AimsTo collect information on the use of the Reveal implantable loop recorder (ILR) in the patient care pathway and to investigate its effectiveness in the diagnosis of unexplained recurrent syncope in everyday clinical practice.Methods and resultsProspective, multicentre, observational study conducted in 2006–2009 in 10 European countries and Israel. Eligible patients had recurrent unexplained syncope or pre-syncope. Subjects received a Reveal Plus, DX or XT. Follow up was until the first recurrence of a syncopal event leading to a diagnosis or for ≥1 year. In the course of the study, patients were evaluated by an average of three different specialists for management of their syncope and underwent a median of 13 tests (range 9–20). Significant physical trauma had been experienced in association with a syncopal episode by 36% of patients. Average follow-up time after ILR implant was 10 ± 6 months. Follow-up visit data were available for 570 subjects. The percentages of patients with recurrence of syncope were 19, 26, and 36% after 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Of 218 events within the study, ILR-guided diagnosis was obtained in 170 cases (78%), of which 128 (75%) were cardiac.ConclusionA large number of diagnostic tests were undertaken in patients with unexplained syncope without providing conclusive data. In contrast, the ILR revealed or contributed to establishing the mechanism of syncope in the vast majority of patients. The findings support the recommendation in current guidelines that an ILR should be implanted early rather than late in the evaluation of unexplained syncope.

Ambulatory ECG monitoring in patients with recurrent syncope is nondiagnostic in the majority of cases. Recently, an ECG implantable loop recorder (ILR) has been introduced. The ILR performs continuous ECG monitoring over a period of at least 14 months. From February 1997 to September 1999, 35 patients underwent implantation of an ILR. During a mean follow-up of 11 +/- 8 months, 24 (69%) patients had recurrent syncope or presyncope events. Four (11%) patients were not capable of activating the ILR to save the event. A symptom-rhythm correlation could be studied in 20 (83%) of 24 patients. Forty of 44 recurrences were captured by the ILR. There were 14 (40%) patients with at least one syncopal episode. An arrhythmic cause for syncope was found in eight of them (bradycardia in four and tachycardia in four). In the other six patients the heart rhythm was normal. In 17 (49%) patients with 1-year follow-up, the mean syncope event rate 12 months before ILR implantation was 4.7 +/- 2.4, whereas the mean syncope event rate 12 months after ILR implantation was 1.3 +/- 0.7 (P < 0.01). Resolution of symptoms was observed in 6 (17%) patients. These patients were significantly younger than patients without resolution (50 +/- 18 vs 69 +/- 14 years, p < 0.01) and five were women. Three (9%) patients died during follow-up, all of them were noncompliant during their follow-up. In conclusion, the ILR made symptom-rhythm correlation possible in 83% of patients with recurrent syncope. Syncope recurrences decreased significantly after implantation of the device, especially in the younger patients. Noncompliant patients had a high mortality rate.

Human erythrocytes carry apoB-containing lipoproteins. Subjects with atherosclerosis have lower ery-apoB. High ery-apoB may be protective against atherosclerosis and may reflect an alternative blood cell-mediated lipoprotein transport system in the circulation, in which these lipoproteins less likely interact with the endothelium.

ApoB48 concentrations are highest in patients with FCH and in atherosclerotic subjects with T2DM. In patients not using statins, the surrogate atherosclerosis marker IMT correlates best with apoB48, suggesting that fasting apoB48 may help to detect subjects at risk.

Objective-To describe the electrocardiographic and electrophysiological findings of new atrial flutter developing in patients taking class IC antiarrhythmic drugs for recurrent atrial fibrillation, and to report the long term results of right atrial isthmus ablation in relation to the ECG pattern of spontaneous atrial flutter. Design-Retrospective analysis. Setting-Tertiary care academic hospital. Patients-24 consecutive patients with atrial fibrillation (age 54 (12) years; 5 female, 19 male) developing atrial flutter while taking propafenone (n = 12) or flecainide (n = 12). Results-The ECG was classified as typical (n = 13; 54%) or atypical atrial flutter (n = 8) or coarse atrial fibrillation (n = 3). Counterclockwise atrial flutter was the predominant arrhythmia. Acute success after isthmus ablation was similar in patients with typical (12/13) and atypical (8/8) atrial flutter. After long term follow up (13 (6) months, range 6-26 months), continuation of antiarrhythmic drug treatment appeared to result in better control of recurrences of atrial fibrillation in patients with typical atrial flutter (11/13) than in those with atypical atrial flutter (4/8), but the diVerence was not significant. Ablation for coarse atrial fibrillation was unsuccessful. Conclusions-New atrial flutter developing in patients taking class IC antiarrhythmic drugs for recurrent atrial fibrillation has either typical or atypical flutter wave morphology on ECG. The endocardial activation pattern and the acute results of ablation suggest that the flutter circuit was located in the right atrium and that the isthmus was involved in the re-entry mechanism. There appeared to be better long term control of recurrent atrial fibrillation in patients with typical (85%) as compared with atypical atrial flutter (50%). Patients developing coarse atrial fibrillation may not be candidates for this strategy. (Heart 2001;85:424-429)