Aims To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of pulmonary vein isolation in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) using a standardized workflow aiming to enclose the veins with contiguous and optimized radiofrequency lesions. Methods and results This multicentre, prospective, non-randomized study was conducted at 17 European sites. Pulmonary vein isolation was guided by VISITAG SURPOINT (VS target ≥550 on the anterior wall; ≥400 on the posterior wall) and intertag distance (≤6 mm). Atrial arrhythmia recurrence was stringently monitored with weekly and symptom-driven transtelephonic monitoring on top of standard-of-care monitoring (24-h Holter and 12-lead electrocardiogram at 3, 6, and 12 months follow-up). Three hundred and forty participants with drug refractory PAF were enrolled. Acute effectiveness (first-pass isolation proof to a 30-min wait period and adenosine challenge) was 82.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 77.4–86.7%]. At 12-month follow-up, the rate of freedom from any documented atrial arrhythmia was 78.3% (95% CI 73.8–82.8%), while freedom from atrial arrhythmia by standard-of-care monitoring was 89.4% (95% CI 78.8–87.0%). Freedom fromrepeat ablations by the Kaplan–Meier analysis was 90.4% during 12 months of follow-up. Of the 34 patients with repeat ablations, 14 (41.2%) demonstrated full isolation of all pulmonary vein circles. Primary adverse event (PAE) rate was 3.6% (95% CI 1.9–6.3%). Conclusions The VISTAX trial demonstrated that a standardized PAF ablation workflow aiming for contiguous lesions leads to low rates of PAEs, high acute first-pass isolation rates, and 12-month freedom from arrhythmias approaching 80%. Further research is needed to improve the reproducibility of the outcomes across a wider range of centres. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03062046, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03062046.

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Background - The inspIRE study evaluated safety and effectiveness of a fully integrated biphasic pulsed field ablation (PFA) system with a variable loop circular catheter for the treatment of drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods - Subjects underwent pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) with the PFA system, using at least 12 applications per vein; adenosine/isoproterenol was administered to confirm entrance block. Wave I assessed initial safety, including for esophageal lesions, silent cerebral lesions (SCLs), and PV stenosis. Wave II (pivotal phase) tested i) primary safety - incidence of early onset primary adverse events (PAEs), and primary effectiveness - confirmed PVI with freedom from documented atrial arrhythmia at 12-months (12M). The study design specified an interim analysis to determine early success once 30 subjects reached 12M follow-up (FU) and all subjects reached 3M FU. Results - Across 13 centers in Europe/Canada, 226 subjects were enrolled, met criteria for safety and effectiveness evaluations and received PFA (Wave I: 40; Wave II: 186). Wave I demonstrated no esophageal thermal lesions or PV stenosis. Among 39 subjects with cerebral MRI, SCLs were detected in 4 of the first 6 subjects, after which workflow enhancements, including a 10s pause between PFA applications was implemented; subsequently, only 4 of 33 subjects had SCLs. In the Wave II phase, no PAE was reported. Upon declaring early success, 83 subjects reached 12M FU. With 100% entrance block, PVI without acute reconnection was achieved in 97.1% of targeted veins. For Wave II, the primary effectiveness endpoint per Kaplan Meier at the time of interim analysis was 70.9%; 12M freedom from symptomatic AF/atrial flutter/atrial tachycardia recurrence and repeat ablation was 78.9% and 92.3%, respectively. Total procedure and transpired PFA times were 70.1 ± 27.7 min and 26.7 ± 14.0 min, respectively. Conclusions - The inspIRE trial confirmed the safety and effectiveness of the novel mapping-integrated PFA system.

AimsCardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) leads to reverse ventricular remodelling, improved functional capacity, and better clinical outcome in patients with advanced chronic heart failure, reduced ejection fraction, and evidence of ventricular conduction delay, who are under optimal medical therapy. This study investigated whether these benefits can be extrapolated to older patients, typically not included in randomized clinical trials. Methods and resultsConsecutive patients who received a CRT device between October 2008 and June 2011, including optimization afterwards in a dedicated clinic, were stratified into 3 pre-specified groups, according to age: ,70 years (n ¼ 76); 70 -79 years (n ¼ 95); and ≥80 years (n ¼ 49). Left ventricular remodelling, functional capacity, heart failure hospitalization, and mortality data were assessed during follow-up. Reverse left ventricular remodelling and improvement in New York Heart Association functional class were similar in all groups at 6 months after implantation. During mean follow-up of 20 months, 32 patients died and 66 were admitted for heart failure. Annualized mortality rates were significantly higher in elderly patients (6% vs. 8% vs. 15% in all groups, respectively; P , 0.001), but time to death or first heart failure admission was similar among age groups (P ¼ 0.531). Progressive pump failure was the major cause of death (50%), with co-morbidity-related deaths also being frequent (41%). ConclusionReverse left ventricular remodelling and functional capacity improvement after CRT are sustained at advanced age. Moreover, time to all-cause mortality or heart failure admission was similar, irrespective of age, in a context of maximized optimization including optimal medical therapy.--

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Aims This cross-sectional study was set up to assess the feasibility of mass screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) with only the use of a smartphone. Methods and results A local newspaper published an article, allowing to subscribe for a 7-day screening period to detect AF. Screening was performed through an application that uses photo-plethysmography (PPG) technology by exploiting a smartphone camera. Participants received instructions on how to perform correct measurements twice daily, with notifications pushed through the application’s software. In case of heart rhythm irregularities, raw PPG signals underwent secondary offline analysis to confirm a final diagnosis. From 12 328 readers who voluntarily signed up for screening (49 ± 14 years; 58% men), 120 446 unique PPG traces were obtained. Photo-plethysmography signal quality was adequate for analysis in 92% of cases. Possible AF was detected in 136 individuals (1.1%). They were older (P < 0.001), more frequently men (P < 0.001), and had higher body mass index (P = 0.004). In addition, participants who strictly adhered to the recommended screening frequency (i.e. twice daily) were more often diagnosed with possible AF (1.9% vs. 1.0% in individuals who did not adhere; P = 0.008). Symptoms of palpitations, confusion, and shortness of breath were more frequent in case of AF (P < 0.001). The cumulative diagnostic yield for possible AF increased from 0.4% with a single heart rhythm assessment to 1.4% with screening during the entire 7-day screening period. Conclusion Mass screening for AF using only a smartphone with dedicated application based on PPG technology is feasible and attractive because of its low cost and logistic requirements.

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