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Data are limited regarding the characteristics and outcomes of patients with cancer who are found eligible for primary defibrillator therapy. We performed a single-center retrospective analysis of patients with preexisting cancer diagnoses who become eligible for a primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) defibrillator. Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-ICD (MADIT-ICD) benefit scores were calculated. The study included 75 cancer patients at a median age of 73 (interquartile range 64, 81) years at heart failure diagnosis. Active cancer was present in 51%. Overall, 55% of the cohort had coronary artery disease and 37% were CRT eligible. We found that 48%, 49%, and 3% of cohorts had low, intermediate, and high MADIT-ICD Benefit scores, respectively. Only 27% of patients underwent primary defibrillator implantation. Using multivariate analysis, indication for CRT and intermediate/high MADIT-ICD Benefit categories were found as independent predictors for implantation (odds ratio 8.42 p <0.001 and odds ratio 3.74 p = 0.040, respectively). During a median follow-up of 5.3 (interquartile range 4.5, 7.2) years, one patient (5%) with a defibrillator had appropriate shock therapy and 2 patients (10%) had bacteremia. Of 13 patients with CRT defibrillator-implants, one patient was admitted for heart failure exacerbation (8%). Using a time-varying covariate model, we did not observe statistically significant differences in the survival of patients with cancer implanted versus those not implanted with primary defibrillators (hazard ratio 0.521, p = 0.127). In conclusion, although primary defibrillator therapy is underutilized in patients with cancer, its relative benefit is limited because of competing risk of nonarrhythmic mortality. These findings highlight the need for personalized cardiologic and oncologic coevaluation., Competing Interests: Disclosures The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The use of direct oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) is robust. However, the efficacy and safety of different dosage in patients with renal dysfunction is still a clinical challenge. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients treated with apixaban in its different doses. A multicenter prospective cohort study, where consecutive eligible apixaban or warfarin treated patients with NVAF and renal impairment, were registered. Patients were followed-up for clinical events over a mean period of 1 year. Analyses were performed according to the dose of apixaban given, with consideration to the standard indications for dose reduction. Primary outcome was a composite of 1-year mortality, stroke or systemic embolism, major bleeding and myocardial infarction, while secondary outcomes included those components separated. Among the study population (n = 2,140), risk of composite outcome was significantly lower in the high dose apixaban group (10%, n = 491) than the low dose group (18%, n = 673) and the warfarin group (18%, n = 976) p <0.001. Results of 1-year mortality were similar. Apixaban dosing analysis revealed 65% of patients were appropriately dosed, while 31% were under-dosed and 4% were over-dosed. Furthermore, 53% of patients treated with low dose apixaban were under-dosed. Propensity score analysis revealed that patients who were appropriately treated with low-dose apixaban had a trend towards better composite outcome and mortality than 1:1 matched warfarin treated patients (18% vs 24%, p = 0.09 and 16% vs 23%, p = 0.06, respectively). Overall, appropriately dosed apixaban treated patients at any dose had significantly better outcomes than matched warfarin treated patients (composite outcome probability of 13.1% vs 18.6%, p = 0.007). In conclusion, apixaban at any dose is a reasonable alternative to warfarin in patients with renal impairment, possibly associated with improved outcomes., Competing Interests: Disclosures Ilan Goldenberg reports financial support was provided by Pfizer Inc. Ilan Goldenberg reports a relationship with Pfizer Inc that includes: funding grants. Alon Barsheshet and Robert Klempfner have received speaker honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, and Bayer., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Transcatheter aortic-valve implantation (TAVI) is an established treatment option in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. Intermediate and long-term follow up data of these patients is limited. Data was taken from a large all-comer single center prospective registry (2008 to 2019). The primary end point was all-cause mortality. The secondary endpoints were long-term valve hemodynamic performance; paravalvular leak (PVL) at 5-year follow-up. We also report on temporal trends in this cohort. Our cohort included 998 patients with a mean age of 82.3 ± 7.2 years and 52.2% females. TAVI was performed via the transfemoral, trans-apical, subclavian and other access routes in 93.9%, 3.6%, 2.5%, and 0.6% of patients, respectively. A self-expandable device was used in 69.4% of cases, balloon expandable device in 28.1% and in 2.5% other devices. The cumulative risk for all-cause mortality at 5 years was 43.4% (95% CI 39.1 to 47.7). The immediate and long-term valve gradients were low and maintained. On durability analysis at 5 years, severe structural valve deterioration was present in 1.6% of cases. At 5-year follow-up, PVL was moderate in 3.3% and no patients has severe PVL. On temporal trends analysis, we found that the procedural aspects of TAVI improved over time with lower rates of significant PVL and significantly lower procedural mortality. In conclusion, TAVI patients have a favorable long-term outcome, with excellent valve hemodynamic parameters and good clinical outcomes. Over time and with increasing experience, procedural and patient outcomes have improved., Competing Interests: Disclosures The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We evaluated temporal trends in gender-related differences in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis from a multicenter TAVI registry during the years 2008 to 2016. Our final cohort included 1,159 males and 1,370 females, with a median follow-up of 2.3 (IQR 1.2, 4.4) years. For temporal trends analysis, the entire population was divided according to period of procedure: 2008 to 2012 and 2013 to 2016. During the 2008 to 2012 period, the rates of in-hospital aortic paravalvular leak, myocardial infarction, pacemaker implantation, and stroke were higher among men than women, but became comparable between the gender during the 2013 to 2016 period. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that female patients who underwent TAVI between the years 2008 and 2012 had a 26% lower risk of death compared with male patients (p = 0.004), but there were no gender-related differences in mortality risk between the years 2013 and 2016 (hazard ratio 1.07, p = 0.6; gender-by-year of procedure, p = 0.027 for interaction). In conclusion, the favorable long-term prognosis described in female patients during the earlier TAVI period seemed to diminish with contemporary TAVI. This might be attributed to current technological advances and improved valve sizing, with a more significant benefit in favor of male patients., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) can potentially alter conduction system function due to the mechanical force applied to the conduction system by the proximal edge of the valve, particularly the CoreValve. Some reasons for post-TAVI advanced atrioventricular block have been identified. We investigated whether the degree of the motion of the basal left ventricular (LV) walls impacted the development of advanced atrioventricular block post-TAVI. A total of 407 patients (82.1 ± 6.2 years) without prior permanent pacemakers (PPMs) underwent TAVI using CoreValve (70%) or Edwards-SAPIEN (30%) prosthetic devices. The LV fractional shortening (FS) of the basal segments was measured in each patient, and the association between FS and PPM requirement, or new-onset left bundle branch block (LBBB) was evaluated. During hospitalization, 64 patients (15.7%) required PPM implantation, and 128 patients (31.4%) required PPM implantation or developed new LBBB. Independent predictors of PPM implantation included preprocedural right bundle branch block, CoreValve prosthetic device, valve implantation depth, and FS. Patients with high FS (≥40%, upper tertile) had a 2.5-fold increased risk of PPM implantation (p = 0.004) and a 1.8-fold increased risk of PPM or new LBBB (p = 0.020). Every 10% increment in FS was consistently associated with an adjusted 42% increased risk of PPM implantation (p = 0.015) and with an adjusted 43% increased risk of PPM implantation or new LBBB (p = 0.005). Thus, in our cohort, LV FS was independently associated with the need for PPM implantation during hospitalization. Hence, this simple echocardiographic measure can be used to identify patients who are at risk after TAVI., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The ACC/AHA/HRS (American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society) guidelines recommend implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy primary prevention in all patients with severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (≤30%) regardless of New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, whereas recent European guidelines limit the indication to those with symptomatic heart failure (NYHA ≥ II). We therefore aimed to evaluate the long-term survival benefit of primary ICD therapy among postmyocardial infarction patients with and without heart failure (HF) symptoms who were enrolled in MADIT-II (Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II). We classified 1,164 MADIT-II patient groups according to the baseline NYHA class (NYHA I [n = 442], NYHA II [n = 425], and NYHA III [n = 297]); patients with NYHA IV were excluded. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was performed to compare the mortality reduction with ICD versus non-ICD therapy during 8 years of follow-up between the 3 NYHA groups. The median (interquartile range) follow-up time was 7.6 (3.5 to 9) years. At 8 years of follow-up, the cumulative probability of mortality in the non-ICD treatment arm was 57% for NYHA I, 57% for NYHA II, and 76% for NYHA III (p <0.001). Multivariate models demonstrated similar long-term mortality risk reduction with ICD compared with the non-ICD treatment arm regardless of HF symptoms: NYHA I (HR = 0.63, 0.46 to 0.85, p = 0.003), NYHA II (HR = 0.68, 0.50 to 0.93, p = 0.017), and NYHA III (HR = 0.68, 0.50 to 0.94, p = 0.018); p for NYHA class by treatment arm interaction >0.10. In conclusion, primary ICD therapy provides consistent long-term survival benefit among patients with previous myocardial infarction and severe left ventricular dysfunction, regardless of HF symptoms., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Anemia was shown to be associated with increased risk for adverse events in patients with heart failure (HF). However, there are limited data on the association between anemia and the risk for ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The present study population comprised 2,352 patients who were enrolled and prospectively followed up in the Israeli ICD Registry. The risk for a first appropriate ICD shock for VA was assessed by the presence of anemia, categorized at the lower tertile of hemoglobin distribution (≤12 g/dL [n = 753]). Patients who had anemia displayed higher risk clinical characteristics including older age, more advanced HF symptoms, and atrial fibrillation (p <0.01 for all). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that at 2.5 years of follow-up the rate of appropriate shocks was significantly higher in patients with low (11%) versus high (6%) hemoglobin (log-rank p <0.005). Multivariate analysis showed that anemia was independently associated with a significant 56% increased risk for first appropriate ICD shock (p <0.026). When hemoglobin was assessed as a continuous measure, each 1 g/dL reduction in hemoglobin was independently associated with a significant 8% increased risk for first appropriate shock (p <0.03). Anemia was also associated with increased risk for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4 to 2.27], p <0.001), HF hospitalizations or death (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.48 to 1.13, p <0.001), but not with inappropriate ICD shocks (HR 1.24, 95% CI 0.70 to 2.21, p = 0.47). In conclusion, our findings suggest that the presence of anemia in patients with ICD is associated with increased risk for VA during long-term follow-up., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an independent predictor of mortality in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We aimed to identify predictors of 1-year mortality in patients after TAVI stratified by the presence or absence of advanced CKD (defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate ≤30 ml/min/1.73 m 2 or permanent renal replacement therapy). Patients (n = 1204) from 10 centers in Europe, Japan, and Israel were included: 464 with and 740 without advanced CKD. Advanced CKD was associated with a 2-fold increase in the adjusted risk of 1-year all-cause death (p <0.001), and a 1.9-fold increase in cardiovascular death (p = 0.016). Interaction-term analysis was used to identify and compare independent predictors of 1-year mortality in both groups. Impaired left ventricular ejection fraction and poor functional class were predictive of death in the advanced CKD group (odds ratio [OR] 2.27, p = 0.002 and OR 3.87, p = 0.003, respectively) but not in patients without advanced CKD (p for interaction = 0.035 and 0.039, respectively), whereas bleeding was a predictor of mortality in the nonadvanced CKD group (OR 3.2, p = 0.005) but not in advanced CKD (p for interaction = 0.006). Atrial fibrillation was associated with a 2.2-fold increase (p = 0.032) in the risk of cardiovascular death in the advanced CKD group but not in the absence of advanced CKD (p for interaction = 0.022). In conclusion, the coexistence of advanced CKD and either reduced left ventricular ejection fraction or poor functional class has an incremental effect on the risk of death after TAVI. In contrast, bleeding had a greater effect on risk of death in patients without advanced CKD., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Patients with advanced chronic renal dysfunction were excluded from randomized trials of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The potential impact of chronic renal disease on TAVR prognosis is not fully understood. We aim to evaluate outcomes within a large cohort of patients who underwent TAVR distinguished by renal function. Baseline characteristics, procedural data, and clinical follow-up findings were collected from 10 high-volume TAVR centers in Europe, Israel, and Japan. Data were analyzed according to renal function. Patients (n = 1,204) were divided into 4 groups according to pre-TAVR-estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): group I (eGFR >60), n = 288 (female 45%), group II (eGFR 31 to 60), n = 452 (female 61%), group III (eGFR ≤30), n = 398 (female 61%), and group IV (dialysis), n = 66 (female 31%). Mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons score was higher in patients with lower preprocedural eGFR. All-cause mortality at 1 year was higher in patients with lower eGFR (9.0%, 12.1%, 24.3%, and 24.2% for group I, II, III, and IV, respectively, p <0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that eGFR ≤30, but not eGFR 31 to 60, was associated with increased risk of death (odds ratio 3), bleeding (odds ratio 5.2), and device implantation failure (hazard ratio 2.28). For each 10 ml/min decrease in eGFR, there was an associated relative increase in the risk of death (35%; p <0.001), cardiovascular death (14%; p = 0.018), major bleeding 35% (p <0.001), and transcatheter valve failure (16%; p = 0.007). Renal dysfunction was not associated with stroke or need for pacemaker implantation. In conclusion, among patients who underwent TAVR, baseline renal dysfunction is an important independent predictor of morbidity and mortality., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Intermediate- or low-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis were excluded from earlier transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) clinical trials; however, they are already being treated by TAVI despite a lack of data regarding the safety and efficacy in these patients. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of TAVI in patients at intermediate or low risk. Patients undergoing TAVI during 2008 to 2014 were included into a shared database (n = 1,327). Procedural outcomes were adjudicated according to Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 definitions. Patients were stratified according to their Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) score into 3 groups: high (STS ≥8, n = 223, 17%), intermediate (STS 4 to 8; n = 496, 38%), or low risk (STS <4; n = 576, 45%). Low-risk patients were significantly younger and more likely to be men compared to intermediate- and high-risk patients. Baseline characteristics differed significantly between the groups with a gradual increase in the rates of previous bypass surgery, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, renal failure, lung disease, and frailty scores, from low to high risk groups. Compared with intermediate- and high-risk patients, low-risk patients were more likely to undergo TAVI through the transfemoral route (81% vs 88% vs 95%, p <0.001) and under conscious sedation (69% vs 72% vs 81%, <0.001). There were no significant differences in the rates of procedural complications apart from acute kidney injury (19% vs 17% vs 13%, p = 0.03) and stroke rates (4.5% vs 2% vs 2.3%, p = 0.1). Short- and long-term mortality rates were significantly higher for intermediate- (hazard ratio [HR] 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 2.9) and high-risk patients (HR 4.1, 95% CI 2.7 to 6.4) than low-risk patients also after multivariate adjustment (HR 1.6, 95% CI 1 to 2.6 and HR 2.7, 95% CI 1.7 to 4.5, respectively; all p <0.05). In conclusion, TAVI for intermediate- and low-risk patients is safe and associated with improved outcome compared with high-risk patients., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Previous studies suggested that statin therapy reduces the risk of occurrence and recurrence of atrial fibrillation mainly in patients with coronary artery disease. Data regarding the effect of statins on the risk for the entire range of supraventricular arrhythmias (SVA) in mild heart failure (HF) with different disease causes are lacking. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the effect of statin therapy, evaluated as a time-dependent covariate, on the risk of SVA and recurrent SVA (defined as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia, and supraventricular tachycardia) that were inappropriately treated with implantable cardioverter-defibrillator device in 1,790 patients enrolled in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation With Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy trial. Statin users constituted 68% of the study patients (n = 1209). They were older and more frequently men; they were more likely to have ischemic cardiomyopathy, diabetes, hypertension, and previous atrial arrhythmias. During the 3.7-year median follow-up time, 160 patients had an SVA event, and the total number of recurrent events was 335. Time-dependent statin therapy was independently associated with a significant 29% reduction of the first SVA event (p = 0.046) and 33% reduction of recurrent SVA events (p = 0.003), consistent across all prespecified subgroups. In conclusion, in mild HF with either cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator device, statin therapy was associated with significant reduction of occurrence and recurrence of inappropriately treated SVA., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There are limited data regarding the effect of age on the risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTAs). The present study was designed to compare the risk for VTAs in young and older patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB) and mildly symptomatic heart failure who receive device therapy. The risk of the first ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) event and the risk of first appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) shock was compared between young (<75 years, n = 1,037) and older (≥75 years, n = 227) patients with LBBB enrolled in Multicenter Automatic Implantation Trial with Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy. The cumulative incidence of a first VTA through 2 years of follow-up was significantly lower in older patients than in younger patients. Multivariate analysis showed that older patients experienced a significantly lower risk of VT/VF (hazard ratio 0.38, 95% confidence interval 0.22 to 0.64, p <0.001) and a significantly lower risk of appropriate ICD shocks (hazard ratio 0.37, 95% confidence interval 0.17 to 0.82, p = 0.014) compared with younger patients. Each increasing decade of life was associated with a 19% (p = 0.002) and 22% (p = 0.018) reduction in the risk of VT/VF and appropriate ICD shocks, respectively. The lower risk of VT/VF and appropriate ICD shocks in older patients was evident in patients implanted with an ICD only and in those implanted with a cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator. In conclusion, in patients with LBBB and mild symptoms of heart failure, aging is associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of VT/VF and ICD shocks., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Low pulse pressure (PP) is associated with poor outcome in hospitalized patients with systolic heart failure (HF). However, the relation between PP and response to cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the relation between preimplantation PP and echocardiographic response to CRT-D and subsequent clinical outcome after 1 year. The relation between preimplantation PP and echocardiographic response to CRT-D (defined as >15% reduction in left ventricular (LV) end-systolic volume at 1 year) was evaluated in 754 patients with CRT-D with left bundle branch block enrolled in Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Cardioverter Defibrillator Implantation Trial-Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy. The association between PP at 1 year and the risk for subsequent HF or death was evaluated using multivariate Cox model. Patients with high versus low PP (>40 vs ≤40 mm Hg [lower quartile]) had a significantly greater reduction in LV end-systolic volume, LV end-diastolic volume, and LV dyssynchrony (p<0.01 for all comparisons). In multivariate analysis, the presence of high PP was associated with a 3.5-fold (p<0.001) increase in the likelihood of a positive echocardiographic response to CRT-D. Patients with high PP (>40 mm Hg, >lower quartile) 1 year after CRT-D implantation experienced a 50% reduction in the risk of subsequent HF or death (p=0.001) and 63% reduction in death only (p=0.001), compared with patients with low PP. In conclusion, high baseline PP is an independent predictor of echocardiographic response to CRT-D, and high PP after device implantation is associated with improved subsequent clinical outcome., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There are limited data regarding risk factors for the development of ischemic events (IEs) among patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (IC) who receive cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator (CRT-D) and their effect on the efficacy of the device. The present study population comprised 1,045 patients with IC enrolled in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy. We used multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression modeling to identify risk factors for the development of IE (comprising hospitalization for acute coronary syndromes and/or coronary interventions during the trial) among study patients. Time-dependent analysis was performed to identify the effect of IE on the risk for subsequent heart failure (HF) or death in CRT-D recipients. Independent predictors for the development of IE among study patients included previous revascularization (coronary artery bypass surgery: hazard ratio [HR] 1.88, p = 0.003; percutaneous coronary intervention: HR 3.21, p <0.001) and increased systolic blood pressure (HR 1.67, p = 0.02), whereas a left bundle branch block pattern on the baseline electrocardiogram was associated with reduced risk for IE (HR 0.62, p = 0.02). Treatment with CRT-D did not have a significant effect on IE risk compared with defibrillator-only therapy (HR 0.87, p = 0.51). Time-dependent analysis showed that the development of IEs among CRT-D recipients was associated with more than twofold (p = 0.01) increased risk for subsequent heart failure or death. In conclusion, our data suggest that treatment with CRT-D does not reduce the risk of IE in patients with IC and that the benefit of CRT-D is attenuated after the development of IEs in this population., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Patients with congenital structural heart disease (CSHD) and inherited arrhythmias (IAs) are at high risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The present study was designed to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with CSHD and IA who received a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) for the prevention of sudden cardiac death. The study population included 162 patients with CSHD (n = 43) and IA (n = 119) who were prospectively followed up in a nationwide registry from 2005 to 2010. The mortality rates were compared using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The mean age of the study patients was 38 ± 27 years. The patients with CSHD had a greater frequency of left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction <30%) than did the patients with IA (37% vs 5%, respectively; p = 0.002). The predominant indication for WCD was pending genetic testing in the IA group and transplant listing in the CSHD group. Compliance with the WCD was similar in the 2 groups (91%). WCD shocks successfully terminated 3 ventricular tachyarrhythmias in the patients with IA during a median follow-up of 29 days of therapy (corresponding to 23 appropriate WCD shocks per 100 patient-years). No arrhythmias occurred in the patients with CSHD during a median follow-up of 27 days. No patients died while actively wearing the WCD. At 1 year of follow-up, the survival rates were significantly lower among the patients with CSHD (87%) than among the patients with IA (97%, p = 0.02). In conclusion, our data suggest that the WCD can be safely used in high-risk adult patients with IA and CSHD. Patients with IA showed a greater rate of ventricular tachyarrhythmias during therapy but significantly lower long-term mortality rates., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mild therapeutic hypothermia has proved beneficial after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the adult population, when the initial rhythm is ventricular fibrillation (VF). In this study, data from 110 consecutive patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to VF (n = 86) or to non-VF rhythm (n = 24), admitted to an intensive cardiac care unit with restoration of spontaneous circulation and who remained unconscious on admission, were analyzed. Patients were cooled using an external cooling system. Of the patients with VF, 66% had favorable outcomes (Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Category 1 or 2), and 30% died. Of the patients with non-VF, 8% had favorable outcomes (p <0.001 vs VF), and 63% died (p = 0.004 vs VF). In patients with VF, those with poor outcomes were older than those with favorable outcomes (odds ratio [OR] 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03 to 2.7, p = 0.001) and had previous ejection fractions <35% (OR 7.72, 95% CI 1.8 to 33, p = 0.002). Outcomes were also worse when patients presented to the emergency room with seizures (OR 20.96, 95% CI 2.48 to 177.42, p = 0.003) or hemodynamic instability (OR 14.4, 95% CI 3.47 to 60, p <0.0001). In the non-VF group, the 2 patients with good outcomes were younger than those with unfavorable outcomes (39 ± 16 vs 65 ± 12 years, respectively, p = 0.04), with good left ventricular function on presentation (100% vs 4.5%, p = 0.0001) and with short asystole and/or short time from collapse to restoration of spontaneous circulation. In conclusion, mild therapeutic hypothermia in the adult population is more effective in patients with VF compared to those with non-VF. Good prognostic factors for patients with non-VF could be young age, good left ventricular function, and short anoxic time., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is controversy regarding type of bundle branch block (BBB) that is associated with increased mortality risk in patients with heart failure (HF). The present study was designed to explore the association between BBB pattern and long-term mortality in hospitalized patients with systolic HF. Risk of 4-year all-cause mortality was assessed in 1,888 hospitalized patients with systolic HF (left ventricular ejection function <50%) without a pacemaker in a prospective national survey. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to compare mortality risk in patients with right BBB (RBBB; 10%), left BBB (LBBB; 14%), and no BBB (76%) on admission electrocardiogram. At 4 years of follow up, mortality rates were highest in patients with RBBB (69%), intermediate in those with LBBB (63%), and lowest in those without BBB (50%, p <0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated a significant 36% increased mortality risk in patients with RBBB versus no BBB (p = 0.002) but no significant difference in mortality risk for patients with LBBB versus no BBB (hazard ratio 1.04, p = 0.66). RBBB versus LBBB was associated with a 29% (p = 0.035) increased risk for 4-year mortality in the total population and with a 58% (p = 0.015) increased risk in patients with ejection fraction <30%. In conclusion, RBBB but not LBBB on admission electrocardiogram is associated with a significant increased long-term mortality risk in hospitalized patients with systolic HF. Deleterious effects of RBBB compared to LBBB appear to be more pronounced in patients with more advanced left ventricular dysfunction., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A widened QRS interval is associated with increased mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). However, the prognostic significance of the type of bundle branch block (BBB) pattern in these patients is unclear. The data of 4,102 patients with HF hospitalized during a prospective national survey were analyzed to investigate the association between BBB type and 1-year mortality in 3,737 patients without pacemakers. Right BBB (RBBB) was present in 381 patients (10.2%) and left BBB (LBBB) in 504 patients (13.5%). RBBB and LBBB were associated with increased 1-year mortality on univariate analysis (odds ratio [OR] 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15 to 1.81, and OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.47, respectively). In patients with systolic HF, after adjusting for multiple risk factors, only RBBB was found to be an independent predictor of mortality (RBBB vs no BBB OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.12 to 2.33, and RBBB vs LBBB OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.69). This correlation was stronger in patients with lower left ventricular ejection fractions and was also maintained in patients without acute myocardial infarctions. Analyzing the data for all patients with HF, there was a trend for increased mortality in the RBBB group only (adjusted OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.56). LBBB was not related to mortality in patients with either systolic HF or preserved ejection fractions. In conclusion, RBBB rather than LBBB is an independent predictor of mortality in hospitalized patients with systolic HF. This prognostic marker could be used for risk stratification and the selection of treatment.