The role of multimodal cardiac imaging in managing electrical storms in severe heart calcifications: a case report.

Background: Intramyocardial calcifications are rare and associated with conditions such as myocardial infarction, rheumatic heart disease, and calcium metabolism disorders. These calcifications carry significant prognostic value, often leading to severe complications like ventricular arrhythmias, increased morbidity, and mortality. They can pose challenges for treatment, especially when ablation is ineffective due to the calcifications acting as physical barriers.

Evaluating the Efficacy of a Pre-Established Lipid-Lowering Algorithm in Managing Hypercholesterolemia in Patients at Very High Cardiovascular Risk.

Background: Recent data from European studies (EUROASPIRE V, DA VINCI, SANTORINI) indicate that achieving the LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) target in patients at very high cardiovascular risk is uncommon. Additionally, using a combination therapy involving statins and ezetimibe remains infrequent.

Methods: A single-center assessment of a pre-defined lipid lowering treatment algorithm's effectiveness at achieving the LDL-C target in patients at very high cardiovascular risk one month and one year after hospitalization.

Impact of Pre-Transplant Left Ventricular Diastolic Pressure on Primary Graft Dysfunction after Lung Transplantation: A Narrative Review.

Lung transplantation (LT) constitutes the last therapeutic option for selected patients with end-stage respiratory disease. Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is a form of severe lung injury, occurring in the first 72 h following LT and constitutes the most common cause of early death after LT. The presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been reported to favor PGD development, with a negative impact on patients' outcomes while complicating medical management.

Emerging Trends in Left Ventricular Thrombus: A Comprehensive Review of Non-Ischemic and Ischemic Cardiopathies, Including Eosinophilic Myocarditis, Chagas Cardiomyopathy, Amyloidosis, and Innovative Anticoagulant Approaches.

This comprehensive review explores the intricate aspects of left ventricular thrombus (LVT), a potential complication in both ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. It provides a thorough understanding of left ventricular thrombus, revealing its uncommon incidence in the general population (7 cases per 10,000 patients), predominantly linked to ischemic heart diseases (ICMs) at an 80% prevalence rate. Diagnostic tools, notably transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), demonstrate varying sensitivity but remain indispensable in specific clinical contexts related to LVT as non-invasive diagnostic modalities.

Unmasking Pandemic Echoes: An In-Depth Review of Long COVID's Unabated Cardiovascular Consequences beyond 2020.

At the beginning of 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a new pandemic, leading to a worldwide health crisis and overwhelming healthcare systems due to high numbers of hospital admissions, insufficient resources, and a lack of standardized therapeutic protocols. Multiple genetic variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been detected since its first public declaration in 2020, some of them being considered variants of concern (VOCs) corresponding to several pandemic waves. Nevertheless, a growing number of COVID-19 patients are continuously discharged from hospitals, remaining symptomatic even months after their first episode of COVID-19 infection.

Typical dynamic electrocardiographic changes in Takotsubo syndrome.

Aims: Negative T waves and QTc prolongation often occur in patients with Takotsubo syndrome. Description of typical electrocardiographic changes could be a diagnosis element of this syndrome. This study aimed to clarify on the one hand the more preciously possible the typical electrocardiographic changes, and on the other hand, the timing of occurrence of these abnormalities compared to the trigger occurrence, the symptoms onset and the hospital admission.

A circular mapping catheter is not mandatory for isolating pulmonary veins during paroxysmal atrial fibrillation ablation with radiofrequency.

Purpose: In this study, we evaluated the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of radiofrequency ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) with the use of an ablation catheter only (non-CMC group) by retrospectively comparing its procedural success and recurrence rates at 1 year to ablation performed with the help of a circular mapping catheter (CMC group).

Methods: We compared the success and recurrence rates between 226 patients and 251 patients who underwent index ablation with and without the use of CMC, respectively.

Results: Freedom from recurrence was defined as a 1-year absence of AF/atrial tachycardia (AT) episodes > 30 s, beyond the 3-month blanking period.

Benchmarking Belgian CRT practice against the rest of Europe: insights from the ESC-CRT survey II.

This subanalysis of the Euro-CRT survey II specifically focus on Belgian practice for CRT implantation. It explores Belgian adherence with the guidelines but also benchmark CRT practice in Belgium against the other European countries. Overall, Belgian management of CRT implantation is performed with great agreement with guidelines.

Pulmonary veins isolation to retard pacemaker implantation.

Sick sinus syndrome is uncommon in children, and syndromic forms are rare. Some forms of sick sinus syndrome like the bradycardia-tachycardia type could be managed by a radiofrequency ablation, even in young children, and could be helpful to delay the implantation of a pacemaker.

Late diagnosis of a congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries discovered at pacemaker implantation in a patient previously diagnosed with dextrocardia and situs solitus.

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) should not be missed in patients with dextrocardia and situs solitus. We report a case of a 56-year-old man with late diagnosis of CCTGA after ventricular lead replacement. Free LV wall pacing may be favorable in these patients so to prevent deterioration of the systemic RV function.

New insights into the clinical signs of supraventricular tachycardia: The "sign of lace-tying".

Background: Supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) are a common arrhythmia therefore an accurate diagnosis is of clinical importance. Although an ECG performed during tachycardia greatly aids diagnosis, patient history and predisposing factors also improve diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: This prospective study included 100 consecutive patients undergoing electrophysiological study for SVT with the aim to reassess their clinical characteristics and describe frequent predisposing factors, such as the "sign of lace-tying" that to our knowledge has not previously been reported.

Night syncope: a case report.

"Idiopathic" ventricular fibrillations are rare and are estimated between 5% and 10% of survivors of hospital cardiac arrest, for at least some of them have as origin, a trigger in the Purkinje fibers. Interventional therapy could be an effective, long-lasting solution for these recurrent malignant arrhythmias and should be considered.

Integrity of the Ganglionated Plexi Is Essential to Parasympathetic Innervation of the Atrioventricular Node by the Right Vagus Nerve.

Introduction: Radiofrequency isolation of pulmonary vein can be accompanied by transient sinus bradycardia or atrioventricular nodal (AVN) block, suggesting an influence on vagal cardiac innervation. However, the importance of the atrial fat pads in relation with the vagal innervation of AVN in humans remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of ganglionated plexi (GP) in the innervation of the AVN by the right vagus nerve.

Seeks, finds, threats: Lyme disease!

Lyme borreliosis is a disease commonly found in humans. Here we report the case of a young, healthy girl presenting with symptomatic first- and second-degree atrioventricular blocks secondary to cardiac myocarditis. The disappearance of the conduction anomaly after antibiotic treatment confirmed Lyme disease before the results from the serology.

Pneumopericardium: an uncommon complication of atrial lead perforation following pacemaker implantation.

Cardiac perforation is an infrequent but potentially life-threatening complication of pacemaker implantation. We report a case of right atrial lead perforation complicated by pneumopericardium shortly after pacemaker lead insertion. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed no evidence of pericardial effusion and pacemaker lead displacement, but a thoracic computed tomography scan illustrated the lead course and confirmed the diagnosis.

Vasovagal syncope initiating ventricular fibrillation in a healthy subject.

A 62-year-old man with cured lymphoma as only significant medical history experienced a first reflex syncope after prolonged orthostatic posture, with cardiac arrest. Prolonged asystole was followed by ventricular fibrillation needing external defibrillation. The defibrillator provided complete recordings.

Syncope secondary to obesity?

The frequency of obesity is increasing worldwide. The relationship between obesity and mortality is known. Bariatric surgery is well established in the treatment of morbid obesity to reduce weight permanently.

A special ventricular arrhythmia!

Alcohol is the most widely tolerated and consumed drug worldwide. Alcohol consumption is associated with both good and bad cardiovascular effects. The link between drinking alcohol and heart disease, or arrhythmia, in healthy individuals or with existing heart disease has been well demonstrated.