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Background: Cardioneuroablation (CNA) is a promising treatment for syncope., Objectives: This study sought to analyze the success and risk of CNA, and to describe predictive factors of CNA success in patients with syncope., Methods: Seventy-seven consecutive patients with syncope treated with CNA in 22 hospitals and at least 6 months of follow-up were included. Patients with reflex cardioinhibitory, mixed syncope, functional sinus node dysfunction (SND), or functional atrioventricular block were included. The primary endpoint was the recurrence of syncope after the CNA., Results: Mean age was 49.3 ± 13.4 years and 54.5% were women. Five (6.5%) patients presented complications. Three patients presented SND, 1 required a pacemaker. During a median follow-up of 12 months (Q1-Q3: 8-20 months), 26 (33.8%) patients had recurrence of syncope. Women had a significantly higher risk of recurrence compared with men (HR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.2-8.8; P = 0.016). Patients >50 years of age had a significantly lower risk of recurrence compared with younger patients (HR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.1-0.9; P = 0.032). The risk of recurrence in mixed syncope was significantly higher than in cardioinhibitory syncope (HR: 4.4; 95% CI: 1.1-17.5; P = 0.033). Syncope recurrence was significantly less frequent in patients treated with general anesthesia or deep sedation compared with conscious sedation (HR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.6; P = 0.002). Finally, the number of radiofrequency applications (≤30 or >30) had a significant association with CNA success (HR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2-0.9; P = 0.042). These results were adjusted for confounding factors., Conclusions: In this multicenter study, the effectiveness of CNA was less than previously reported. We found a 3.9% risk of SND. Male sex, age >50 years, cardioinhibitory syncope, general anesthesia or deep sedation, and >30 radiofrequency applications could predict success of CNA for syncope., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures This work was supported by the Spanish Government Official Agency for funding biomedical research Instituto de Salud Carlos III, with competitive grants through the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (PI22/00399) and a competitive grant from the arrhythmia section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC/2021). The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

(1) Background: Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of vascular death worldwide. High urinary phosphate has recently been identified as a cardiovascular risk factor, but its role has not been fully established. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between urinary phosphate and subclinical atherosclerosis in the carotid, femoral as well as coronary territories; (2) Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of a sample of 1169 middle-aged men, aged 50.9 years (SD 3.7), without previous cardiovascular disease, belonging to the Aragon Workers Health Study (AWHS). Urinary phosphate was analyzed in urine samples using the Fiske-Subbarow method. The presence of carotid plaque and femoral plaque was assessed by ultrasound and coronary artery calcium score (CACS) by computed tomography. Demographic, anthropometric and clinical data were collected at annual medical examinations. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the prevalence of adjusted atherosclerosis in the different vascular arteries; (3) Results: A significant inverse association was observed between urinary phosphate and subclinical atherosclerosis in the carotid [OR 95% CI 0.69 (0.49-0.99)] and coronary (CACS > 200) [OR 95% CI 0.46 (0.23-0.88)] arteries; however, no statistically significant association was found between urinary phosphate and the presence of atheroma plaques in the femoral territory [OR 1.02 (0.72-1.45)]; (4) Conclusions: In middle-aged men, a higher urinary phosphate concentration is associated with a lower prevalence of subclinical carotid and coronary atherosclerosis compared with those with a lower urinary phosphate concentration.

Context: The relationship between carbohydrate quality intake and metabolic syndrome (MetS) is of growing interest., Objective: We aimed to assess the association between the adherence to a dietary carbohydrate quality index (CQI) with the occurrence of MetS in a Spanish cohort of working adults., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 2316 middle-aged men, aged 50.9 (SD 3.9) years, with no previous cardiovascular disease, and pertaining to the Aragon Workers' Health Study (AWHS) cohort. Diet was collected with a 136-item semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire. The CQI (range 4-15) was based on: dietary fiber intake, a low glycemic index, the ratio of whole grains/total grains, and the ratio of solid carbohydrates/total carbohydrates. The higher the CQI, the healthier the diet. MetS was defined by using the harmonized National Cholesterol Education Programme-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) definition. The associations across 3-point categories of the CQI and the presence of MetS were examined using logistic regression., Results: An inverse and significant association between the CQI and MetS was found. Fully adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for MetS risk among participants in the 10- to 12-point category (second highest CQI category) was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.45-0.94), and in the 13- to 15-point category (highest category) was 0.52 (95% CI, 0.30-0.88), when compared with the 4- to 6-point category (lowest category). Participants with 10 to 12 and 13 to 15 points on the CQI showed a lower risk of hypertriglyceridemia: OR 0.61 (95% CI, 0.46-0.81), and 0.48 (95% CI, 0.32-0.71) respectively., Conclusion: Among middle-aged men, a higher adherence to a high-quality carbohydrate diet is associated with a lower prevalence of MetS. Triglyceridemia is the MetS component that contributed the most to this reduced risk., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

(1) Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide. The aim of the study was to examine the existing published results of the association between elevated serum phosphate concentrations and cardiovascular mortality, along with the CVD incidence and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, in primary prevention among non-selected samples of the general population. (2) Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out using literature obtained from PubMed, SCOPUS, and the Web Of Science until March 2024 and following the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant information was extracted and presented. Random and fixed effects models were used to estimate the pooled odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) with their 95% coefficient interval (CI), and I 2 was used to assess heterogeneity. (3) Results: Twenty-five studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis (11 cross-sectional and 14 cohort studies). For cardiovascular mortality, which included 7 cohort studies and 41,764 adults, the pooled HR was 1.44 (95% CIs 1.28, 1.61; I 2 0%) when the highest versus the reference level of serum phosphate concentrations were compared. For CVDs, which included 8 cohort studies and 61,723 adults, the pooled HR was 1.12 (95% CIs 0.99, 1.27; I 2 51%). For subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, which included 11 cross-sectional studies and 24,820 adults, the pooled OR was 1.44 (95% CIs 1.15, 1.79; I 2 88%). (4) Conclusions: The highest serum phosphate concentrations were positively associated with a 44% increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.

Background: The totally subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) is a safe alternative to the conventional transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) system to prevent sudden death., Objective: To compare the impact of the type of ICD system and surgical technique on patients' quality of life, as well as the severity of discomfort and pain, between S-ICD and TV-ICD recipients., Methods: Consecutively implanted patients with an S-ICD system were matched with patients with a TV-ICD system. In addition, patients undergoing S-ICD implantation after removal of a TV-ICD due to complications were included. Quality of life (measured with the 12-item short-form health survey) and severity of pain and discomfort were evaluated. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.05., Results: A total of 64 patients implanted with S-ICD or TV-ICD under local anesthesia and conscious sedation were analyzed. Patients with S-ICD and TV-ICD systems did not differ significantly in quality of life scores. S-ICD patients had a higher level of perioperative pain; no differences were found regarding severity of intraoperative pain. The magnitude of aesthetic discomfort and sleep disturbances did not differ between groups. An S-ICD was implanted in 7 additional patients after removal of a TV-ICD. All but one of these patients recommended the S-ICD system., Conclusions: The type of ICD system and the surgical technique have negligible impact on patients' quality of life. These results suggest that conscious sedation, provided by an experienced electrophysiology team, could be considered as an alternative to general anesthesia to manage patients undergoing S-ICD implantation.