patients referred for ablation. Substrate mapping during sinus rhythm was performed to identify the FAP that was targeted by ablation. FAPs were recorded in 48 of 50 (96%) patients during sinus rhythm. The distribution of FAPs was located at the proximal segment of posterior septal left ventricle (LV) in two (4.2%) patients, middle segment in 33 (68.8%) patients, and distal segment in 13 (27.1%) patients. In 32 of 48 (66.7%) patients, the FAP displayed a continuous multicomponent fragmented electrogram, while a fragmented, split, and uncoupled electrogram was recorded in 16 (33.3%) patients. Entrainment attempts at FAP region were performed successfully in seven patients, demonstrating concealed fusion and the critical isthmus of LPF-VT. Catheter ablation targeting at the FAPs successfully terminated the LPF-VT in all 48 patients in whom they were seen. Left posterior fascicular (LPF) block occurred in four (8%) patients after ablation. During a median follow-up period of 61.2 ± 16.8 months, 47 of 50 (94%) patients remained free from recurrent LPF-VT. Conclusion Ablation of LPF-VT targeting FAP during sinus rhythm results in excellent long-term clinical outcome. FAPs were commonly located at the middle segment of posterior septal LV. Region with FAPs during sinus rhythm was predictive of critical site for re-entry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the difference in effectiveness and safety of high-power, short-duration (HPSD) radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFA) guided by relatively low ablation index (AI) values and conventional RFA in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) patients. Methods: The HPSD RFA strategy (40–50 W, AI 350–400 for anterior, 320–350 for posterior wall; n = 547) was compared with the conventional RFA strategy (25–40 W, without AI; n = 396) in PAF patients who underwent their first ablation. Propensity-score matching analyses were used to compare the outcomes of the two groups while controlling for confounders. Results: After using propensity-score matching analysis, the HPSD group showed a higher early recurrence rate (22.727% vs. 13.636%, p = 0.003), similar late recurrence rate, and comparable safety (p = 0.604) compared with the conventional group. For late recurrent atrial arrhythmia types, the rate of regular atrial tachycardia was significantly higher in the HPSD group (p = 0.013). Additionally, the rate of chronic pulmonary vein reconnection and non-pulmonary vein triggers during repeat procedures was similar in both groups. Conclusions: For PAF patients, compared with the conventional RFA strategy, the HPSD RFA strategy at relatively low AI settings had a higher early recurrence rate, similar long-term success rate, and comparable safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: C-reactive protein (CRP), as a non-specific inflammatory marker, is a predictor of the occurrence and prognosis of various arrhythmias. It is still unknown whether electrocardiographic features are altered in patients with inflammation. Objectives: To evaluate the performance of a deep learning model in detection of CRP levels from the ECG in patients with sinus rhythm. Methods: The study population came from an epidemiological survey of heart disease in Guangzhou. 12,315 ECGs of 11,480 patients with sinus rhythm were included. CRP > 5mg/L was defined as high CRP level. A convolutional neural network was trained and validated to detect CRP levels from 12 leads ECGs. The performance of the model was evaluated by calculating the area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and balanced F Score (F1 score). Results: Overweight, smoking, hypertension and diabetes were more common in the High CRP group (p < 0.05). Although the ECG features were within the normal ranges in both groups, the high CRP group had faster heart rate, longer QTc interval and narrower QRS width. After training and validating the deep learning model, the AUC of the validation set was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.85–0.88) with sensitivity, specificity of 89.7 and 69.6%, while the AUC of the testing set was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.84–0.87) with sensitivity, specificity of 90.7 and 67.6%. Conclusion: An AI-enabled ECG algorithm was developed to detect CRP levels in patients with sinus rhythm. This study proved the existence of inflammation-related changes in cardiac electrophysiological signals and provided a noninvasive approach to screen patients with inflammatory status by detecting CRP levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic immune inflammation is a key mediator in the progression of coronary artery disease (CAD), concerning various metabolic and lipid changes. In this study, the relationship between the inflammatory index and metabolic profile in patients with CAD was investigated to provide deep insights into metabolic disturbances related to inflammation. Methods: Widely targeted plasma metabolomic and lipidomic profiling was performed in 1,234 patients with CAD. Laboratory circulating inflammatory markers were mainly used to define general systemic immune and low-grade inflammatory states. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression was adopted to assess the associations between 860 metabolites and 7 inflammatory markers. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic-based classifiers and multivariable logistic regression were applied to identify biomarkers of inflammatory states and develop models for discriminating an advanced inflammatory state. Results: Multiple metabolites and lipid species were linearly associated with the seven inflammatory markers [false discovery rate (FDR) <0.05]. LASSO and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis identified significant associations between 45 metabolites and systemic immune-inflammation index, 46 metabolites and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio states, 32 metabolites and low-grade inflammation score, and 26 metabolites and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein states (P < 0.05). Glycerophospholipid metabolism and arginine and proline metabolism were determined as key altered metabolic pathways for systemic immune and low-grade inflammatory states. Predictive models based solely on metabolite combinations showed feasibility (area under the curve: 0.81 to 0.88) for discriminating the four parameters that represent inflammatory states and were successfully validated using a validation cohort. The inflammation-associated metabolite, namely, β-pseudouridine, was related to carotid and coronary arteriosclerosis indicators (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This study provides further information on the relationship between plasma metabolite profiles and inflammatory states represented by various inflammatory markers in CAD. These metabolic markers provide potential insights into pathological changes during CAD progression and may aid in the development of therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Septal myectomy for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is associated with conduction block; however, the electrophysiological characteristics of conduction block have not been well characterized. The aim of study was to assess the feasibility and safety of His bundle pacing (HBP) and left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) in patients with septal myectomy‐associated conduction block. Methods and Results: Patients with HCM and indications for pacing or cardiac resynchronization therapy after septal myectomy were included. Electrophysiological mapping was performed to identify the site of block. The success rates and pacing characteristics of HBP and LBBAP were also recorded. The echocardiographic data and complications were documented and tracked during follow‐up. Ten patients with atrioventricular block (AVB) or left bundle branch block (LBBB) post‐myectomy were included in the study. The site of block was infranodal in the nine patients with AVB. HBP failed due to the lack of distal His bundle capture (N = 7) or LBBB correction (N = 3). LBBAP was successful in nine patients and failed in one. QRS duration narrowed from 163.3 ± 16.6 ms after surgery to 123.6 ± 15.8 ms during LBBAP (p <.001). The mean depth of the leads was 13.3 ± 4.0 mm (range from 10 to 20 mm). At a mean follow‐up of 5.3 ± 3.9 months, pacing parameters and left ventricular ejection fraction remained stable. Conclusions: Electrophysiological mapping revealed that the site of block was infra‐Hisian and not correctable with HBP in patients with HCM post‐myectomy. LBBAP appears to be a more feasible physiological strategy for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Fabry disease (FD) is an X‐linked genetic disease caused by mutations in the GLA gene that leads to deficient activity of lysosomal enzymes, accumulation of globotriaosylceramide in multi‐organ systems, and variant clinical manifestations. We aimed to detail the clinical and genetic spectrum of FD in Chinese families. Methods and results: Five male probands with unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy and their family members were investigated. Genetic screening was available in 11 subjects of the 5 families, 10 of whom proved to be carriers of either GLA gene mutation, including 3 previous reported missense mutations (c.128G > A, c.811G > A, c.950T > C), 1 novel missense mutation (c.37G > C), and 1 novel deletion mutation (c.1241delT). A total of 17 patients were definitely or possibly diagnosed of FD, given their clinical manifestations and hereditary nature of FD. Echocardiography demonstrated normal cardiac structure and function in six female patients. Electrocardiographic pre‐excitation occurred in 80% (4/5) of men and 16.7% (1/6) of women. Six patients (6/14, 42.9%) had chronic kidney disease with decreased renal function and all were male (6/7, 85.7%). Six patients presented with acroparesthesia, hypohidrosis, or both. Three female patients and two male patients experienced sudden death, and one male patient with the mutation (c.128G > A) died of progressive heart failure, between 41 and 66 years of age. Conclusions: We reported five unrelated families of FD with different GLA mutations. Clinical manifestations were highly heterogeneous between male and female patients even within the same family. Female patients showed relatively low risks of structural heart disease and renal insufficiency. However, the long‐term outcomes might be adverse in both sexes. Our study underlines the importance of molecular screening of the GLA gene for early identification and clinical decision making in patients with FD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background and objective Methods Results Conclusions Treating recurrent atrial arrhythmias after persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF) ablation is often challenging. This single‐center, prospective study aimed to observe the effectiveness of different combinations of oral antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) in reverting to sinus rhythm (SR) in patients with recurrent atrial arrhythmias after PeAF ablation.Forty‐five patients who experienced recurrent atrial arrhythmias after PeAF ablation were included. Based on their medication regimens, patients were divided into two groups, with the study group being a triple‐drug group (digoxin combined with amiodarone/ propafenone and β‐blocker), and the control group being a non‐triple‐drug group.The rate of reversion to SR was significantly higher in the study group (n = 29) than in the control group (n = 16) at 3 weeks (34.48% vs. 0%, p < 0.01) and 1 month (44.84% vs. 6.25%, p = 0.02) after initiating AADs. No patients with asymptomatic bradycardia were observed in either group.For patients with recurrent atrial arrhythmias after PeAF ablation, a regimen of low‐dose digoxin combined with amiodarone/propafenone and β‐blocker may effectively improve short‐term reversion rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. About half of sudden deaths from AMI are mainly because of malignant ventricular arrhythmias (VA) after AMI. The sodium channel gene SCN5A and potassium channel genes KCNQ1 and KCNH2 have been widely reported to be genetic risk factors for arrhythmia including Brugada syndrome and long QT syndrome (LQTS). A few studies reported the association of SCN5A variant with ventricular tachycardia (VT)/ventricular fibrillation (VF) complicating AMI. However, little is known about the role of KCNQ1 and KCNH2 in AMI with VA (AMI_VA). This study focuses on investigating the potential variants on SCN5A, KCNQ1, and KCNH2 contributing to AMI with VA in a Chinese population. Materials and Methods: In total, 139 patients with AMI_VA, and 337 patients with AMI only, were included. Thirty exonic sites were selected to be screened. Sanger sequencing was used to detect variants. A subsequent association study was also performed between AMI_VA and AMI. Results: Twelve variants [5 on KCNH2(NM_000238.3), 3 on KCNQ1(NM_000218.2), and 4 on SCN5A(NM_198056.2)] were identified in AMI_VA patients. Only 5 (KCNH2: c.2690A>C; KCNQ1: c.1927G>A, c.1343delC; SCN5A: c.1673A>G, c.3578G>A) of them are missense variants. Two (KCNQ1: c.1343delC and SCN5A: c.3578G>A) of the missense variants were predicted to be clinically pathogenic. All these variants were further genotyped in an AMI without VA group. The association study identified a statistically significant difference in genotype frequency of KCNH2: c.1539C>T and KCNH2: c.1467C>T between the AMI and AMI_VA groups. Moreover, 2 rare variants (KCNQ1: c.1944C>T and SCN5A: c.3621C>T) showed an elevated allelic frequency (more than 1.5-fold) in the AMI_VA group when compared to the AMI group. Conclusion: Twelve variants (predicting from benign/VUS to pathogenic) were identified on KCNH2, KCNQ1, and SCN5A in patients with AMI_VA. Genotype frequency comparison between AMI_VA and AMI identified 2 significant common variants on KCNH2. Meanwhile, the allelic frequency of 2 rare variants on KCNQ1 and SCN5A, respectively, were identified to be enriched in AMI_VA, although there was no statistical significance. The present study suggests that the ion-channel genes KCNH2, KCNQ1, and SCN5A may contribute to the pathogenesis of VA during AMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are two clinical entities that can present either separately or concurrently. One entity can lead to the other and vice versa as AF can not only be the underlying etiology of HF but also exacerbate HF due to other cardiac diseases. Besides prevention of cerebral and systemic embolism and elimination of AF-related symptoms, restoration of sinus rhythm for AF patients helps to avoid or reduce HF, irrespective of their underlying heart disease. Successful rates of medical therapy for AF are low in persistent AF, and much lower in long-standing AF, while invasive procedures for AF yield promising results. In this review, the authors evaluate the value of invasive therapies for HF patients complicated with non-valvular AF. We examine this clinical problem by interpreting the relationships between these two entities: the mechanism of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (TIC), past opinions about rhythm control and rate control of AF, discrimination of HF-related AF and AF-induced HF, how to identify the AF patients that could benefit from invasive therapies, and how to select invasive therapies for different AF patients and peri-operative treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of arrhythmia in cardiovascular diseases. Atrial fibrosis is an important pathophysiological contributor to AF. This study aimed to investigate the role of the clustered miR‐23b‐3p and miR‐27b‐3p in atrial fibrosis. Human atrial fibroblasts (HAFs) were isolated from atrial appendage tissue of patients with sinus rhythm. A cell model of atrial fibrosis was achieved in Ang‐II‐induced HAFs. Cell proliferation and migration were detected. We found that miR‐23b‐3p and miR‐27b‐3p were markedly increased in atrial appendage tissues of AF patients and in Ang‐II‐treated HAFs. Overexpression of miR‐23b‐3p and miR‐27b‐3p enhanced the expression of collagen, type I, alpha 1 (COL1A1), COL3A1 and ACTA2 in HAFs without significant effects on their proliferation and migration. Luciferase assay showed that miR‐23b‐3p and miR‐27b‐3p targeted two different sites in 3ʹ‐UTR of transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β1 receptor 3 (TGFBR3) respectively. Consistently, TGFBR3 siRNA could increase fibrosis‐related genes expression, along with the Smad1 inactivation and Smad3 activation in HAFs. Additionally, overexpression of TGFBR3 could alleviate the increase of COL1A1, COL3A1 and ACTA2 in HAFs after transfection with miR‐23b‐3p and miR‐27b‐3p respectively. Moreover, Smad3 was activated in HAFs in response to Ang‐II treatment and inactivation of Smad3 attenuated up‐regulation of miR‐23b‐3p and miR‐27b‐3p in Ang‐II‐treated HAFs. Taken together, these results suggest that the clustered miR‐23b‐3p and miR‐27b‐3p consistently promote atrial fibrosis by targeting TGFBR3 to activate Smad3 signalling in HAFs, suggesting that miR‐23b‐3p and miR‐27b‐3p are potential therapeutic targets for atrial fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 42-year-old man diagnosed with atrial fibrillation but ablation was not attempted including the Echocardiography revealed no evidence of structural heart disease; mentions differential diagnosis such as atrial fibrillation with or without aberrancy, ventricular arrhythmias, and atrioventricular (AV) nodal nonreentrant tachycardia; and examines the postablation ECG showed sinus rhythm with fixed PR intervals and regular RR intervals.

Background: Biomarkers have been related to the arrhythmia recurrence following catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF). We hypothesized that concurrent measurement of several biomarkers would additively improve their predictive value. Methods: One thousand four hundred and ten consecutive AF patients (68% male; 57.2 ± 11.6 years) undergoing CA were enrolled. Baseline characteristics, serum B type brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), ablation parameters, arrhythmia data at discharge, 1, 3, 6, and then every 6 months post CA were collected. Follow‐up ended when arrhythmia recurred or until 31st December 2016. Results: Three hundred and sixty‐five (25.9%) patients had arrhythmia recurrence post‐CA during a mean follow‐up of 20.7 ± 8.8 months. BNP, hsCRP, and eGFR levels and their cut‐off values of 237.45 pg/mL, 1.6 mg/dL, and 82.5 mL/min/1.73 m2 were good predictors for AF recurrence (all P < 0.01). On multivariate analysis, increasing BNP and hsCRP, decreasing eGFR, gender, and early recurrence (ER) were independent predictors of AF recurrence (all P < 0.01). Compared to BNP alone, BNP plus eGFR or both eGFR and CRP showed incrementally better predictive values (ROC comparisons, all P < 0.01). Similar findings were evident in the subgroups of patients with paroxysmal or nonparoxysmal AF. Conclusion: Measurement of BNP, CRP, and eGFR were incrementally additive to clinical risk factors in a cumulative manner to improve prediction of arrhythmia recurrence post‐CA of AF. The implications of poor arrhythmia outcome in AF patients with multiple abnormal biomarkers pre‐CA procedure may help with patient selection and inform the likelihood of success or the need of more complicated CA procedure(s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Several clinical scoring systems have been derived to predict the arrhythmia outcome of catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) but which is better is not clear. Simple clinical risk scores (that any clinician can use in the everyday clinic) can help assess the likelihood of recurrence of AF following CA and the simple MB-LATER score has recently been described. We compare the predictive ability of seven existing clinical scoring systems (HATCH, CHADS2 , CHA2 DS2 -VASc, BASE-AF2 , APPLE, CAAP-AF, and MB-LATER) in a Chinese cohort of AF patients undergoing CA.Methods and Results: 1410 patients (mean age 57.2 ± 11.6 years; 68% male) with AF undergoing CA during 2011-2015 were enrolled in final analysis. Symptoms, 12 lead ECG and Holter ECGs were recorded before discharge, and at 1, 3, 6 months, and every 6 months thereafter to detect the arrhythmia relapse. During a mean 20.7 ± 8.8-month follow-up, recurrence occurred in 365 patients(25.9%). All tested scores were predictors of AF recurrence with areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.58, 0.57, 0.57, 0.75, 0.74, 0.71, and 0.73 respectively (all P < 0.01). Compared to all other scores, the MB-LATER score showed improved reclassification (NRI range 30%-82.6%, P < 0.01) and discrimination indexes (IDI range 2.6%-18.6%, all P < 0.01) in predicting AF recurrence.Conclusion: Based on net reclassification and discrimination analysis, the MB-LATER score performed best for predicting AF recurrent postablation, in a large "all comers" Chinese cohort. This simple clinical risk score (that any clinician can use in the everyday clinic) can help assess the likelihood of recurrence of AF following catheter ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To summarize our experience of radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for recurrent drug-refractory ventricular tachycardias (VTs) due to arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in our center over the past 11 years and its related factors. Methods and Results: We reviewed 48 adults (mean age 39.9 ± 12.9 years, range: 14 to 65) who met the present ARVC diagnostic criteria and accepted RFCA for VTs from December 2004 to April 2016. The patients received a total of 70 procedures using two ablation approaches, the endocardial approach in 52 RFCAs, and the combined epicardial and endocardial approach (the combined approach) in 18 RFCAs. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the combined approach achieved better acute procedural success (p = 0.003) and better long-term outcomes (p = 0.028) than the endocardial approach. Patients who obtained acute procedural success with non-inducibility had better long-term outcomes (p < 0.001). COX regression of multivariate analysis showed that procedural success was the only factor that benefited long-term outcome, irrespective of the endocardial or the combined approach (p = 0.001). The rate of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients without procedural success was significantly higher than that in patients with procedural success (p = 0.005). All patients without implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation who had successful final RFCA survived. Conclusions: The combined approach resulted in better procedural success and long-term VT-free survival compared with the endocardial approach in ARVC patients with recurrent VTs. Acute procedural success with non-inducibility was strongly related to better long-term VT-free survival and reduced SCD, irrespective of whether this was achieved by the endocardial approach or the combined approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Cerebrovascular complications are relatively uncommon, but severe adverse events are associated with catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and hospital outcomes of cerebrovascular events complicating AF ablation.Methods and Results: Cerebrovascular complications occurring during the procedure or hospitalization after AF ablation were assessed. Cerebrovascular events occurred in 9 of 1946 consecutive procedures (0.46%). Seven patients (0.36% per procedure) were diagnosed with ischaemic stroke and two patients (0.1% per procedure) with intracranial haemorrhage (ICH). Six events (6/9, 66.7%) occurred during the ablation and the remainders within 24 h after the ablation. Multivariable analysis revealed that previous ischaemic stroke [odds ratio (OR) 10.549; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.551-43.625, P = 0.001] and mechanical valve replacement (OR 3.261; 95% CI 1.337-7.953, P = 0.009) were independent predictors. In a separate model, CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥3 (OR 7.992; 95% CI 2.046-31.215, P = 0.003) and mechanical valve replacement (OR 4.104; 95% CI 1.644-10.245, P = 0.002) were significantly associated with cerebrovascular complications. All patients survived to discharge except the two cases with ICH.Conclusion: Cerebrovascular complications related to catheter ablation of AF are relatively infrequent and typically occur early either during the procedure or within the first 24 h after AF ablation. Previous ischaemic stroke, mechanical valve replacement, and CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥3 are independent predictors of such complications. The majority of these events are ischaemic stroke with a benign clinical outcome, while ICH may correlate with poor prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods and Results Conclusion Atrioventricular block (AVB) is common in the elderly and therefore considered to be a degenerative disease of the cardiac conduction system. However, there exist other etiologies contributing to AVB in young patients. This study aimed to determine the etiologies in patients aged before 60 years receiving their first pacemaker implantation for AVB in China.Medical records and diagnostic tests of AVB patients were reviewed to identify the etiologies between 2010 and 2021 at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital. Eight hundred and twenty‐six patients (median age 47 years; 47.9% males) were included. The etiologies were identified in 336 (40.7%) cases, including complications to cardiac surgery (n = 190 [23.0%]), myocarditis (n = 57 [6.9%]), myocardial infarction (n = 25 [3.0%]), complications to catheter‐based interventional procedures (n = 21 [2.5%]) and others (n = 43 [5.2%]). AVB caused by myocardial infarction was more common in men (5.8% vs. 0.5%, p < .001), while women received pacing treatment earlier (48 vs. 46 years, p = .019). Men were more likely to suffer from dilated cardiomyopathy (6.6% vs. 2.1%, p = .001) and atrial fibrillation/flutter (23.0% vs. 12.8%, p < .001). The number of first pacemaker implantation increased with age especially among patients with unclear etiologies.The etiology of AVB was only determined in approximately 40% of patients receiving their first pacemaker implantation aged before 60 years. The predominance of AVB with unknown etiology and potential gender differences warrants further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiac involvement in Danon disease typically manifests as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and ventricular preexcitation. This study aimed to identify patients with Danon disease among patients with LVH and concurrent electrocardiographic preexcitation. Methods: Electrocardiographic preexcitation was identified in 10 of 197 patients with unexplained LVH in whom genetic testing was performed using next‐generation sequencing. Results: Three (3/10, 30%) patients with Danon disease were found in association with different mutations in the gene of lysosome‐associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2). Compared to seven patients without Danon disease, these three patients presented with distinctive clinical phenotypes, including onset at an earlier age (20 ± 2 years vs. 53 ± 9 years, p < 0.001), more neurological involvements (100% vs. 0, p = 0.008), higher electrocardiographic voltages (10 ± 1 mV vs. 5 ± 1 mV, p < 0.001), wider QRS complexes (163 ± 5 ms vs. 115 ± 20 ms, p = 0.006), less common asymmetric hypertrophy (0% vs. 86%, p = 0.033), and more frequent elevation of three serum enzymes (creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase). Intracellular vacuoles accumulation with deficiencies of LAMP2 protein was found in both cardiac and skeletal myocytes of patients with Danon disease. Conclusion: In patients with coexistent LVH and ventricular preexcitation, Danon disease is common with distinctive clinical presentations. Comprehensive assessment of these resemble patients can provide valuable findings for early identification and clinical decision making of patients with Danon disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) originating from the pulmonary sinus cusp (PSC) have not been sufficiently clarified.Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate the prevalence, electrocardiographic characteristics, mapping, and ablation of idiopathic VAs arising from the PSC.Methods: Data were analyzed from 218 patients undergoing successful endocardial ablation of idiopathic VAs with a left bundle branch block morphology and inferior axis deviation.Results: Twenty-four patients had VAs originating from the PSC. In the first 7 patients, initial ablation performed in the right ventricular outflow tract failed to abolish the clinical VAs but produced a small change in the QRS morphology in 3 patients. In all 24 patients, the earliest activation was eventually identified in the PSC, at which a sharp potential was observed preceding the QRS complex onset by 28.2 ± 2.9 ms. The successful ablation site was in the right cusp (RC) in 10 patients (42%), the left cusp (LC) in 8 (33%), and the anterior cusp (AC) in 6 (25%). Electrocardiographic analysis showed that RC-VAs had significantly larger R-wave amplitude in lead I and a smaller aVL/aVR ratio of Q-wave amplitude compared with AC-VAs and LC-VAs, respectively. The R-wave amplitude in inferior leads was smaller in VAs localized in the RC than in the LC but did not differ between VAs from the AC and LC.Conclusions: VAs arising from the PSC are not uncommon, and RC-VAs have unique electrocardiographic characteristics. These VAs can be successfully ablated within the PSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]