Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society
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Multicenter Study
Procainamide infusion in the evaluation of unexplained cardiac arrest: from the Cardiac Arrest Survivors with Preserved Ejection Fraction Registry (CASPER).
Provocative testing with sodium channel blockers is advocated for the evaluation of unexplained cardiac arrest (UCA) with the primary purpose of unmasking the typical ECG features of Brugada syndrome. The Cardiac Arrest Survivors with Preserved Ejection Fraction Registry (CASPER) systematically assesses subjects with UCA or a family history of sudden death (FHSD). ⋯ Irrespective of the baseline ECG, procainamide testing provoked a Brugada pattern in a significant proportion of subjects with UCA or a FHSD, thereby facilitating a diagnosis of Brugada syndrome, and is recommended in the workup of UCA.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Use and outcomes of antiarrhythmic therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation receiving oral anticoagulation: results from the ROCKET AF trial.
Antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) and anticoagulation are mainstays of atrial fibrillation (AF) treatment. ⋯ Treatment with AADs was not associated with increased morbidity or mortality in anticoagulated patients with AF. The effect of amiodarone on outcomes in patients receiving rivaroxaban requires further investigation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A pacemaker transthoracic impedance sensor with an advanced algorithm to identify severe sleep apnea: the DREAM European study.
Sleep apnea (SA) is associated with cardiovascular diseases and is highly prevalent in patients with pacemakers (PMs). ⋯ The results suggest that an advanced algorithm using PM transthoracic impedance could be used to identify SA in patients with PMs outside the clinic or at home.
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Silent cerebral ischemia (SCI) has been reported in 14% of cases after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) with radiofrequency (RF) energy and discontinuation of warfarin before AF ablation procedures. ⋯ Strict adherence to an anticoagulation protocol significantly reduces the prevalence of SCI after catheter ablation of AF with RF energy.
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It is difficult to predict adverse patient outcomes associated with transvenous lead extraction (TLE) procedures. ⋯ TLE in this single-center experience was highly successful. Risk factors associated with adverse patient outcomes were identified.