Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society
-
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Clinical safety of the ProMRI pacemaker system in patients subjected to thoracic spine and cardiac 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging scanning conditions.
Permanent cardiac pacemakers have historically been considered a contraindication to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ⋯ The results of the ProMRI Phase B study demonstrate the clinical safety and efficacy of the ProMRI pacemaker system in patients subjected to thoracic spine and cardiac MRI conditions.
-
Multicenter Study Clinical Trial Observational Study
Ventricular antitachycardia pacing therapy in patients with heart failure implanted with a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator device: Efficacy, safety, and impact on mortality.
Cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator can terminate ventricular tachycardia (VT) and fast VT (FVT) via antitachycardia pacing (ATP). ⋯ ATP was effective in terminating VT/FVT episodes and displayed a good safety profile. ATP therapies by themselves did not increase death risk; prognosis was indeed better in patients without arrhythmic episodes, even if they received inappropriate ATP, than in patients with ATP on VT/FVT episodes. Adverse outcomes observed in patients receiving implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapies are probably related to the arrhythmia itself, a marker of disease progression, rather than to adverse effects of ATP.
-
The QT interval measures cardiac repolarization, and prolongation is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and death. The exponential Bazett correction formula overestimates the QT interval during tachycardia. ⋯ Although all correction formulas demonstrated an association between QTc values and cardiovascular events, only the Hodges formula identified one-third of individuals with tachycardia that are at higher risk of all-cause mortality. Furthermore, the Bazett correction formula overestimates the number of patients with a prolonged QT interval and was not associated with mortality. Future work may validate these findings and result in changes to automated algorithms for QT interval assessment.
-
Observational Study
Stroke prevention using dabigatran in elderly Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation.
Little is known about the clinical benefit of a non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant compared with warfarin in elderly Chinese patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). ⋯ In elderly Chinese patients with AF, this study suggested that dabigatran achieved superior stroke risk reduction and similar risk of ICH compared with warfarin with TTR ≥55%. Dabigatran may be preferable to warfarin in elderly patients with AF for stroke prevention, particularly in those with poor TTR.