Battery Longevity in Modern Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy-Defibrillators.

Background: Battery longevity in high-voltage devices (HVDs), specifically implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-Ds), is critical for reducing the frequency of generator replacements, minimizing procedural risks, and enhancing patient outcomes. Despite technological advancements, significant variability in battery performance remains among the major manufacturers. This study aimed to evaluate the battery longevity among ICDs and CRT-Ds from the major manufacturers implanted at a single institution and identify the factors influencing battery depletion.

Neuropeptide Y drives ventricular arrhythmogenesis in chronic ischemic heart failure via calcium mishandling.

Background: Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in chronic ischemic heart failure (HF) are associated with high mortality and often refractory to beta-blocker treatment, highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic targets.

Objective: This study investigates the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY), a neurotransmitter released during sympathoexcitation, in the pathogenesis of VAs associated with ischemic chronic HF following myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: Using a mouse model of ischemic chronic HF after coronary ligation, we employed biochemical, electrophysiological, and calcium ion (Ca) imaging analyses to investigate the proarrhythmic mechanisms of NPY.

Clinical Phenotyping and Treatment Response in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.

Background: There are little data on clinically meaningful heart failure (HF) phenogroups, which are associated with treatment response across the wide spectrum of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction.

Objectives: The authors aimed to identify the phenotypes of patients with HF with different prognoses and responses to medical therapies.

Methods: We examined consecutive 2,301 chronic HF patients from the ELMSTAT-HF (EpidemioLogical Multicenter Study for Tailored Treatment in Heart Failure) registry, a prospective multicenter cohort in which 2,317 patients were enrolled between January 2020 and September 2024.

Impact of right ventricular reserve function during exercise on aortic valve opening in patients with left ventricular assist device.

Background: Although aortic valve (AV) opening during exercise has fewer adverse events in patients with a left ventricular (LV) assist device (LVAD), factors associated with it remain unclear. We hypothesized that right ventricular (RV) reserve function is associated with the AV opening status. This study aimed to explore the hemodynamic parameters observed at rest and during maximal exercise and investigate the association between the RV reserve function and AV opening status in patients with an LVAD.

Chronic Active Myocarditis and Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy - Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment.

Myocarditis is a heterogeneous disease with diverse etiologies and clinical trajectories. Traditionally, its diagnosis has been guided by the Dallas criteria, which focus on histopathological features. Clinically, myocarditis is categorized as acute or chronic based on the duration since symptom onset.

General Anesthesia Surgery for Early Breast Cancer in a Patient with Severe Heart Failure due to Dilated Cardiomyopathy: A Case Report.

Introduction: Perioperative mortality is significantly higher in cases of heart failure with severe left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) reduction, making it challenging to decide whether to proceed with surgery for early-stage breast cancer, which is not immediately fatal. However, the prognosis of heart failure has improved and breast cancer is increasingly becoming a prognostic factor. Herein, we report the case of a breast cancer patient with severe heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DC), who was deemed fit to undergo surgery under general anesthesia after obtaining sufficient informed consent and achieving improvement in heart failure symptoms during endocrine therapy.

Serum Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide as a Novel Biomarker for Low-Voltage Areas in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Low-voltage areas in the left atrium predict atrial fibrillation recurrence after catheter ablation and are associated with adverse outcomes like death, heart failure, and stroke. Detecting low-voltage areas (LVAs) typically requires invasive procedures, highlighting the need for a simple, minimally invasive marker. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neuropeptide released during parasympathetic stimulation, affects electrophysiological remodeling in atrial fibrillation.

Impact of snowfall on emergency medical system and mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) requires rapid transportation by the emergency medical system (EMS). In snowy areas, traffic conditions may delay EMS transport times and increase mortality rate of ACS. However, there is a paucity of systemic data showing how snowfall affects the EMS and mortality in patients with ACS.

Prognostic Value of Reticulocyte Production Ability in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.

Background: Anemia is frequently observed and associated with mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). Although the quality of erythropoiesis is an intrinsic aspect of anemia's pathophysiology, its prognostic value in HF patients is unclear.

Methods: Between January 2020 and October 2023, 1328 symptomatic patients with chronic HF from a multicentre registry were prospectively examined.

Prevalence, incidence, and clinical features of cardiac involvement in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Background: The epidemiology and characteristics of cardiac involvement in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis remain unclear. We aimed to determine the prevalence, incidence, and clinical features of cardiac sarcoidosis in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis.

Methods: The characteristics of patients with biopsy-proven pulmonary sarcoidosis were retrospectively evaluated.

Real-World Long-Term Effectiveness of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Elderly Patients.

Background: Because it is unclear whether implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are equally effective in patients of all ages, we investigated the association of age with long-term clinical outcomes of patients who underwent ICD implantation.

Methods And Results: A total of 416 consecutive patients (mean age: 69 years) from 4 tertiary hospitals who underwent ICD implantation or were upgraded from an existing permanent pacemaker between January 2011 and November 2022 were enrolled and divided into 3 groups based on age: <65 years (n=158), 65-74 years (n=138), and ≥75 years (n=120). We compared the incidence of all-cause death and adverse cardiovascular events, including cardiac death, appropriate ICD therapy, and heart failure hospitalization.

Effect of low-dose administration of carperitide for acute heart failure: the LASCAR-AHF trial.

Aims: The effects of low-dose carperitide on long-term clinical outcomes of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) have not yet been fully elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of low-dose intravenous carperitide on the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with AHF.

Methods And Results: In this multicentre, open-label, randomized controlled trial, 247 patients with AHF received low-dose carperitide intravenously with standard treatment or matching standard treatment for 72 h from November 2014 to March 2021 across nine sites in Japan.

Usefulness of the Slope of the Preload Recruitable Stroke Work Relationship for the Prediction of Rehospitalization After Transcatheter Mitral Edge-to-Edge Repair.

Background: Among patients with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR), responders to transcatheter mitral edge-to-edge repair (TEER) remain unclear. We investigated whether the slope of the preload recruitable stroke work relationship (M; calculated as stroke work / [EDV - k × EDV + {1 - k} × LV wall], where EDV is end-diastolic volume, k is a constant, and LV wall is the volume of the left ventricular wall) could predict rehospitalization in FMR patients after TEER.

Methods And Results: Mwas calculated for 24 FMR patients using echocardiography.