Yousef Darrat

Incidence, predictors, and outcomes associated with pneumothorax during cardiac electronic device implantation: A 16-year review in over 3.7 million patients

BACKGROUND Pneumothorax (PTX) is a potential complication of vascular access during cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) procedures and is being scrutinized as a health care-acquired condition. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the trends in PTX incidence in the United Stated over a 16-year period and to determine whether PTX is associated with increased mortality after adjustment for other factors. METHODS Using weighted sampling in the largest inpatient health database in the United States (National Inpatient Sample), we evaluated data from patients with a primary procedure of CIED implantation from 1998 to 2013 who had at least 1 new vascular access (new or upgrade of prior CIED). The unadjusted and adjusted associations of PTX with mortality and other parameters were examined. RESULTS Among 3,764,703 CIED procedures, PTX occurred in 47,839 cases (1.3%). The apparent incidence of PTX peaked at 1.6% in 2012 and 2013, although this result may have been affected by a concomitant decrease of inpatient (vs outpatient) CIED. PTX was significantly associated with pulmonary complications, chest tube insertion, length of stay, and costs. Mortality was statistically higher in patients with PTX (1.2% vs 0.7%; P <.001), a relationship that remained significant in a multivariate logistic regression analysis (odds ratio 1.50, 95% confidence interval 1.36-1.65; P <.001). Age >80 years, female gender, Caucasian race, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and dual-chamber (vs single-chamber) device were all associated with higher odds for PTX occurrence. Placement of a chest tube was a major determinant of worse outcomes and higher costs. CONCLUSION PTX remains an important complication of CIED procedures and is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and costs.

Digoxin and short term mortality after acute STEMI: Results from the MAGIC trial

BACKGROUND The safety of digoxin has been a subject of debate for decades, most recently among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Digoxin has been used during the acute phase of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complicated with AF or heart failure. Data about digoxin in this setting are scarce. HYPOTHESIS We hypothesize that digoxin maybe associated with increased mortality when used during the acute phase of ST segment myocardial infarction. METHODS We investigated the association between digoxin and mortality in patients enrolled in the MAGnesium In Coronaries (MAGIC) study, which evaluated the efficacy of early magnesium administration in STEMI. Multiple Cox proportional hazards models were examined to assess the aforementioned association after correction for clinical characteristics and comorbidities. RESULTS After excluding 639 (10.3%) patients for missing data, we analyzed the remaining 5574 patients. There were 852 (15.3%) deaths during the one month follow-up and 170 (3.0%) patients on digoxin concomitantly, among which 42 patients (24.7%) died. There was a statistically significant association between digoxin and increased mortality in the unadjusted statistical analysis; however, this association disappeared after correction for clinical characteristics and comorbidities in the primary multivariable analysis (estimated hazard ratio [HR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62-1.19, p=0.372) and in three additional multivariable analyses. CONCLUSION Digoxin use as a new or preexisting medication during the acute phase of STEMI in the MAGIC trial was not associated with a significant increase in mortality after correcting for clinical characteristics and comorbidities.

Acute Effects of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Shocks on Biomarkers of Myocardial Injury, Apoptosis, Heart Failure, and Systemic Inflammation.

Implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) shocks are potentially associated with myocardial injury, altered hemodynamics, apoptosis, and inflammatory signaling. Their precise cellular impact can be explored after defibrillation testing (DFT) via biomarkers. We evaluated changes in biomarkers after ICD shocks during DFT.

QT prolongation is associated with increased mortality in end stage liver disease

AIM To determine the prevalence of QT prolongation in a large series of end stage liver disease (ESLD) patients and its association to clinical variables and mortality. METHODS The QT interval was measured and corrected for heart rate for each patient, with a prolonged QT cutoff defined as QT > 450 ms for males and QT > 470 ms for females. Multiple clinical variables were evaluated including sex, age, serum sodium, international normalized ratio, creatinine, total bilirubin, beta-blocker use, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD), MELD-Na, and etiology of liver disease. RESULTS Among 406 ESLD patients analyzed, 207 (51.0%) had QT prolongation. The only clinical variable associated with QT prolongation was male gender (OR = 3.04, 95%CI: 2.01-4.60, P < 0.001). During the study period, 187 patients (46.1%) died. QT prolongation was a significant independent predictor of mortality (OR = 1.69, 95%CI: 1.03-2.77, P = 0.039). In addition, mortality was also associated with viral etiology of ESLD, elevated MELD score and its components (P < 0.05 for all). No significant reversibility in the QT interval was seen after liver transplantation. CONCLUSION QT prolongation was commonly encountered in an ESLD population, especially in males, and served as a strong independent marker for increased mortality in ESLD patients.

Use of adenosine to shorten the post ablation waiting period for cavotricuspid isthmus-dependent atrial flutter

Dormant conduction unmasked by adenosine predicts clinical recurrences of cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) dependent atrial flutter following catheter ablation. Conventional practice involves a waiting period of 20 to 30 minutes after achievement of a bidirectional line of block (BDB) to monitor for recovery of conduction.

Atrioventricular dyssynchrony from empiric device settings is common in cardiac resynchronization therapy and adversely impacts left ventricular morphology and function

Echocardiographic atrioventricular (AV) optimization after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is uncommon due to time constraints and the use of vendor‐specific device algorithms. It remains unclear whether optimization of mitral inflow velocities can still be useful. We aimed to investigate post implantation left ventricular (LV) inflow patterns to determine the incidence of AV dyssynchrony from empirically set devices.

Single incision technique for implantation of subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators: DARRAT et al.

Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (S‐ICDs) have gained increasing popularity because of certain advantages over transvenous ICDs. However, while conventional ICDs require a single surgical incision to implant, S‐ICDS need two or three incisions, making them less appealing.

Junctional ectopic rhythm after AVNRT ablation: An underrecognized complication

Ablation is an effective treatment for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). The occurrence of junctional ectopic rhythm (JER), including junctional ectopic tachycardia, following AVNRT ablation has been described as an extremely rare phenomenon, but may be underestimated. We aimed to determine the incidence of JER following AVNRT ablation within our institution, as well as that reported in the literature via an extensive review.

Sex differences in complications of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: results on 85,977 patients

PurposeCatheter ablation (CA) is an effective treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF). The differences in complication rates and outcomes between women and men remain poorly studied. We aimed to study the sex differences in morbidity and mortality associated with CA in AF.MethodsUsing weighted sampling from the National Inpatient Sample database, women and men with a primary diagnosis of AF and a primary procedure of CA (2004–2013) were identified. We compared the following outcomes based on the sex: (1) major complications [post-procedure transfusion, cardiac drain or surgery, pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular accident, major cardiac events, kidney failure requiring dialysis, and sepsis], (2) overall complications (minor and/or major complications), and (3) in-hospital mortality.ResultsAmong 85,977 patients who underwent CA for AF, 27821 (32.4%) were women. Overall complications were more frequent among women versus among men (12.4% versus 9.0%; p < 0.001), as well as major complications (4.7% versus 2.7%; p < 0.001). However, there was no difference in mortality (0.3% versus 0.2%; p = 0.22). After adjusting for other factors, women were more likely than men to have major complication (odds ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.21–1.82; p < 0.001). Prior CABG was associated with lower risk of major complications in both sexes (odds ratio in the overall cohort 0.27, 95% CI 0.12–0.61; p = 0.002), mostly driven by the reduction in tamponade and pericardial drain.ConclusionsAmong patients who underwent catheter ablation for AF, the female sex was associated with higher rate of complications compared to male but no difference in mortality. Prior CABG was associated with a significant reduction of major complications in both sexes.

Meta‐analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials on Atrial Fibrillation Ablation in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction

The role of catheter ablation (CA) is increasingly recognized as a reasonable therapeutic option in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF).