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Smartwatch and fitness band wearable consumer electronics can passively measure pulse rate from the wrist using photoplethysmography (PPG). Identification of pulse irregularity or variability from these data has the potential to identify atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter (AF, collectively). The rapidly expanding consumer base of these devices allows for detection of undiagnosed AF at scale. The Apple Heart Study is a prospective, single arm pragmatic study that has enrolled 419,093 participants (NCT03335800). The primary objective is to measure the proportion of participants with an irregular pulse detected by the Apple Watch (Apple Inc, Cupertino, CA) with AF on subsequent ambulatory ECG patch monitoring. The secondary objectives are to: 1) characterize the concordance of pulse irregularity notification episodes from the Apple Watch with simultaneously recorded ambulatory ECGs; 2) estimate the rate of initial contact with a health care provider within 3 months after notification of pulse irregularity. The study is conducted virtually, with screening, consent and data collection performed electronically from within an accompanying smartphone app. Study visits are performed by telehealth study physicians via video chat through the app, and ambulatory ECG patches are mailed to the participants. The results of this trial will provide initial evidence for the ability of a smartwatch algorithm to identify pulse irregularity and variability which may reflect previously unknown AF. The Apple Heart Study will help provide a foundation for how wearable technology can inform the clinical approach to AF identification and screening.

ObjectiveWe aimed to compare cryoballoon pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with standard radiofrequency cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation as first-line treatment for typical atrial flutter (AFL).MethodsCryoballoon Pulmonary Vein Isolation as First-Line Treatment for Typical Atrial Flutter was an international, multicentre, open with blinded assessment trial. Patients with CTI-dependent AFL and no documented atrial fibrillation (AF) were randomised to either cryoballoon PVI alone or radiofrequency CTI ablation. Primary efficacy outcome was time to first recurrence of sustained (>30 s) symptomatic atrial arrhythmia (AF/AFL/atrial tachycardia) at 12 months as assessed by continuous monitoring with an implantable loop recorder. Primary safety outcome was a composite of death, stroke, tamponade requiring drainage, atrio-oesophageal fistula, pacemaker implantation, serious vascular complications or persistent phrenic nerve palsy.ResultsTrial recruitment was halted at 113 of the target 130 patients because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (PVI, n=59; CTI ablation, n=54). Median age was 66 (IQR 61–71) years, with 98 (86.7%) men. At 12 months, the primary outcome occurred in 11 (18.6%) patients in the PVI group and 9 (16.7%) patients in the CTI group. There was no significant difference in the primary efficacy outcome between the groups (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.46 to 2.67). AFL recurred in six (10.2%) patients in the PVI arm and one (1.9%) patient in the CTI arm (p=0.116). Time to occurrence of AF of ≥2 min was significantly reduced with cryoballoon PVI (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.85). The composite safety outcome occurred in four patients in the PVI arm and three patients in the CTI arm (p=1.000).ConclusionCryoballoon PVI as first-line treatment for AFL is equally effective compared with standard CTI ablation for preventing recurrence of atrial arrhythmia and better at preventing new-onset AF.Trial registration number NCT03401099.

In two multicenter, randomized trials, the antiarrhythmic agent dronedarone was compared with placebo for the maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation. With pooled data from the two trials, the median time to the recurrence of atrial fibrillation was 116 days in the dronedarone group and 53 days in the placebo group. With pooled data from two trials, the median time to the recurrence of atrial fibrillation was 116 days in the dronedarone group and 53 days in the placebo group. Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia requiring hospitalization. 1 , 2 Although arrhythmia-related symptoms and thromboembolic strokes are significantly reduced by anticoagulation therapy and rate control, sinus rhythm is often associated with improvement in exercise capacity and quality of life. 3 Therefore, restoration and maintenance of sinus rhythm remain major therapeutic goals for patients with atrial fibrillation. 3 – 6 Amiodarone is an especially potent atrial antifibrillatory agent, 7 but it induces potentially serious side effects in some patients. 7 – 10 Thus, compounds that are devoid of such effects but that retain the antiarrhythmic potential of amiodarone are therapeutically desirable. 7 , 11 Dronedarone is a benzofuran derivative . . .

Background The role of antiarrhythmic drugs for atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF/AFL) after catheter ablation is not well established. Hypothesis We hypothesized that changing the myocardial substrate by ablation may alter the responsiveness to dronedarone. Methods We assessed the efficacy and safety of dronedarone in the treatment of paroxysmal/persistent atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF/AFL) post‐ablation, based on a post hoc analysis of the ATHENA study. A total of 196 patients (dronedarone 90, placebo 106) had an ablation for AF/AFL before study entry. In these patients, the effect of treatment on the first hospitalization because of cardiovascular (CV) events/all‐cause death was assessed, as was AF/AFL recurrence in individuals with sinus rhythm at baseline. The safety of dronedarone vs placebo was also determined. Results In patients with prior ablation, dronedarone reduced the risk of AF/AFL recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.65 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.42, 1.00]; P < .05) as well as the median time to first AF/AFL recurrence (561 vs 180 days) compared with placebo. The HR for first CV hospitalization/all‐cause death with dronedarone vs placebo was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.62, 1.53; P = .91). Rates of treatment‐emergent adverse events were 83.1% vs 75.5% and rates of serious TEAEs were 27.0% vs 18.9% in the dronedarone and placebo groups, respectively. One death occurred with dronedarone (not treatment‐emergent) and five occurred with placebo. Conclusion In patients with prior ablation for AF/AFL, dronedarone reduced the risk of AF/AFL recurrence compared with placebo, but not the risk of first CV hospitalization/all‐cause death. Safety outcomes were consistent with those of the overall ATHENA study.

Background Management of adults with atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter in the emergency department (ED) includes rate reduction, cardioversion, and stroke prevention. Different approaches to these components of care may lead to variation in frequency of hospitalization and stroke prevention actions, with significant implications for patient experience, cost of care, and risk of complications. Standardization using evidence-based recommendations could reduce variation in management, preventable hospitalizations, and stroke risk. Methods We describe the rationale for our ED-based AF treatment recommendations. We also describe the development of an electronic clinical decision support system (CDSS) to deliver these recommendations to emergency physicians at the point of care. We implemented the CDSS at three pilot sites to assess feasibility and solicit user feedback. We will evaluate the impact of the CDSS on hospitalization and stroke prevention actions using a stepped-wedge cluster randomized pragmatic clinical trial across 13 community EDs in Northern California. Discussion We hypothesize that the CDSS intervention will reduce hospitalization of adults with isolated AF or atrial flutter presenting to the ED and increase anticoagulation prescription in eligible patients at the time of ED discharge and within 30 days. If our hypotheses are confirmed, the treatment protocol and CDSS could be recommended to other EDs to improve management of adults with AF or atrial flutter. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05009225 .  Registered on 17 August 2021.

A total of 1500 nonthoracic MRI examinations were performed on patients with a non–MRI-conditional pacemaker or ICD, after programming of the devices in accordance with a standardized protocol. No patient whose device was appropriately programmed had device or lead failure. The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) poses potential safety concerns for patients with an implanted cardiac device (cardiac pacemaker or implantable cardioverter–defibrillator [ICD]). These concerns are a consequence of the potential for magnetic field–induced cardiac lead heating, which could result in myocardial thermal injury and detrimental changes in pacing properties. 1 – 3 As a result, it has long been recommended that patients with an implanted cardiac device not undergo MRI scanning, even when it otherwise may be considered to be the most appropriate diagnostic imaging method for the patient’s clinical care. 4 Over the past two decades, cardiac devices have been . . .

Atrial flutter, a prevalent cardiac arrhythmia, is primarily characterized by reentrant circuits in the right atrium. However, atypical forms of atrial flutter present distinct challenges in terms of diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we examine three noteworthy clinical cases of atypical atrial flutter, which offer compelling evidence indicating the implication of the lesser-known Septopulmonary Bundle (SPB). This inference is based on the identification of distinct electrocardiographic patterns observed in these patients and their favorable response to catheter ablation, which is a standard treatment for atrial flutter. Remarkably, in each case, targeted ablation at the anterior portion of the left atrial roof effectively terminated the arrhythmia, thus providing further support for the hypothesis of SPB involvement. These insightful observations shed light on the potential significance of the SPB in the etiology of atypical atrial flutter and introduce a promising therapeutic target. We anticipate that this paper will stimulate further exploration into the role of the SPB in atrial flutter and pave the way for the development of targeted ablation strategies.

Introduction Managing recurrent atrial flutter (AFL) following radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) poses significant clinical challenges. Methods and results We report an 82-year-old male with mirror-image dextrocardia who developed AFL post-AF ablation. During the redo procedure, vein of Marshall ethanol infusion (VOM-Et) was employed as the initial intervention, successfully terminating the mitral isthmus (MI)-dependent AFL and transitioning into cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI)-dependent AFL during ethanol infusion. Subsequent ablation restored sinus rhythm. Conclusion Using VOM-EI as the initial intervention in patients with recurrent AFL is a feasible and safe approach, and to our knowledge, this represents the first reported case of VOM-EI in a patient with recurrent AFL in the setting of dextrocardia.

Background Force‐time integral (FTI) is an ablation marker of lesion quality and transmurality. A target FTI of 400 gram‐seconds (gs) has been shown to improve durability of pulmonary vein isolation, following atrial fibrillation ablation. However, relevant targets for cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation are lacking. Hypothesis We sought to investigate whether CTI ablation with 600 gs FTI lesions is associated with reduced rate of transisthmus conduction recovery compared to 400 gs lesions. Methods Fifty patients with CTI‐dependent flutter were randomized to ablation using 400 gs (FTI400 group, n = 26) or 600 gs FTI lesions (FTI600 group, n = 24). The study endpoint was spontaneous or adenosine‐mediated recovery of transisthmus conduction, after a 20‐min waiting period. Results The study endpoint occurred in five patients (19.2%) in group FTI400 and in four patients (16.7%) in group FTI600, p = .81. First‐pass CTI block was similar in both groups (50% in FTI400 vs. 54.2% in FTI600, p = .77). There were no differences in the total number of lesions, total ablation time, procedure time and fluoroscopy duration between the two groups. There were no major complications in any group. In the total population, patients not achieving first‐pass CTI block had significantly higher rate of acute CTI conduction recovery, compared to those with first‐pass block (29.2% vs. 7.7% respectively, p = .048). Conclusions CTI ablation using 600 gs FTI lesions is not associated with reduced spontaneous or adenosine‐mediated recurrence of transisthmus conduction, compared to 400 gs lesions.

In this trial, patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation were assigned to either radiofrequency ablation or antiarrhythmic drug therapy as first-line treatment. There was no significant difference between the groups in the cumulative burden of AF over a 2-year period. Radiofrequency catheter ablation has emerged as an effective therapy for patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation who have recurrent episodes of arrhythmia despite antiarrhythmic drug therapy. 1 – 8 It has been suggested that pulmonary-vein isolation can also be used as first-line treatment in selected patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, 6 and there are physiological reasons to assume that ablation as first-line therapy might be more effective than later intervention. Irreversible structural changes such as fibrosis and myolysis are commonly detected in the atria when atrial fibrillation has become persistent, 9 , 10 and extensive atrial fibrosis detected by magnetic resonance imaging predicts a poor outcome . . .