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Introduction: Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is a safe and effective treatment of upper urinary tract calculi. While serious side effects are rare, transient cardiac dysrhythmias (CD) may be associated with ESWL. The exact etiology of these events, which are often unpredictable, is poorly understood. Awareness of CD during ESWL and identification of risk factors for developing them could help clinicians predict and manage them safely and effectively. The current study examines selected variables to determine whether they may predispose individuals to developing CD during ESWL.
Methods: We compared 16 patients who experienced CD during ESWL to 56 control patients. Cases and controls were compared with respect to several continuous and discrete variables, including age, pre-treatment heart rate, number of shocks received during treatment, energy setting of the lithotripter, gender, presence of a ureteric stent, previous ESWL and side being treated.
Results: Cardiac dysrhythmias occurred more frequently in younger patients and in those being treated for right-sided stones. The other variables did not influence the likelihood of CD. All CD resolved promptly following conversion to electrocardiogram (ECG)-gating.
Conclusion: Younger age and right-sided treatment predisposed individuals to developing CD during ESWL. Careful ECG monitoring should be performed during treatment.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.10122 | DOI Listing |
Heart Rhythm
September 2025
Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States. Electronic address:
Background: Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) utilize "E-liquids" in order to generate "E-vapor", an inhalable aerosolized mixture containing nicotine and flavors. Flavored ENDS are very popular among teens who vape, however, the possible cardiac electrophysiological harm of inhalation exposure to flavored ENDS are not fully understood.
Objective: To test if inhalation exposure to flavoring carbonyls in e-liquids compromises mitochondrial integrity, increases oxidative stress, and leads to cardiac electrophysiological toxicity.
Exp Physiol
September 2025
Unit of Cardiac Physiology, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, 3.24 Core Technology Facility, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
The phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor sildenafil suppresses ventricular arrhythmias in a sheep model of drug-induced long QT. In that study, ventricular arrhythmias were abolished by reducing premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) and delaying PVC onset, thus preventing 'R-on-T' ventricular tachycardia. Evidence for effects in humans with arrhythmias is lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Interv Card Electrophysiol
September 2025
Cardiac Ablation Solutions, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Background: Catheter ablation is beneficial in patients with symptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation (PerAF), and pulsed field ablation (PFA) is a promising energy source to safely and durably create ablation lesions. However, catheter-specific "PFA waveforms and designs" result in effectiveness and safety profiles that are not transferable to other PFA technologies. A head-to-head comparison between the dual-energy, wide-footprint lattice-tip (Sphere-9, Medtronic) and pentaspline PFA catheter (Farawave, Boston Scientific) is not yet available.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRev Med Suisse
August 2025
Service de cardiologie, HFR Fribourg - Hôpital cantonal, 1752 Villars-sur-Glâne.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in the elderly and often incidental. While anticoagulation is facilitated by risk-stratification scores, rate versus rhythm-control in the elderly and likely asymptomatic population remain challenging. We report an 80-year-old male with newly diagnosed slow AF, referred for an electrical cardioversion after amiodarone loading.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Noninvasive Electrocardiol
September 2025
Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Bar Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
Objective: To investigate two conditions that have been poorly investigated in the medical literature before in the context of atrial fibrillation: the coexistence and association of right or left bundle branch block and axis deviation in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation compared to the control group of healthy subjects with sinus rhythm.
Material And Methods: We conducted an analytic, retrospective observational study performed at Ziv Medical Center, Safed, Israel, collecting data from medical history records of all patients that have been diagnosed with permanent atrial fibrillation versus healthy controlled patients with normal sinus rhythm. We analyzed their ECGs in order to assess the presence of any bundle branch block and/or axis deviation.