Recent-onset atrial fibrillation: challenges and opportunities.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is increasingly diagnosed early, close to its first occurrence due to: (i) increased public awareness with self-screening; (ii) health care initiatives including population screening and opportunistic case finding; and (iii) increased use and surveillance of implantable cardiac devices. At its onset, AF is often low burden, and cardiovascular co-morbidities may be absent or at an early stage. Thus, the management of recent-onset AF has become an issue of growing importance.

The association between seasonality and the incidence of permanent pacemaker implantations due to atrioventricular block.

The Winter season is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity. Scarce data exists regarding seasonal variation and permanent pacemaker implantation (PPM) due to advanced atrioventricular (AV) block. A retrospective analysis including 759 consecutive patients with AV-block requiring PPM implantation in a tertiary university medical center was performed.

Arrhythmia care in ESC member countries: the 2025 ESC-EHRA atlas on heart rhythm disorders.

The ESC-EHRA Atlas on Heart Rhythm Disorders was developed to comprehensively map arrhythmia care across the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member countries. A survey of National Cardiac Societies, Working Groups, and other EHRA partners in ESC member countries was conducted to gather data from 2023 or the most recently available year on arrhythmia care organization and delivery. In total, 51 ESC member countries actively participated in the study, with a survey completeness rate of 91%.

The effect of national stress events on the incidence of Takotsubo syndrome.

We aimed to analyze whether national level stressful events were associated with an increase the incidence of Takotsubo syndrome. Takotsubo syndrome is an acute reversible heart failure, characterized by transient regional wall abnormality in the absence of a culprit coronary disease, usually caused by acute stressful etiologies. The terror attack of October 7th 2023 and the subsequent war had an enormous impact on the society in Israel.

First-line vs Second-Line Catheter Ablation Therapy for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation-Data from a National Multicentre Registry.

Background: An early catheter ablation treatment strategy is effective for rhythm control in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). In clinical practice, most patients undergo catheter ablation as a second-line treatment, following a trial of antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). We aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of AF catheter ablation performed as a first-line vs a second-line approach, based on data from the nationwide, multicentre Israeli Catheter Ablation Registry.

CHADS-VASc Score as a Predictor for Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence and Clinical Outcomes Following Pulmonary Vein Isolation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia in adults, associated with serious cardiovascular complications such as ischemic stroke, heart failure, and myocardial infarction. Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an established rhythm-control strategy for AF. Although the CHADS-VASc score is primarily used to estimate stroke risk in patients with AF, its potential utility in predicting AF recurrence after PVI has not been fully explored in contemporary, real-world multicenter settings.

Effectiveness of cryoballoon ablation for atrial fibrillation in patients with left common pulmonary vein variant.

Background: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with cryoballoon technology is widely used for rhythm control in atrial fibrillation (AF). However, there are limited data on its effectiveness in patients with the left common pulmonary vein (LCPV) variant.

Objective: The study aimed to examine the outcomes of cryoballoon ablation in patients with the LCPV variant.

[PRE-PARTICIPATION SCREENING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LEISURE ACTIVITIES AIMED AT HEALTH IMPROVEMENT AND NON-COMPETITIVE SPORTS PARTICIPATION- A DOCUMENT ON BEHALF OF THE SPORTS CARDIOLOGY FORUM, THE ISRAELI CARDIOLOGY ASSOCIATION].

The present position paper focuses on screening individuals from the general population who are interested in engaging in leisure time physical activities. This document, which relies on the expert perspective of the Sports Cardiology Forum of the Israeli Heart Society, was created to equip attending physicians with essential tools for addressing such inquiries. Given that sudden death resulting from ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of mortality among individuals over 35 years old who participate in high-intensity sports, screening within this demographic aims to detect coronary disease and its risk factors.

Comparative analysis of anaesthesia modalities in pulmonary vein isolation: insights from a prospective multicentre registry.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia in adults, is increasing in prevalence globally. Catheter ablation (CA), particularly pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), is a key treatment option. Pulmonary vein isolation can be performed using different energy sources, including cryoballoon ablation (CBA), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), or pulse field ablation.

A proposed algorithm for management of patients with left bundle branch block post-TAVR: 1-year follow-up.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has revolutionized the management of aortic stenosis and has become the standard of care across a broad spectrum of patients with aortic stenosis. However, it is still associated with high incidence of conduction abnormalities, particularly new left bundle branch block (LBBB). Management of these patients remains a challenge.

Risk calculator for incident atrial fibrillation across a range of prediction horizons.

Background: The increasing burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) emphasizes the need to identify high-risk individuals for enrolment in clinical trials of AF screening and primary prevention. We aimed to develop prediction models to identify individuals at high-risk of AF across prediction horizons from 6-months to 10-years.

Methods: We used secondary-care linked primary care electronic health record data from individuals aged ≥30 years without known AF in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink-GOLD dataset between January 2, 1998 and November 30, 2018; randomly divided into derivation (80%) and validation (20%) datasets.

Risk of atrial fibrillation and association with other diseases: protocol of the derivation and international external validation of a prediction model using nationwide population-based electronic health records.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major public health issue and there is rationale for the early diagnosis of AF before the first complication occurs. Previous AF screening research is limited by low yields of new cases and strokes prevented in the screened populations. For AF screening to be clinically and cost-effective, the efficiency of identification of newly diagnosed AF needs to be improved and the intervention offered may have to extend beyond oral anticoagulation for stroke prophylaxis.

Compound Heterozygosity for Late-Onset Cardiomyopathy-Causative ALPK3 Coding Variant and Novel Intronic Variant Cause Infantile Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy (HCM, DCM) are leading causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in children. The pseudokinase alpha-protein kinase 3 (ALPK3) plays an essential role in sarcomere organization and cardiomyocyte differentiation. ALPK3 coding mutations are causative of recessively inherited pediatric-onset DCM and HCM with variable expression of facial dysmorphism and skeletal abnormalities and implicated in dominantly inherited adult-onset cardiomyopathy.

Estimated glomerular filtration rate and the risk of stroke in individuals with diabetes mellitus and atrial fibrillation insight from a large contemporary population study.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with increased risk of embolic complications in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Impaired renal function (IRF) increases the risk of stroke as well, but this finding is not consistent among all studies. Our aim was to assess the incidence rates and risk of ischemic stroke and mortality by baseline Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) levels Among individuals with AF and DM.

Amiodarone and pulmonary toxicity in atrial fibrillation: a nationwide Israeli study.

Background And Aims: Amiodarone-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most severe adverse effect of amiodarone treatment. Most data on amiodarone-related ILD are derived from periods when amiodarone was given at higher doses than currently used.

Methods: A nationwide population-based study was conducted among patients with incident atrial fibrillation (AF) between 1 December 1999 and 31 December 31 2021.

Sex differences in ventricular arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation and atrioventricular block complicating acute myocardial infarction.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by tachyarrhythmias or high-grade atrioventricular block (HAVB) may lead to increased mortality.

Purpose: To evaluate the sex differences in patients with AMI complicated by tachyarrhythmias and HAVB and their associated outcomes.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the incidence rates of arrhythmias following AMI from the Acute Coronary Syndrome Israeli Survey database from 2000 to 2018.

Incident cardiovascular, renal, metabolic diseases and death in individuals identified for risk-guided atrial fibrillation screening: a nationwide cohort study.

Objective: Risk-guided atrial fibrillation (AF) screening may be an opportunity to prevent adverse events in addition to stroke. We compared events rates for new diagnoses of cardio-renal-metabolic diseases and death in individuals identified at higher versus lower-predicted AF risk.

Methods: From the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink-GOLD dataset, 2 January 1998-30 November 2018, we identified individuals aged ≥30 years without known AF.

A case report of rapid diagnosis of atrial-oesophageal fistula by transthoracic echocardiogram with agitated saline injection.

Background: Catheter ablation is a common treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). Atrial-oesophageal fistula (AOF) is a rare yet fatal complication of catheter ablation. Chest computed tomography (CT) is the diagnostic modality of choice but may be undiagnostic in up to 24% of cases.

Clinical Outcomes of Patients with COVID-19 Infection and Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices.

Background: Existing cardiac disease contributes to poor outcome in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Little information exists regarding COVID-19 infection in patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED).

Objectives: To assess the association between CIEDs and severity of COVID-19 infection.

Prediction of short-term atrial fibrillation risk using primary care electronic health records.

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) screening by age achieves a low yield and misses younger individuals. We aimed to develop an algorithm in nationwide routinely collected primary care data to predict the risk of incident AF within 6 months (Future Innovations in Novel Detection of Atrial Fibrillation (FIND-AF)).

Methods: We used primary care electronic health record data from individuals aged ≥30 years without known AF in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink-GOLD dataset between 2 January 1998 and 30 November 2018, randomly divided into training (80%) and testing (20%) datasets.