overestimated. Irrespectively, it is important to point out that there is little information with regards to real-life battery longevity for the studied CRT-D device (Quadra Assura MP, St Jude) given its fairly recent commercialization. Nonetheless, we believe the main value of the present study lies in the reported proportional differences in battery longevity between the different pacing programming protocols. Our results may therefore help clinicians make more informed decisions when considering MPP activation, given the current scarcity of information regarding its impact on battery longevity. ConclusionsIn most cases, MPP activation significantly reduces battery longevity compared with that for conventional CRT configuration. However, when reasonable MPP LV vector PCTs (< _4.0 V) are achieved, the decrease in battery longevity is relatively small and this may prompt the clinician to activate MPP in such scenarios.

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SUMMAR Y The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of sleep-related breathing disorders (SDB) in a UK general heart failure (HF) population, and assess its impact on neurohumoral markers and symptoms of sleepiness and quality of life. Eighty-four ambulatory patients (72 male, mean (SD) age 68.6 (10) yrs) attending UK HF clinics underwent an overnight recording of respiratory impedance, SaO 2 and heart rate using a portable monitor (Nexan). Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and urinary catecholamines were measured. Subjective sleepiness and the impairment in quality of life were assessed (Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), SF-36 Health Performance Score). SDB was classified using the Apnoea/Hypopnoea Index (AHI). The prevalence of SDB (AHI > 15 events h )1 ) was 24%, increasing from 15% in mild-to-moderate HF to 39% in severe HF. Patients with SDB had significantly higher levels of BNP and noradrenaline than those without SDB (mean (SD) BNP: 187 (119) versus 73 (98) pg mL )1 , P ¼ 0.02; noradrenaline: 309 (183) versus 225 (148) nmol/24 h, P ¼ 0.05).There was no significant difference in reported sleepiness or in any domain of SF-36, between groups with and without SDB (ESS: 7.8 (4.7) versus 7.5 (3.6), P ¼ 0.87). In summary, in a general HF clinic population, the prevalence of SDB increased with the severity of HF. Patients with SDB had higher activation of a neurohumoral marker and more severe HF. Unlike obstructive sleep apnoea, SDB in HF had little discernible effect on sleepiness or quality of life as measured by standard subjective scales.

Paragangliomas of the head and neck are ubiquitous in their distribution, originating from the paraganglia or glomus cells within the carotid body, vagal nerve, middle ear, jugular foramen, and numerous other locations. The typical patient is middle-aged and presents late in the course of the disease, with a painless slow-growing mass. Clinical manifestations include hoarseness of voice, lower cranial nerve palsies, pulsatile tinnitus, and other neuro-otologic symptoms. The overall prognosis of patients with a cervical paraganglioma is favorable, whereas its temporal bone counterpart often results in recurrence, residual tumor, and neurovascular compromise when in the advanced stage. Pathologic examination reveals a characteristic biphenotypic cell line, composed of chief cells and sustentacular cells with a peripheral fibrovascular stromal layer that are organized into a whorled pattern ("zellballen"). Imaging hallmarks of paragangliomas of the head and neck include an enhancing soft-tissue mass in the carotid space, jugular foramen, or tympanic cavity at computed tomography; a salt-and-pepper appearance at standard spin-echo magnetic resonance imaging; and an intense blush at angiography. Imaging studies depict the location and extent of tumor involvement, help determine the surgical approach, and help predict operative morbidity and mortality. Surgical treatment is definitive. Radiation treatment is included as a palliative adjunct for the exceptional paraganglioma not amenable to surgery.