Hidemori Hayashi

Rapid Improvement and Long-term Stability of Pacing Threshold with Active-fixation Screw-in Lead

Background: Active‐fixation screw‐in leads are associated with initially high thresholds. However, pacing thresholds have been shown to improve within several minutes after screwin. The aim of this study is to investigate the long‐term stability of rapidly improved pacing thresholds following the implantation of active‐fixation screw‐in leads.

A proposal of clinical ECG index “vagal score” for determining the mechanism of paroxysmal atrioventricular block

Paroxysmal atrioventricular block (P‐AVB) is a well‐known cause of syncope; however, its underlying mechanism is difficult to determine. This study aimed to evaluate a new ECG index, the “vagal score (VS),” to determine the mechanism of P‐AVB.

The use of serum bepridil concentration as a safe rhythm control strategy in patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of serum bepridil (Bep) concentration (SBC) for safely managing patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias (AT).

Registry of Japanese patients with atrial fibrillation focused on anticoagulant therapy in the new era: The RAFFINE registry study design and baseline characteristics

BACKGROUND The management of atrial fibrillation (AF) has evolved with the development of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), but data on their clinical effectiveness and safety outside clinical trial settings are limited. METHOD The RAFFINE registry is an observational, multicenter, prospective registry of Japanese patients with AF, designed to follow clinical events over 3 years. Patient enrollment was conducted from 2013 to 2015 at university hospitals, general hospitals, and private clinics to ensure inclusion of a broad spectrum of representative AF patients. The primary outcome events in this study will be ischemic stroke, systemic embolism, and major bleeding. RESULT We enrolled 3901 ambulatory patients with AF from 4 university hospitals and 50 general hospitals/clinics in Japan. The mean patient age was 72.6 years and 68.5% were male. The type of AF was paroxysmal in 37.8%, persistent in 9.3%, and permanent in 51.7%. Major coexisting diseases were hypertension (72.7%), diabetes mellitus (30.3%), congestive heart failure (23.8%), history of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (15.1%), and coronary artery disease (13.7%). Of the entire cohort, 44.6% were treated with warfarin and 43.0% were treated with DOACs. The prescription of DOACs exceeded that of warfarin in the general hospitals and clinics. Risk scores such as CHADS2 score, CHA2DS2-VASc score, and HAS-BLED score were higher in patients at university hospitals than in patients at general hospitals or clinics. CONCLUSION The RAFFINE registry at baseline described the current status of anticoagulation therapy in Japan and long-term follow-up data will identify how outcomes vary between stratified groups in patients with AF in the DOAC era (UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000009617).

Brugada syndrome and sinus node dysfunction

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a well‐known catastrophic disease first reported in 1992 by the Brugada brothers. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is an essential arrhythmia in BrS. An association between BrS and atrial tachyarrhythmias is not uncommon. However, sinus node dysfunction (SND) associated with BrS has not been well discussed. In this review, we focus on the association between BrS and SND. Based on previous reports describing clinical, epidemiological, and genetic evidence, SND is not a rare concomitant disorder in BrS. BrS may be a multiple conduction or arrhythmogenic disorder including not only the His‐Purkinje system and right ventricle, but also the sinus node and atrium, derived from ion channel mutations.

Long-term reliability of sweet-tip type screw-in leads

Active fixation leads have provided stable atrial and ventricular pacing; however, long‐term follow‐up data have not been satisfactory. The purpose of this study was to investigate the long‐term reliability of active fixation leads and their electrical characteristic stability.

Bradyarrhythmias may induce central sleep apnea in a patient with obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract The relationship between central sleep apnea (CSA) and bradyarrhythmia remains unclear. We report the case of a 70-year-old man with severe obstructive sleep apnea and bradyarrhythmia due to sick sinus syndrome in whom concomitant CSA was alleviated after pacemaker implantation.

Twiddler's syndrome detected by patient's complaint of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator rotation in the subcutaneous pocket

Twiddlers syndrome presents as a rare implantable‐cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) malfunction that is potentially fatal. The following case is that of a 79‐year‐old woman, who was implanted with an ICD and experienced Twiddlers syndrome. Five months after the implantation, the patient complained that the generator sometimes rotated in the subcutaneous pocket. Fluoroscopy showed that the generator had rotated and the leads were twisted, which is compatible with Twiddlers syndrome. Although all the leads were functioning normally, a procedure to repair the twisted leads was performed. Twiddlers syndrome is usually detected due to a serious device malfunction; however, this case study suggests that it can be detected prior to ICD malfunction by the patients complaint.

Stability of intrinsic rhythm in pacemaker-dependent patients during pacemaker replacement: Can we predict the need for temporary pacing?

In pacemaker‐dependent patients, the risk of asystole must be managed during device replacement. This study aimed to examine whether we could predict the indication for temporary pacing (TP) during the generator replacement.

Watching National Team Matches in World Cup Soccer 2014 on Television was Associated with Increasing Frequency of Premature Ventricular Contractions

Objective: Psychological triggers, such as emotional stress, increase the incidence of acute cardiovascular events. The association between soccer championships and risk of cardiovascular events remains controversial. A World Cup Soccer (WCS) match involving a national team might be a strong enough trigger to induce cardiovascular events. However, there are no reports of a multicenter study that has investigated the relationship between watching WCS and cardiac arrhythmia. Methods: We assessed 25 patients who were evaluated for ischemic changes and/or arrhythmia using 24-h Holter electrocardiography in four cardiology divisions during WCS 2014. The patients were divided into two groups: the watching (W) group consisted of 7 patients who watched WCS on live television and the Non-Watching (NW) group consisted of 18 patients who did not watch WCS. Heart rates, arrhythmia, and ischemic changes were evaluated. Results: There were no differences in the clinical characteristics, heart rates, premature atrial contraction frequencies, and ischemic changes between the two groups. Although there were no differences in total Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs), the frequency of PVCs during matches (61 ± 101 vs. 7 ± 8, P = 0.03) and 1 hour before matches (15 ± 17 vs. 3 ± 5, P = 0.01) were significantly higher in the W group than in the NW group. No sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation was observed. Conclusions: A significant association between watching WCS and frequency of PVCs was observed in patients with/or suspected of having cardiovascular disease. Received Date: February 13, 2016 Accepted Date: March 28, 2016 Published Date: April 01, 2016 Citation: Shimada, K., et al. Watching National Team Matches in World Cup Soccer 2014 on Television was Associated with Increasing Frequency of Premature Ventricular Contractions. (2016) J Heart Cardiol 2(1): 17-21. DOI: 10.15436/2378-6914.16.022 Journal of Heart and Cardiology Open Access Review Article Copyrights: