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Objectives The authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the efficacy of renal denervation (RDN) in patients with refractory ventricular arrhythmias (VA) or elec...

This study evaluated if modifying electrocardiographic (ECG) precordial leads to a higher intercostal position improved the accuracy of outflow tract ventricular arrhythmia (OTVA) localization.Precordial ECG prediction algorithms that use a standard lead configuration localize OTVA with variable accuracy.Patients who underwent OTVA ablation were prospectively enrolled to have a standard and modified (high) precordial ECG. R- and S-wave amplitudes and intervals were measured to develop an algorithm that differentiated the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) and the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) with high accuracy-the modified lead R-wave deflection interval (RWDI). This interval was defined from the earliest QRS onset (using all modified leads) to the lead with longest R-wave deflection. The RWDI was compared with all other ECG algorithms.A total of 50 patients (38 women; mean age 51 ± 17 years) had successful catheter ablation for OTVA (RVOT 60%, LVOT 40%). The modified lead RWDI was significantly shorter in the RVOT group (18.5 ms, interquartile range 25th to 75th percentile [IQRThe modified lead RWDI is a simple, easily interpretable algorithm that can potentially differentiate a right- or left-sided origin of OTVA with high accuracy.

Background Selecting heart failure (HF) patients for intensive management to reduce readmissions requires effective targeting. However, available prediction scores are only modestly effective. We sought to develop a prediction score for 30-day all-cause rehospitalization or death in HF with the use of nonclinical and clinical data. Methods and Results This statewide data linkage included all patients who survived their 1st HF admission (with either reduced or preserved ejection fraction) to a Tasmanian public hospital during 2009–2012. Nonclinical data (n = 1,537; 49.5% men, median age 80 y) included administrative, socioeconomic, and geomapping data. Clinical data before discharge were available from 977 patients. Prediction models were developed and internally and externally validated. Within 30 days of discharge, 390 patients (25.4%) died or were rehospitalized. The nonclinical model (length of hospital stay, age, living alone, discharge during winter, remoteness index, comorbidities, and sex) had fair discrimination (C-statistic 0.66 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63–0.69]). Clinical data (blood urea nitrogen, New York Heart Association functional class, albumin, heart rate, respiratory rate, diuretic use, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use, arrhythmia, and troponin) provided better discrimination (C-statistic 0.72 [95% CI 0.68–0.76]). Combining both data sources best predicted 30-day rehospitalization or death (C-statistic 0.76 [95% CI 0.72–0.80]). Conclusions Clinical data are stronger predictors than nonclinical data, but combining both best predicts 30-day rehospitalization or death among HF patients.

Heart failure (HF) readmissions are a common and serious problem of heterogeneous etiology. Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction has not been found to be a consistent risk marker. However, LV strain has been shown to predict outcomes in other settings, so the aim of this study was to determine the association of LV strain with 30-day HF readmission, independent of and incremental to clinical and basic echocardiographic parameters.A total of 468 patients who underwent echocardiography at the time of the first admission for HF from July 2009 to June 2012 were retrospectively studied. Clinical parameters were comprehensively assessed, and standard echocardiographic parameters and two strain parameters (global longitudinal strain [GLS] and global circumferential strain) were measured using speckle-tracking. Patients were followed for all-cause 30-day hospital readmission or death after discharge, and the associations of parameters with outcome were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models.Readmission within 30 days (n = 92 patients [20%]) was associated with greater impairment of LV GLS (-8.6% [interquartile range, -10.9% to -5.9%] vs -11.1% [interquartile range, -14.6% to -7.7%], P .01). The association of GLS with readmission (hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.19; P .01) was independent of age, male gender, systolic blood pressure, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker use, and comorbidity, as well as renal function, sodium, hematocrit, LV mass, left atrial size, and mitral regurgitation. Global circumferential strain was associated with outcome but not was independent after adjustment with echocardiographic parameters. In sequential models for 30-day outcome, GLS added incremental information to clinical parameters and LV ejection fraction and significantly improved reclassification (categorical net reclassification improvement, 0.34; P = .04) when LV ejection fraction was50%.GLS is associated with HF readmission, independent of and incremental to clinical and basic echocardiographic parameters.

Heart failure (HF) readmissions are a common and serious problem of heterogeneous etiology. Recently, LV strain has been shown to predict a variety of outcomes. We set up this study to examine the hypothesis that strain would improve the prediction of 30-day HF readmission over clinical and basic