Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
General anesthesia reduces the prevalence of pulmonary vein reconnection during repeat ablation when compared with conscious sedation: results from a randomized study.
Radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation can be performed under general anesthesia or conscious sedation at the physician's preference. ⋯ The use of general anesthesia is associated with higher cure rate with a single procedure, and it seems to reduce the prevalence of PV reconnection observed at the time of repeat ablation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Predictors of long-term mortality in Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II (MADIT II) patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.
Data on long-term follow-up and factors influencing mortality in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) recipients are limited. ⋯ A combination of a few readily available clinical variables indicating advanced disease and comorbid conditions identifies ICD patients at high risk of mortality during long-term follow-up.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Systematic electrocardioversion for atrial fibrillation and role of antiarrhythmic drugs: a substudy of the SAFE-T trial.
Energy levels for electrocardioversion in atrial fibrillation (AF) have been empiric, and the influence of antiarrhythmic therapy compared with placebo is largely unknown. ⋯ Amiodarone and sotalol facilitated successful electrocardioversion, which could be achieved in a stepwise fashion. Upon achievement of successful electrocardioversion, amiodarone is superior to placebo, and sotalol has a lesser effect. Antiarrhythmic drugs had no effect on the total number of energy step use in patients who had successful electrocardioversion. Calcium channel blockers had no influence on the success rate in achieving sinus rhythm. Successful electrocardioversion was associated with lower BMI and AF history < or =1 year. Lower energy use was associated with biphasic shocks, lower BMI, and AF duration < or =1 year.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Electromagnetic interference with pacemakers caused by portable media players.
Electromagnetic fields generated by electrical devices may cause interference with permanent pacemakers. Media players are becoming a common mode of portable entertainment. The most common media players used worldwide are iPods. These devices are often carried in a shirt chest pocket, which may place the devices close to an implanted pacemaker. ⋯ iPods placed within 2 inches of implanted pacemakers monitored via the telemetry wand can cause interference with pacemakers.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Long-term outcomes of left bundle branch block in high-risk survivors of acute myocardial infarction: the VALIANT experience.
In survivors of myocardial infarction (MI), new left bundle branch block (LBBB) is associated with adverse outcomes, but its impact is not well described in post-MI patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and/or heart failure (HF). ⋯ In post-MI survivors with LV systolic dysfunction and/or HF, new LBBB was an independent predictor of all major adverse cardiovascular outcomes during long-term follow-up. This readily available ECG marker should be considered a major risk factor for long-term cardiovascular complications in high-risk patients after MI.