Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology
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The aim of this study was to examine health-care professionals attitudes towards implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy and issues discussed with patients. ⋯ Physicians focus on clinical rather than psychosocial issues when discussing ICD treatment with candidate patients. At the same time, physicians are more aware that their attitude towards ICD treatment may influence how they deal professionally with patients compared with non-physicians.
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Ophthalmic laser treatments are discouraged in patients with implantable pulse generators (IPGs, pacemakers) and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) due to potential effects of the electromagnetic interference (EMI) emitted by ophthalmic laser systems. We assessed the effects of EMI generated by ophthalmic laser systems and laser discharge on IPG and ICD function. ⋯ The St Jude Medical Victory IPG and Atlas II + ICD were not affected by the EMI emitted by the ophthalmic laser systems.
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We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different antitachycardia pacing (ATP) sites in heart failure (HF) patients with a biventricular implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). ⋯ In HF patients treated with BiV ICD, overall ATP efficacy is higher when delivered from LV or BiV than from RV. Biventricular-ATP and LV-ATP are also safer than RV-ATP in the slow VT zone.
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Case Reports
Diaphragm paralysis due to pseudoaneurysm of internal mammary artery after pacemaker implantation.
A patient was admitted with pain in the left shoulder and neck 15 days after pacemaker implantation. A pseudoaneurysm of the left internal mammary artery was found and a transarterial coil embolization was performed.
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Although useful, percutaneous left atrial ablation for pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) does not eliminate atrial fibrillation (AF) in all patients. The ablation of complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs) has been proposed as an adjunctive strategy to improve the maintenance of sinus rhythm after PVI. Our objective was to analyse the efficacy of adjunctive CFAE ablation. ⋯ Pulmonary vein isolation followed by adjunctive CFAE ablation is associated with increased freedom from AF after a single procedure. Adjunctive CFAE ablation increased procedural, fluoroscopy, and RF application times, and the risk/benefit profile of adjunctive CFAE ablation deserves further evaluation with additional studies and longer-term follow-up.