Although all RM systems effectively detected major events, daily transmission was associated with a higher probability of early event detection.

Using a single echocardiographic examination during DCS and after induction of anesthesia, without further discomfort to patients, we were able to identify useful parameters for the prediction of future electrical activity of the heart before as well as soon after DCS. Postcardioversion indices, derived by both TTE and TEE, were even more predictive of SR maintenance after 1 month than precardioversion parameters.

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Electroanatomical mapping systems' accuracy may be strongly influenced by respiration movements. The current study showed that automatic respiratory gated acquisition resulted in a better visualization of CTI, and this determines a relevant reduction in fluoroscopy and RF times.

Aims Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) predisposes to the development of life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. Our study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of programmed ventricular stimulation (PVS) in DM1 patients with conduction system disease. Methods and results Arrhythmic CArdiac DEath in MYotonic dystrophy type 1 patients (ACADEMY 1) is a double-arm non-randomized interventional prospective study. Myotonic dystrophy type 1 patients with permanent cardiac pacing indication were eligible for the inclusion. The study population underwent to pacemaker (PM) or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation according to the inducibility of ventricular tachyarrhythmias at PVS. Primary endpoint of the study was a composite of appropriate ICD therapy and cardiac arrhythmic death. The secondary study endpoint was all-cause mortality. Seventy-two adult-onset DM1 patients (51 ± 12 years; 39 male) were enrolled in the study. A ventricular tachyarrhythmia was induced in 25 patients (34.7%) at PVS (PVS+) who underwent dual chambers ICD implantation. The remaining 47 patients (65.3%) without inducible ventricular tachyarrhythmia (PVS−) were treated with dual-chamber PM. During an average observation period of 44.7 ± 10.2 months, nine patients (12.5%) met the primary endpoint, four in the ICD group (16%) and five (10.6%) in the PM group. Thirteen patients died (18.5%), 2 in the ICD group (8%) and 11 in PM group (23.4%). The Kaplan–Meier analysis did not show a significantly different risk of both primary and secondary endpoint event rates between the two groups. Conclusions The inducibility of ventricular tachyarrhythmias has shown a limited value in the arrhythmic risk stratification among DM1 patients.

COVID pandemic emergency has forced changes from traditional in-person visits to application of telemedicine in order to overcome the barriers and to deliver care. COVID-19 has accelerated adoption of digital health. During this time, the distance is itself a prevention tool and the use of technology to deliver healthcare services and information has driven the discovery of mobile and connected health services. Health services should to be prepared to integrate the old model of remote monitoring of CIEDs and adopt new digital tools such as mobile Apps and connected sensors.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation of the cavotricuspid isthmus is the standard treatment for patients suffering from typical atrial flutter. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of tissue thickness and lesion transmurality measurement by a novel dielectric system. This was a retrospective multicentric non-randomized open-label, single-arm study. The atrial wall thickness was significantly higher close to the tricuspid annulus than close to the inferior vena cava and a trend towards a progressive decrease of atrial wall thickness was observed moving the mapping catheter from the tricuspid valve to the inferior vena cava. The possibility to visualize the tissue thickness could modify the way to deliver radiofrequency energy, allowing a tailored approach in cardiac ablation procedures.

Thousands of implantable pacemakers (PMs) and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, which are referred to as cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), are implanted in the world each year. PMs provide life-saving therapy for the treatment of bradyarrhythmias; defibrillators also provide treatment for ventricular tachyarrhythmias and sudden arrhythmic death. The prevalence and incidence of PMs implantation are unknown in many countries but there is continued growth due to increased life expectancy and an increasing aging population. However, there is great variability between richer and developing countries. In Europe, there are countries such as France, Italy, and Sweden in which the rate of PMs implantation is >1000 implants per million people, whereas others, such as Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kyrgyzstan, with <25 PM implants per million people. Currently, the estimated number of patients undergoing PM implantation globally is 1 million devices per year. 1 Regarding the number of ICD implantations, clinical research conducted by the European Heart Rhythm Association in the European Society of Cardiology countries reports that the average number of ICD implantations per million inhabitants in 2015 was 102. The European country with the highest number of implantations was Germany with 358 per million population, followed by San Marino −242-and Italy −238-, whereas the lowest implantation rate was in Ukraine with only one per million population. 2 | Implant complicationsDevice implantation surgery is associated with a risk of complications, especially in the perioperative phase, although a considerable risk remains even in the long term. The most common ones are device infection, lead dislocation and malposition, surgical wound hematoma, and pneumothorax. 1 In the MOST study, complication