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Background: In Italy, a nationwide full lockdown was declared between March and May 2020 to hinder the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. The potential individual health effects of long‐term isolation are largely unknown. The current study investigated the arrhythmic consequences of the COVID‐19 lockdown in patients with defibrillators (ICDs) living in the province of Ferrara, Italy. Methods: Both the arrhythmias and the delivered ICD therapies as notified by the devices were prospectively collected during the lockdown period (P1) and compared to those occurred during the 10 weeks before the lockdown began (P2) and during the same period in 2019 (P3). Changes in outcome over the three study periods were evaluated for significance using McNemar's test. Results: A total of 413 patients were included in the analysis. No differences were found concerning either arrhythmias or shocks or anti‐tachycardia pacing. Only the number of patients experiencing non‐sustained ventricular tachycardias (NSVTs) during P1 significantly decreased as compared to P2 (p = 0.026) and P3 (p = 0.009). The subgroup analysis showed a significant decrease in NSVTs during P1 for men (vs. P2, p = 0.014; vs. P3, p = 0.040) and younger patients (vs. P2, p = 0.002; vs. P3, p = 0.040) and for ischemic etiology (vs. P2, p = 0.003). No arrhythmic deaths occurred during P1. Conclusions: The complete nationwide lockdown, as declared by the Italian government during the first COVID‐19 pandemic peak, did not impact on the incidence of arrhythmias in an urban cohort of patients with ICDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a calendar of international events related to pacing and clinical electrophysiology from November 3, 1999 to September 16, 2001. Practical Pediatric Electrophysiology & Pacing conference in California; The "New Frontiers" of Arrhytmias 2000: 14th International Congress in Italy; The New World of Cardiology conference in Florida.

This article presents information on several meetings and conventions related to electrophysiology. Fifth International Workshop on Cardiac Arrhythmias will be held in Venice, Italy, from August 21-22. The symposium "Practical Pediatric Electrophysiology and Pacing 1998," will take place at San Diego, California, from January 16-18. 4th International Dead Sea Symposium on Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmias will be held in Israel from March 3-6. State of the Art Arrhythmia Management Symposium and Leonard Horowitz Memorial Lecture will take place at Pennsylvania on September 22.