The apicobasal dispersion of ventricular repolarization in humans is associated with age and affects arrhythmia vulnerability.

The apicobasal repolarization gradient (ABRG) plays an important role in determining the sequence of ventricular repolarization, but the effects of sex and age on ABRG are unknown. In this study, we investigate the age- and sex-related differences in ABRG and evaluate their possible role in vulnerability to arrhythmia. Electrocardiographic imaging was performed in 22 healthy subjects (16 females and 6 males) during sinus rhythm, and the average recovery time (RT) at the ventricular apex and base was determined.

Variant patterns of electrical activation and recovery in normal human hearts revealed by noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging.

Aims: Although electrical activity of the normal human heart is well characterized by the electrocardiogram, detailed insights into within-subject and between-subject variations of ventricular activation and recovery by noninvasive electroanatomic mapping are lacking. We characterized human epicardial activation and recovery within and between normal subjects using non-invasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) as a basis to better understand pathology.

Methods And Results: Epicardial activation and recovery were assessed by ECGI in 22 normal subjects, 4 subjects with bundle branch block (BBB) and 4 with long-QT syndrome (LQTS).

Multiple anthropometric measures and proarrhythmic 12-lead ECG indices: A mendelian randomization study.

Background: Observational studies suggest that electrocardiogram (ECG) indices might be influenced by obesity and other anthropometric measures, though it is difficult to infer causal relationships based on observational data due to risk of residual confounding. We utilized mendelian randomization (MR) to explore causal relevance of multiple anthropometric measures on P-wave duration (PWD), PR interval, QRS duration, and corrected QT interval (QTc).

Methods And Findings: Uncorrelated (r2 < 0.

Obesity as a risk factor for cardiac arrhythmias.

Obesity is global health problem with an estimated three billion people worldwide being classified as overweight or obese. In addition to being associated with a range of adverse health outcomes, obesity is linked to higher risks of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, as well as sudden cardiac death. Obesity is a multifactorial disease that often co-exists with hypertension, diabetes, and sleep apnoea, which are also independent risk factors for cardiac arrhythmias.

Association of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy With Future Cardiovascular Disease.

Conclusions And Relevance: The findings of this study provide genetic evidence supporting an association between HDPs and higher risk of coronary artery disease and stroke, which is only partially mediated by cardiometabolic factors. This supports classification of HDPs as risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A genome-wide genetic association study using mendelian randomization (MR) was performed from February 16 to March 4, 2022.

A fully-automated paper ECG digitisation algorithm using deep learning.

There is increasing focus on applying deep learning methods to electrocardiograms (ECGs), with recent studies showing that neural networks (NNs) can predict future heart failure or atrial fibrillation from the ECG alone. However, large numbers of ECGs are needed to train NNs, and many ECGs are currently only in paper format, which are not suitable for NN training. We developed a fully-automated online ECG digitisation tool to convert scanned paper ECGs into digital signals.

Increasing Adiposity Is Associated With QTc Interval Prolongation and Increased Ventricular Arrhythmic Risk in the Context of Metabolic Dysfunction: Results From the UK Biobank.

Background: Small-scale studies have linked obesity (Ob) and metabolic ill-health with proarrhythmic repolarisation abnormalities. Whether these are observed at a population scale, modulated by individuals' genetics, and confer higher risks of ventricular arrhythmias (VA) are not known.

Methods And Results: Firstly, using the UK Biobank, the association between adiposity and QTc interval was assessed in participants with a resting 12-lead ECG ( = 23,683), and a polygenic risk score (PRS) was developed to investigate any modulatory effect of genetics.

Maternal Hypertension Increases Risk of Preeclampsia and Low Fetal Birthweight: Genetic Evidence From a Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Maternal cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Given the difficulty in establishing causal relationships using epidemiological data, we applied Mendelian randomization to explore the role of cardiovascular risk factors on risk of developing preeclampsia or eclampsia, and low fetal birthweight.

Methods: Uncorrelated single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated systolic blood pressure (SBP), body mass index, type 2 diabetes, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) with cholesterol, smoking, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, and estimated glomerular filtration rate at genome-wide significance in studies of 298 957 to 1 201 909 European ancestry participants were selected as instrumental variables.

Neural networks applied to 12-lead electrocardiograms predict body mass index, visceral adiposity and concurrent cardiometabolic ill-health.

Background: Obesity is associated with electrophysiological remodeling, which manifests as detectable changes on the surface electrocardiogram (ECG).

Objective: To develop neural networks (NN) to predict body mass index (BMI) from ECGs and test the hypothesis that discrepancies between NN-predicted BMI and measured BMI are indicative of underlying adiposity and/or concurrent cardiometabolic ill-health.

Methods: NN models were developed using 36,856 12-lead resting ECGs from the UK Biobank.

Epicardial adipose tissue as a mediator of cardiac arrhythmias.

Obesity is associated with higher risks of cardiac arrhythmias. Although this may be partly explained by concurrent cardiometabolic ill-health, growing evidence suggests that increasing adiposity independently confers risk for arrhythmias. Among fat depots, epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) exhibits a proinflammatory secretome and, given the lack of fascial separation, has been implicated as a transducer of inflammation to the underlying myocardium.

Proarrhythmic electrophysiological and structural remodeling in rheumatoid arthritis.

Chronic inflammatory disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), are associated with a twofold increase in the incidence of sudden cardiac death (SCD) compared with the healthy population. Although this is partly explained by an increased prevalence of coronary artery disease, growing evidence suggests that ischemia alone cannot completely account for the increased risk. The present review explores the mechanisms of cardiac electrophysiological remodeling in response to chronic inflammation in RA.

The subcutaneous ICD-current evidence and challenges.

The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) represents an exciting development in ICD technology. It has relative advantages over traditional transvenous systems, particularly for young patients in whom the lifetime risk of device-related complications may be deemed to be unacceptably high. While data relating to device longevity and long term safety profile is yet to be accrued, several recent studies have demonstrated good clinical efficacy comparable to transvenous ICDs.