Although ranolazine is considered an anti-angina drug, it may also be, according to the available data, used in patients with AF. Ranolazine has anti-AF efficacy, both alone or in combination with other drugs such as amiodarone and dronedarone. Indeed, its efficacy has been demonstrated in various settings such as the termination of paroxysmal AF, the facilitation of AF electrical cardioversion, and postoperative AF prevention. Although there is a great deal of evidence from pioneering experimental studies, the clinical evidence of the AF-suppressing effect of ranolazine is derived from studies with small sample size or from secondary analyses. A better understanding of the role of ranolazine as an anti-AF drug will be obtained through larger, prospective, placebo-controlled clinical trials in different populations.
Background
Over the past three decades, cardiac electrophysiology and pacing, including device therapy and catheter ablation of arrhythmias, has rapidly developed as a subspecialty in cardiology. Currently, there is no clear perception about the needs in cardiac electrophysiology and pacing among early-career cardiologists.
Methods
To address these concerns, the Young Committee of the Italian Association of Arrhythmology and Cardiac Pacing (AIAC) carried out a survey among those under the age of 40 years to obtain detailed information on practical activities and formal lessons during the fellowship in cardiology and their satisfaction and proficiency level at the end of the fellowship.
Results
We obtained 334 answers to the survey. In invasive cardiac electrophysiology and pacing, the percentage of participants attending the activity for a longer time (3–6 months) is lower compared with those in noninvasive subspecialties. About 40% of participants did not receive lessons on interventional cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology and pacing. On the contrary, 71% of participants received an adequate number of lessons on clinical arrhythmology. The vast majority of the participants expressed satisfaction for the education received in the echocardiographic, cardiac interventional laboratories and clinical arrhythmology, but about half of the participants were unsatisfied with the education received in cardiac electrophysiology and pacing. In interventional arrhythmology, the majority of the participants declare their lack of proficiency with two peaks for more complex procedures, namely interventional electrophysiology procedures (82%) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) procedures (76%).
Conclusion
The present survey among Italian early-career cardiologists suggests that the majority of participants consider themselves not confident in performing cardiac electrophysiology and pacing procedures. Due to the complexity of the treatment for heart rhythm disorders and the long learning curve, structured additional training in cardiac electrophysiology and pacing procedures is required after cardiology fellowship.
: We describe the case of a patient with dyspnea and heterotopic cardiac transplant, ventricular fibrillation from the native heart and sinus rhythm from the transplanted one. The two hearts were synchronized with a pacemaker. Electric external cardioversion and a different type of pacemaker stimulation were successfully performed, with improving symptoms.
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