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Aims: Pulmonary vein (PV) antrum isolation proved to be effective for treating persistent atrial fibrillation (PeAF). We sought to investigate the results of a personalized approach aimed at adapting the ablation index (AI) to the local left atrial wall thickness (LAWT) in a cohort of consecutive patients with PeAF., Methods and Results: Consecutive patients referred for PeAF first ablation were prospectively enrolled. The LAWT three-dimensional maps were obtained from pre-procedure multidetector computed tomography and integrated into the navigation system. Ablation index was titrated according to the local LAWT, and the ablation line was personalized to avoid the thickest regions while encircling the PV antrum. A total of 121 patients (69.4% male, age 64.5 ± 9.5 years) were included. Procedure time was 57 min (IQR 50-67), fluoroscopy time was 43 s (IQR 20-71), and radiofrequency (RF) time was 16.5 min (IQR 14.3-18.4). The median AI tailored to the local LAWT was 387 (IQR 360-410) for the anterior wall and 335 (IQR 300-375) for the posterior wall. First-pass PV antrum isolation was obtained in 103 (85%) of the right PVs and 103 (85%) of the left PVs. Median LAWT values were higher for PVs without first-pass isolation as compared to the whole cohort (P = 0.02 for left PVs and P = 0.03 for right PVs). Recurrence-free survival was 79% at 12 month follow-up., Conclusion: In this prospective study, LAWT-guided PV antrum isolation for PeAF was effective and efficient, requiring low procedure, fluoroscopy, and RF time. A randomized trial comparing the LAWT-guided ablation with the standard of practice is in progress (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05396534)., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: A.B. is a stockholder of Galgo Medical. D.S.-I. is an employee of Biosense Webster. All remaining authors have declared no conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: To non-invasively characterize, by means of late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR), scar differences, and potential variables associated with ventricular tachycardia (VT) occurrence in chronic post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients., Methods and Results: A case-control study was designed through retrospective LGE-CMR data analysis of chronic post-MI patients (i) consecutively referred for VT substrate ablation after a first VT episode (n = 66) and (ii) from a control group (n = 84) with no arrhythmia evidence. The myocardium was characterized differentiating core, border zone (BZ), and BZ channels (BZCs) using the ADAS 3D post-processing imaging platform. Clinical and scar characteristics, including a novel parameter, the BZC mass, were compared between both groups. One hundred and fifty post-MI patients were included. Four multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were created for total scar mass, BZ mass, core mass, and BZC mass, adjusting them by age, sex, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). A cut-off of 5.15 g of BZC mass identified the cases with 92.4% sensitivity and 86.9% specificity [area under the ROC curve (AUC) 0.93 (0.89-0.97); P < 0.001], with a significant increase in the AUC compared to other scar parameters (P < 0.001 for all pairwise comparisons). Adding BZC mass to LVEF allowed to reclassify 33.3% of the cases and 39.3% of the controls [net reclassification improvement = 0.73 (0.71-0.74)]., Conclusions: The mass of BZC is the strongest independent variable associated with the occurrence of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in post-MI patients after adjustment for age, sex, and LVEF. Border zone channel mass measurement could permit a more accurate VT risk stratification than LVEF in chronic post-MI patients., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2021. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aims: To determine if adapting the ablation index (AI) to the left atrial wall thickness (LAWT), which is a determinant of lesion transmurality, is feasible, effective, and safe during paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) ablation., Methods and Results: Consecutive patients referred for PAF first ablation. Left atrial wall thickness three-dimensional maps were obtained from multidetector computed tomography and integrated into the CARTO navigation system. Left atrial wall thickness was categorized into 1 mm layers and AI was titrated to the LAWT. The ablation line was personalized to avoid thicker regions. Primary endpoints were acute efficacy and safety, and freedom from atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrences. Follow-up (FU) was scheduled at 1, 3, 6, and every 6 months thereafter. Ninety patients [60 (67%) male, age 58 ± 13 years] were included. Mean LAWT was 1.25 ± 0.62 mm. Mean AI was 366 ± 26 on the right pulmonary veins with a first-pass isolation in 84 (93%) patients and 380 ± 42 on the left pulmonary veins with first-pass in 87 (97%). Procedure time was 59 min (49-66); radiofrequency (RF) time 14 min (12.5-16); and fluoroscopy time 0.7 min (0.5-1.4). No major complication occurred. Eighty-four out of 90 (93.3%) patients were free of recurrence after a mean FU of 16 ± 4 months., Conclusion: Personalized AF ablation, adapting the AI to LAWT allowed pulmonary vein isolation with low RF delivery, fluoroscopy, and procedure time while obtaining a high rate of first-pass isolation, in this patient population. Freedom from AF recurrences was as high as in more demanding ablation protocols. A multicentre trial is ongoing to evaluate reproducibility of these results., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2021. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: This study hypothesized that the shorter intrinsic PR interval observed in women allows a greater degree of fusion with intrinsic conduction, achieving a shorter QRS interval duration and, thus, a better response., Background: Women benefit more from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) than men. However, the reason for this difference remains elusive., Methods: A cohort of 180 patients included in the BEST (Fusion based optimization in resynchronization therapy [ECG Optimization of CRT: Evaluation of Mid-Term Response]; NCT01439529) study were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were initially randomized to either nonoptimized CRT (NON-OPT group; n = 89) or electrocardiographically optimized CRT based on the fusion-optimized intervals (FOI) method (FOI group; n = 91). Echocardiographic response was defined as a >15% decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume at the 12-month follow-up., Results: The basal PR interval was shorter in women as compared to men. In the NON-OPT group, CRT resulted in a shorter paced QRS interval in women than in men (134 ± 21 ms vs. 151 ± 21 ms, respectively; p = 0.003, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -27 to -5.6) and better response in women than in men: 70.4% vs. 46.4%, respectively (odds ratio: 0.37; p = 0.04; 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.97). There were no differences in paced QRS interval duration (126 ± 13 ms vs. 129 ± 17 ms; p = 0.47) or response between women and men in the FOI group (68% vs. 70.5%; odds ratio: 1.12; p = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.41 to 3.07). FOI extended the atrioventricular interval to obtain the best fusion; the atrioventricular intervals tended to require greater extension in men than in women (22 ± 33 ms vs. 8 ± 28 ms, respectively; p = 0.07)., Conclusions: Women had a shorter PR interval, which was associated with a shorter QRS interval and better response to CRT. The difference in QRS interval duration and response between men and women did not persist when CRT was optimized using fusion with intrinsic conduction (FOI programming)., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr. Pujol-López is funded by the Research Grant Josep Font 2019, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. Dr. San Antonio is funded by a Jordi Soler Training Grant, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Cardiovasculares 2018. Dr. Tolosana has received honoraria as a lecturer and consultant for Abbott, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic. Dr. Roca has received honoraria as a lecturer and consultant for Abbott and Biosense Webster. Dr. Varma has received honoraria as a lecturer and consultant for Abbott, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, EP Solutions, Medtronic, and Microport. Dr. Mont has received unrestricted research grants, fellowship program support, and honoraria as a lecturer and consultant from Abbott, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Livanova, and Medtronic. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Ventricular tachycardia (VT) substrate-based ablation has an increasing role in patients with structural heart disease-related VT. VT is linked to re-entry in relation to myocardial scarring with areas of conduction block (core scar) and areas of slow conduction [border zone (BZ)]. VT substrate can be analysed by late gadolinium enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE-CMR). Our study aims to analyse the role of LGE-CMR in identifying predictors of VT recurrence after ablation., Methods and Results: We analysed 110 consecutive patients who underwent VT ablation from 2013 to 2018. All patients underwent a preprocedural LGE-CMR, and in 94 patients (85.5%), the CMR was used to aid the ablation. All LGE-CMR images were semi-automatically processed using dedicated software to detect scarring and conducting channels. After a median follow-up of 2.7 ± 1.6 years, the overall VT recurrence was 41.8% with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shock reduction from 43.6% to 28.2% before and after ablation, respectively. The amount of BZ (26.6 ± 13.9 vs. 19.6 ± 9.7 g, P = 0.012), the total amount of scarring (37.1 ± 18.2 vs. 29 ± 16.3 g, P = 0,033), and left ventricular (LV) mass (168.3 ± 53.3 vs. 152.3 ± 46.4 g, P < 0.001) were associated with VT recurrence. LGE septal distribution [62.5% vs. 37.8%; hazard ratio (HR) 1.67 (1.02-3.93), P = 0.044], channels with transmural path [66.7% vs. 31.4%, HR 3.25 (1.70-6.23), P < 0.001], and midmural channels [54.3% vs. 27.6%, HR 2.49 (1.21-5.13), P = 0.013] were related with VT recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of septal LGE [HR 3.67 (1.60-8.38), P = 0.002], transmural channels [HR 2.32 (1.15-4.72), P = 0.019], and LV mass [HR 1.01 (1.005-1.019), P = 0.002] were independent predictors of VT recurrence., Conclusion: Pre-procedural LGE-CMR is a helpful and feasible technique to identify patients with high risk of VT recurrence after ablation. LV mass, septal LGE distribution, and transmural channels were predictive factors of post-ablation VT recurrence., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2021. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Mycobacterium wolinskyi is a rapid-growth non-tuberculous mycobacterium. Twenty-one cases of M. wolinskyi infection have been described so far, more than half as cardiovascular or postoperative cardiothoracic infections. We report the case of a patient with a cardiovascular implantable electronic device infected by M. wolinskyi, successfully treated with device removal and antimicrobials.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of empagliflozin on diastolic function in a nondiabetic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) scenario and on the pathways causing diastolic dysfunction., Background: This group demonstrated that empagliflozin ameliorates adverse cardiac remodeling, enhances myocardial energetics, and improves left ventricular systolic function in a nondiabetic porcine model of HF. Whether empagliflozin also improves diastolic function remains unknown. Hypothetically, empagliflozin would improve diastolic function in HF mediated both by a reduction in interstitial myocardial fibrosis and an improvement in cardiomyocyte stiffness (titin phosphorylation)., Methods: HF was induced in nondiabetic pigs by 2-h balloon occlusion of proximal left anterior descending artery. Animals were randomized to empagliflozin or placebo for 2 months. Cardiac function was evaluated with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), 3-dimensional echocardiography, and invasive hemodynamics. In vitro relaxation of cardiomyocytes was studied in primary culture. Myocardial samples were obtained for histological and molecular evaluation. Myocardial metabolite consumption was analyzed by simultaneous blood sampling from coronary artery and coronary sinus., Results: Despite similar initial ischemic myocardial injury, the empagliflozin group showed significantly improved diastolic function at 2 months, assessed by conventional echocardiography (higher e' and color M-mode propagation velocity, lower E/e' ratio, myocardial performance Tei index, isovolumic relaxation time, and left atrial size), echocardiography-derived strain imaging (strain imaging diastolic index, strain rate at isovolumic relaxation time and during early diastole, and untwisting), and CMR (higher peak filling rate, larger first filling volume). Invasive hemodynamics confirmed improved diastolic function with empagliflozin (better peak LV pressure rate of decay (-dP/dt), shorter Tau, lower end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship (EDPVR), and reduced filling pressures). Empagliflozin reduced interstitial myocardial fibrosis at the imaging, histological and molecular level. Empagliflozin improved nitric oxide signaling (endothelial nitric oxide synthetase [eNOS] activity, nitric oxide [NO] availability, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) content, protein kinase G [PKG] signaling) and enhanced titin phosphorylation (which is responsible for cardiomyocyte stiffness). Indeed, isolated cardiomyocytes exhibited better relaxation in empagliflozin-treated animals. Myocardial consumption of glucose and ketone bodies negatively and positively correlated with diastolic function, respectively., Conclusions: Empagliflozin ameliorates diastolic function in a nondiabetic HF porcine model, mitigates histological and molecular remodeling, and reduces both left ventricle and cardiomyocyte stiffness., Competing Interests: Funding support and Author Disclosures This research was supported by an independent grant from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, which provided both drug and financial support for the study. The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Our aim was to analyse whether using delayed enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (DE-CMR) to localize veno-atrial gaps in atrial fibrillation (AF) redo ablation procedures improves outcomes during follow-up., Methods and Results: We conducted a case-control study with 35 consecutive patients undergoing a DE-CMR-guided Repeat-pulmonary vein isolation (Re-PVI) procedure. Those with more extensive ablations (e.g. roof lines, box) were excluded. Patients were matched for age, sex, AF pattern, and left atrial dimension with 35 patients who had undergone a conventional Re-PVI procedure guided with a three dimensional (3D)-navigation system. Procedural characteristics were recorded, and patients were followed for 24 months in a specialized outpatient clinic. The primary endpoint was freedom from recurrent AF, atrial tachycardia, or flutter. The duration of CMR-guided procedures was shorter compared to the conventional group (161 ± 52 vs. 195 ± 72 min, respectively, P = 0.049), with no significant differences in fluoroscopy or total radiofrequency time. At the 2-year follow-up, more patients in the DE-CMR-guided group remained free from recurrences compared with the conventional group (70% vs. 39%, respectively, P = 0.007). In univariate Cox-regression analyses, AF pattern [persistent AF, hazard ratio (HR) 2.66 (1.27-5.46), P = 0.006] and the use of DE-CMR [HR 0.36 (0.17-0.79), P = 0.009] predicted recurrences during follow-up; both factors remained independent predictors in multivariate analyses., Conclusion: The substrate characterization provided by DE-CMR facilitates the identification of anatomical veno-atrial gaps and associates with shorter procedures and better clinical outcomes in repeated AF ablation procedures., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2020. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Limited information has been reported regarding the impact of percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR) on ventricular arrhythmic (VA) burden. The aim of this study was to address the incidence of VA and appropriate antitachycardia implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) therapies before and after PMVR., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all consecutive patients with heart failure with reduce left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) grade 3+ or 4+ and an active ICD or cardiac resynchronizer who underwent PMVR in any of the eleven recruiting centers. Only patients with complete available device VA monitoring from one-year before to one year after PMVR were included. Baseline clinical and echocardiographic characteristics were collected before PMVR and at 12-months follow-up., Results: Ninety-three patients (68.2±10.9 years old, male 88.2%) were enrolled. PMVR was successfully performed in all patients and device success at discharge was 91.4%. At 12-month follow-up, we observed a significant reduction in mitral regurgitation severity, NT-proBNP and prevalence of severe pulmonary hypertension and severe kidney disease. Patients also referred a significant improvement in NYHA functional class and showed a non-significant trend to reserve left ventricular remodeling. After PMVR a significant decrease in the incidence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) (5.0±17.8 vs. 2.7±13.5, P=0.002), sustained VT or ventricular fibrillation (0.9±2.5 vs. 0.5±2.9, P=0.012) and ICD antitachycardia therapies (2.5±12.0 vs. 0.9±5.0, P=0.033) were observed., Conclusions: PMVR was related to a reduction in arrhythmic burden and ICD therapies in our cohort., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/atm.2020.02.45). The series “Structural Heart Disease: The Revolution” was commissioned by the editorial office without any funding or sponsorship. REL, CG, XF and LNF are consultants for Abbott vascular and proctor for MitraClip®. MT is consultant for Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, 4tech, CoreMedic. Speaker fees from Edwards Lifesciences. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (2020 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a cornerstone of therapy for patients with heart failure, reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, and a wide QRS complex. However, not all patients respond to CRT: 30% of CRT implanted patients are currently considered clinical non-responders and up to 40% do not achieve LV reverse remodelling. In order to achieve the best CRT response, appropriate patient selection, device implantation, and programming are important factors. Optimization of CRT pacing intervals may improve results, increasing the number of responders, and the magnitude of the response. Echocardiography is considered the reference method for atrioventricular and interventricular (VV) intervals optimization but it is time-consuming, complex and it has a large interobserver and intraobserver variability. Previous studies have linked QRS shortening to clinical response, echocardiographic improvement and favourable prognosis. In this review, we describe the electrocardiographic optimization methods available: 12-lead electrocardiogram; fusion-optimized intervals (FOI); intracardiac electrogram-based algorithms; and electrocardiographic imaging. Fusion-optimized intervals is an electrocardiographic method of optimizing CRT based on QRS duration that combines fusion with intrinsic conduction. The FOI method is feasible and fast, further reduces QRS duration, can be performed during implant, improves acute haemodynamic response, and achieves greater LV remodelling compared with nominal programming of CRT., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2019. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aims: Riata ® implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads from St. Jude Medical are prone to malfunction. This study aimed to describe the rate of this lead's malfunction in a very long-term follow-up., Methods: This single-centre observational study included 50 patients who received a Riata 7Fr dual-coil lead between 2003 and 2008. Follow-up was conducted both in person and remotely, and analysed at 8-month intervals. We evaluated the rates of cable externalization (CE), electrical failure (EF), and the interaction of these two complications. Structural lead failure was defined as radiographic CE. Oversensing of non-cardiac signal or sudden changes in impedance, sensing, or pacing thresholds constituted EF., Results: During a mean follow-up of 10.2 ± 2.9 years, 16 patients (32%) died. We observed lead malfunction in 13 patients (26%): three (23%) due to CE, six (46%) to EF and four (31%) to both complications. Of the malfunctioning leads, 77% failed after seven years of follow-up. The incidence rate (IR) of overall malfunction per 100 patients per year was 0.9 during the first seven years post-implantation, increased to 7.0 after the 7th year and more than doubled (to 16.7) after 10 years. Beyond seven years post-implantation, IR per 100 patient-years increased in both EF and CE (from 0.6 to 5.6 vs. 0.3 to 4.2, respectively). Presence of CE was associated with a 4-fold increase in the proportion of EF., Conclusion: The incidence of Riata ICD lead malfunction, both for EF and CE, increased dramatically after seven years and then more than doubled after 10 years post-implantation., (Copyright © 2019 Indian Heart Rhythm Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Empagliflozin cardiac benefits in the EMPA-REG OUTCOME (Empagliflozin Cardiovascular Outcome Event Trial in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients) trial cannot be explained exclusively by its antihyperglycemic activity., Objectives: The hypothesis was that empagliflozin's cardiac benefits are mediated by switching myocardial fuel metabolism away from glucose toward ketone bodies (KB), which improves myocardial energy production., Methods: Heart failure was induced in nondiabetic pigs (n = 14) by 2-h balloon occlusion of the proximal left anterior descending artery. Animals were randomized to empagliflozin or placebo for 2 months. Animals were evaluated with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and 3-dimensional echocardiography. Myocardial metabolite consumption was analyzed by simultaneous blood sampling from coronary artery and coronary sinus. Myocardial samples were obtained for molecular evaluation. Nonmyocardial infarction animals served as comparison., Results: Despite similar initial ischemic myocardial injury in both groups, the empagliflozin group showed amelioration of adverse remodeling at 2 months (lower left ventricular [LV] mass, reduced LV dilatation, less LV sphericity) versus the control group. LV systolic function (LV ejection fraction and echocardiography-derived strains) was improved, as was neurohormonal activation. Compared with nonmyocardial infarction, control animals increased myocardial glucose consumption mainly through anaerobic glycolysis while reducing utilization of free fatty acid (FFA) and branched-chain amino acid (BCAA). Empagliflozin-treated pigs did not consume glucose (reduction in myocardial glucose uptake, and glucose-related enzymes) but instead switched toward utilization of KB, FFA, and BCAA (increased myocardial uptake of these 3 metabolites, and enhanced expression/activity of the enzymes implicated in the metabolism of KB/FFA/BCAA). Empagliflozin increased myocardial ATP content and enhanced myocardial work efficiency., Conclusions: Empagliflozin ameliorates adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure in a nondiabetic porcine model. Empagliflozin switches myocardial fuel utilization away from glucose toward KB, FFA, and BCAA, thereby improving myocardial energetics, enhancing LV systolic function, and ameliorating adverse LV remodeling., (Copyright © 2019 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Chronic total occlusion (CTO) of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) is an infrequent finding. Revascularization is recommended in the presence of demonstrated viability or ischemia. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has long been considered the preferred option. Patients with previous CABG due to LMCA disease with occlusion of one graft and progression of the LMCA to CTO constitute a special population, as just one ischemic artery remains. For these patients, there is no other option for revascularization other than cardiac surgery (requiring resternotomy) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the LMCA., Methods and Results: Out of 620 patients with CTO diagnosed in our center, we identified five with previous CABG due to LMCA disease for a retrospective case series. They had occlusion of one graft and progression of the LMCA to CTO. All five underwent PCI. Each patient received a functional classification for angina, myocardial ischemic tests, and a follow-up coronary angiogram during a median follow-up of 63 months. Coronary angiogram showed CTO of the semi-protected LMCA lesions with two CABGs previously performed in all patients, one occluded and the other patent. Three patients had occluded saphenous vein grafts to the circumflex coronary artery, and the rest had left internal mammary artery-left anterior descending artery CABG failure. Ischemia and viability were demonstrated. Surgery was ruled out due to high surgical risk. PCI due to CTO of the LMCA with drug-eluting stents was performed. In a five-year follow-up period, four patients remained asymptomatic and event free. One post-PCI death occurred from non-cardiovascular cause., Conclusions: PCI due to CTO of the LMCA following CABG can be successful and safe and can provide sustained clinical improvements in selected cases., (Copyright © 2018 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)