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Background Inflammation plays an important role in the initiation and progression of atrial fibrillation (AF), but data about the relationship between subclinical inflammation and recurrence of AF after catheter ablation remains poorly studied. We aimed to assess whether plasma levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with long-term AF recurrence following catheter ablation. Methods Prior to the intervention, plasma CRP concentrations were measured in patients who underwent first catheter ablation for AF. AF recurrence was evaluated after 12 months and defined as any AF episode longer than 30 s recorded on either 12-lead electrocardiogram, 24-h Holter or 7-day Holter monitoring. Multivariable adjusted Cox models were constructed to examine the association of CRP levels and AF recurrence. Results Of the 711 patients (mean age: 61 years, 25% women) included in this study, 247 patients (35%) experienced AF recurrence after ablation. Patients who were in the highest CRP quartile had a higher rate of recurrent AF compared to those who were in the lowest quartile (53.4 vs. 33.1% at 1 year of follow-up; P = 0.004). The adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) of recurrent AF across increasing quartiles of CRP were 1.0 (reference), 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86–1.84), 1.15 (95% CI, 0.78–1.70) and 1.60 (95% CI, 1.10–2.34) (P trend = 0.015). A similar effect was observed when CRP was analyzed as continuous variable (aHR per unit increase, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.05–1.39; P = 0.009). When a predefined CRP cut-off of 3 mg/l was applied, patients with CRP levels of 3 mg/l or above had a higher risk of AF recurrence than those with levels below (aHR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.06–1.95; P = 0.019). Conclusions Increasing pre-interventional CRP levels are associated with a higher risk of AF recurrence in patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF. Trail registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03718364.

Aims Leadless cardiac pacemaker (PM) implantation differs from conventional PM implantation. While the procedure has been considered safe, recent real-world data raised concerns about the learning curve of new operators and their implantation quality. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the first operator’s experience on leadless PM implantation quality and procedural efficiency. Methods and results We performed a bicentric analysis of all Micra TPS™ implantations in two large tertiary referral hospitals. We assessed both leadless PM implantation quality based on the absence of complications (requiring intervention or prolonged hospitalization), good electrical performance (pacing threshold ≤ 1.5 V/0.24 ms, R-wave amplitude > 5 mV), and acceptable fluoroscopy duration (<10 min) as well as procedural efficiency in relation to the operator’s experience. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors for implantation quality and procedural efficiency. Leadless PM implantation was successful in 106/111 cases (95.5%). Three patients (2.7%) experienced acute complications (one cardiac tamponade, one femoral bleeding, one posture-related PM exit block). Multivariate analysis showed that implantation quality of more experienced first operators was higher [odds ratio 1.09 (95% confidence interval 1.00–1.19), P = 0.05]. Procedural efficiency increased with operator experience as evidenced by an inverse correlation of procedure time, time to the first deployment, fluoroscopy time, and the number of procedures performed (all P < 0.05). Conclusion The operator’s learning curve is a critical factor for leadless PM implantation quality and procedural efficiency.

Background: Surgery for disc herniations can be complicated by two major problems: painful degeneration of the spinal segment and re-herniation. Therefore, we examined an absorbable polyglycolic acid (PGA) biomaterial, which was lyophilized with hyaluronic acid (HA), for its utility to (a) re-establish spinal stability and to (b) seal annulus fibrosus defects. The biomechanical properties range of motion (ROM), neutral zone (NZ) and a potential annulus sealing capacity were investigated.