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Patients with device detected atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE) have an increased risk of MACE. The R2CHA2DS2-VASc, CHADS2, R2CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc score have been investigated for predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in different groups of patients. We aimed to evaluate the R2CHA2DS2-VASc score in combination with AHRE ≥ 6 min for predicting MACE in patients with dual-chamber PPM but no prior atrial fibrillation (AF). We retrospectively enrolled 376 consecutive patients undergoing dual-chamber PPM implantation and no prior AF. The primary endpoint was subsequent MACE. For all patients in the cohort, CHADS2, R2CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, R2CHA2DS2-VASc scores and AHRE ≥ or 175 bpm (Medtronic) or > 200 bpm (Biotronik) lasting ≥ 30 s. Multivariate Cox regression analysis with time-dependent covariates was used to determine the independent predictors of MACE. ROC-AUC analysis was performed for CHADS2, R2CHADS2, CHA2DS2-VASc, and R2CHA2DS2-VASc scores and then adding AHRE ≥ 6 min to the four scores. The median age was 77 years, and 107 patients (28.5%) developed AHRE ≥ 6 min. After a median follow-up of 32 months, 46 (12.2%) MACE occurred. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that R2CHA2DS2-VASc score (HR, 1.485; 95% CI, 1.212–1.818; p p = 0.014) were independent predictors for MACE. The optimal R2CHA2DS2-VASc score cutoff value was 4.5 (set at ≥ 5), with the highest Youden index (AUC, 0.770; 95% CI, 0.709–0.831; p Z-statistic p

This case report describes a successful balloon venoplasty to overcome a total occlusion from the brachiocephalic vein to the superior vena cava in a patient undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy. It is crucial for implanting physicians to be familiar with strategies to overcome venous occlusion in lead implantation, especially balloon venoplasty, which is an effective and safe approach.

Background Patients with atrial high‐rate episode (AHRE) are at higher risk of neurological events. This study aimed to identify the optimal cutoff threshold for AHRE duration in patients with dual chamber permanent pacemakers (PPM) without prior atrial fibrillation. Methods We included 355 consecutive patients receiving dual chamber pacemaker implantation. Primary outcome was composite endpoint of subsequent neurological events after various AHRE durations. AHRE was defined as >175 bpm (MEDTRONIC) or > 200 bpm (BIOTRONIK) for longer than 30 s. Cox regression analysis with time‐dependent covariates was conducted. Results The mean age of included patients was 75.6 ± 11.3 years. Among 355 included patients, some had multiple AHREs; 125 patients (35.2%) developed AHRE ≥2 min, 107 (30.1%) had ≥5 min, 55 (15.5%) had ≥6 h, and 37 (10.4%) had ≥24 h. The mean follow‐up was 42.1 ± 31.2 months. During follow‐up, 19 neurological events occurred. After adjustment for CHA2DS2‐VASc score and device type, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated AHRE ≥2 min (HR 13.605, 95% CI 3.010–61.498), and AHRE ≥5 min (HR 5.819, 95% CI 2.056–16.470) were significantly associated with neurological events. Hence, the optimal AHRE cutoff value was 2 min with the highest Youden index (sensitivity, 89.5%; specificity, 67.8%; AUC, 0.823, 95% CI, 0.763–0.884; p

Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) including pacemakers (PM), implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), and cardiac resynchronized therapy (CRT) have become the mainstay of therapy for many cardiac conditions, consequently drawing attention to the risks and benefits of these procedures. Although CIED implantation is usually a safe procedure, pneumothorax remains an important complication and may contribute to increased morbidity, mortality, length of stay, and hospital costs. On the other hand, pneumopericardium and pneumomediastinum are rare but potentially fatal complications. Accordingly, a high degree of awareness about these complications is important. Pneumothorax almost always occurs on the ipsilateral side of implantation. The development of contralateral pneumothorax is uncommon and may be undetected on an initial chest radiograph. Contralateral pneumothorax with concurrent pneumopericardium and pneumomediastinum is much rarer. We describe a rare case of concurrent right-sided pneumothorax with pneumopericardium and pneumomediastinum after left-sided pacemaker implantation and highlight the risk factors, management, and possible ways to prevent the complications.

Background Patients with atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE) have a high risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (CCE); however, the optimal cut-off threshold for AHRE duration and the prediction power of AHRE with CHA2DS2-VASc score is unknown. Methods We enrolled 355 consecutive patients undergoing dual chamber pacemaker implantations. The primary endpoint was subsequent CCE after AHRE ≥ 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 hours, and 24 hours. AHRE was defined as >175 bpm (Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland) or >200 bpm (Biotronik, Berlin, Germany) lasting ≥30 seconds. Multivariate Cox regression analysis with time-dependent covariates was used to determine the variables associated with higher risks of CCE. Results The average age of the patients was 75.6 ± 11.3 years, and 162 patients (45.6%) developed AHRE ≥ 30 seconds, 145 (40.8%) ≥1 minute, 125 (35.2%) ≥2 minutes, 107 (30.1%) ≥5 minutes, 55 (15.5%) ≥6 hours, and 37 (10.4%) ≥24 hours. During follow-up (mean 42.1 ± 31.2 months), 145 CCE occurred in 107 patients (incidence rate 11.64/100 patient-years, 95% CI 9.99-13.70). The optimal AHRE cut-off value was 1 minute (sensitivity, 57.9%; specificity, 66.0%; area-under-the-curve, 0.631; 95% CI, 0.563–0.698; p Conclusion Patients with dual chamber pacemakers who develop AHRE ≥ 30 seconds have an increased risk of CCE. The combination of AHRE duration ≥30 seconds and CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥2 (males) or ≥3 (females) is a useful risk-stratification predictor for subsequent CCE.

OBJECTIVES Patients with permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation may have altered coronary perfusion patterns that may influence the accuracy of myocardial perfusion examination modalities, which was observed in previous studies but with limited statistic power. Our aim was to examine the performance of thallium-201 (TL-201) myocardial perfusion examination in patients with implanted PPM. METHODS Data of consecutive patients from our institution who had coronary angiography examination followed by TL-201 myocardial perfusion examination in pairs within 1 year were collected between January 2010 and December 2016 and were divided into PPM and control groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to compare the positive predictive value (PPV) of perfusion examinations. RESULTS A total of 934 pairs of studies were evaluated, with 81 in the PPM group and 853 controls. The PPV decreased significantly in the PPM group (28.2 vs. 62.9%, P 20%) ischemic areas correlated significantly with all-cause mortality in the control group (OR, 2.34; P = 0.001), but not in the PPM group (OR,1.05; P = 0.943). After PSM, the PPV was still significantly lower in the PPM group than in the non-PPM group (28.6 vs. 66.2%, P

Introduction: Emergency department (ED) visits for decompensated heart failure (HF) are frequent and associated with poor long-term outcomes. Plasma N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) are used in diagnosis and prognosis of HF patients, while clinical values of urine NT-proBNP/cGMP ratio have been rarely explored. This study aims to compare the predictive values of urine NT-proBNP/cGMP ratio versus plasma NT-proBNP for ED visits for decompensated HF. Methods: This prospective study included 126 HF patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (Results: Patients with subsequent ED visits had significantly higher levels of plasma and urine NT-proBNP and urine cGMP in than those without. Multivariate Cox regression analysis disclosed that Lg10urine NT-proBNP/cGMP was an independent risk factor for subsequent ED visits (OR = 3.267; 95% CI: 1.105–9.663; p = 0.032). ROC analysis revealed an Lg10urine NT-proBNP/cGMP ratio optimal cut-off value of 0.1706 (AUC, 0.700; 95% CI: 0.543–0.857; p = 0.036) for predicting subsequent HF-related ED visits. Conclusion: A single measurement of urinary NT-proBNP/cGMP ratio is predictive of subsequent ED visits for decompensated HF. This noninvasive and easy measurement may be a clinically useful tool for identifying a subset of patients at higher risk of ED visits.

Several predicting models have been evaluated for new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in several clinical conditions, but never in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED). We aimed to evaluate the five predicting models compared with atrial high rate episodes (AHRE) to predict new AF in patients with CIED.We retrospective enrolled 470 consecutive patients with CIED and without a history of AF. The five predicting models, including CHAWe compared 5 predicting models for new AF in patients with CIED and without a history of AF. AHRE ≥6 min and 24 h, and HAT

We present the case of a patient with anxiety who attempted suicide by self-removal of her permanent pacemaker (PPM). Self-harm involving a pacemaker is associated with significantly endangering patient well-being and often with greatly increased health care costs. It is an indication that the numbers of patients with a PPM who are clinically depressed and anxious has been underestimated. Early detection of depression, using a validated questionnaire, followed by ongoing care and shared decision making (SDM), a focus on psychosocial stressors, medication adherence, somatic complaints and attention to any adverse drug reactions, are likely to improve clinical outcomes.

The HAT2CH2 score has been evaluated for predicting new-onset atrial fibrillation in several clinical conditions, but never for adverse neurologic events. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of HAT2CH2 score in predicting neurologic events in patients with cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED), comparing with atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE). This case-control study enrolled 314 consecutive patients aged 18 years or older with CIED implantation between January 2015 and April 2021. Patient data were analyzed retrospectively. The primary endpoint was subsequent neurologic events (NE) after implantation. AHRE was defined as > 175 bpm (Medtronic®) lasting ≥ 30 seconds. Variables associated with independent risk of NE were identified using multivariate Cox regression analysis with time-dependent covariates. Patients’ median age was 73 years and 61.8% of them were male. During follow-up (median 32 months), 18 NE occurred (incidence rate 2.15/100 patient-years, 95% CI 1.32-4.30). Multiple Cox regression analysis showed that the HAT2CH2 score (HR 2.972, 95% CI 2.143-4.123, p < 0.001) was an independent predictor for NE. Optimal HAT2CH2 score cutoff value was 3 with highest Youden index (AUC, 0.923; 95% CI, 0.881–0.966; p < 0.001). Significant increase was observed in NE occurrence rates using the HAT2CH2 score (p < 0.001). The HAT2CH2 score and episodes of AHRE lasting ≥ 1 minute are independent risk factors for NE in patients with CIED.

The HATWe retrospectively reviewed 470 consecutive patients who had CIED without a history of AF. The primary endpoint was a neurologic event, i.e. ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. Multivariate Cox regression analysis with time-dependent covariates was used to determine variables associated with independent factors of neurologic events. Patients' median age was 76 years, and 58.7% were male. During follow-up (median 29 months), 21 neurologic events occurred (incidence rate 1.85/100 patient-years, 95% CI 1.03-3.83). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that the HATThe HAT

Background Subclavian vein obstruction may occur in patients with pacemaker leads, which may make the implantation of new pacemaker leads difficult. Case summary We report two cases in which upgrading to cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker was challenging due to total central vein occlusion. In the first case, a 78-year-old woman with permanent pacemaker implantation, 5 years ago, was successfully treated by balloon venoplasty. In the second case, balloon venoplasty was unsuccessful in a 46-year-old woman who has received twice single-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, 12 years and 5 years ago, due to vessel crowding, so a contralateral side puncture, along with a tunnel technique, was performed to solve this problem. Discussion Cardiac implantable electronic device-related subclavian vein stenosis can present a challenge to common cardiac resynchronization therapy device upgrades in the absence of appropriate techniques.

BackgroundPost cardiac injury syndrome (PCIS) is induced by myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery, as well as minor insults to the heart such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), or insertion of a pacing lead. PCIS is characterized by pericarditis after injury to the heart. The relatively low incidence makes differential diagnosis of PCIS after PCI or implantation of a pacemaker a challenge. This report describes two typical cases of PCIS.Case presentationThe first patient presented with signs of progressive cardiac tamponade that occurred two weeks after implantation of a permanent pacemaker. Echocardiography confirmed the presence of a moderate amount of newly-formed pericardial effusion. The second patient underwent PCI for the right coronary artery. However, despite an uneventful procedure, the patient experienced dyspnea, tightness of chest and cold sweats, and bradycardia two hours after the procedure. Echocardiography findings, which showed a moderate amount of newly-formed pericardial effusion, suggested acute cardiac tamponade, and compromised hemodynamics. Both patients recovered with medication.ConclusionThese cases illustrated that PCIS can occur after minor myocardial injury, and that the possibility of PCIS should be considered if there is a history of possible cardiac insult.

This work presents a portable wireless urine detection system which consists of an electrochemical readout application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and a biosensor composed of 2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) and carbon nanotube (ABTS-CNT) for the detection of urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). The ASIC includes a potentiostat, a digital circuitry and a power management circuit which can perform electrochemistry techniques with a dual-channel screen-printing carbon electrode (SPCE). Electrochemical experiments on the proposed biosensor (SPCE|ABTS-CNT|Nafion) have revealed promising sensing characteristics for creatinine and human serum albumin detection. Practical urine tests has demonstrated the capability of the proposed urine detection system for UACR detection with both the power-efficient readout ASIC and the ABTS-CNT biosensor. A user-friendly prototype has also been designed which can be useful for either personal health administrationor homecare.