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BackgroundPatients with cardiovascular manifestations of sarcoidosis are at an increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and sudden cardiac death. Catheter ablation (CA) for ventricular tachycardia (VT) can be a useful treatment strategy, however, few studies have compared CA to medical therapy in this patient population.ObjectiveTo assess in-hospital outcomes and unplanned readmissions following CA for VT compared to medical therapy in patients with sarcoidosis.MethodsUsing ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnostic and procedural codes, data was obtained from the Nationwide Readmissions Database between January 2010 and December 2019 to identify patients with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis admitted for VT either undergoing CA or medical therapy. Primary endpoints were 30-day unplanned hospital readmissions as well as a composite endpoint of inpatient mortality, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest. Complications at index hospitalization and causes of readmission were also identified.ResultsAmong a total of 1,581 patients, 1,349 patients with sarcoidosis and a diagnosis of VT were managed medically compared to 232 that underwent CA. Readmission rates at 30 days were 10.8% and 8.0%, respectively (p=0.266). In univariate analysis, the composite endpoint of mortality, cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock trended in favor of ablation (7.4% vs 11.7%,p=0.067). In the subgroup of patients undergoing elective CA for VT, there was an improvement in the univariate composite of mortality, cardiac arrest, and cardiogenic shock (3.2% vs. 11.7%,p=0.039). After multivariable adjustment, patients undergoing elective CA were less likely to be readmitted within 30-days (OR 0.23 [95% CI 0.05,0.90]p=0.042). The most common cause of readmission were VA in both groups, however, those undergoing elective CA were less likely to be readmitted for VA compared to non-elective ablation. Complications in the CA group included cardiac tamponade (4.7%), vascular complications (2.6%), and hematomas (3.0%).ConclusionIn a national database of patients admitted with sarcoidosis and VT, when compared to medical therapy, CA results in a similar 30-day readmission rate with a trend towards reduction in the univariate composite endpoint of inpatient mortality, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest.Patients undergoing elective VT ablation have a superior univariate outcome in the primary composite endpoint and were less likely to be readmitted within 30-days in adjusted analysis compared to medical therapy. Procedure related complications were low in the ablation group. The findings of short-term safety compared to medical therapy in addition to early intervention adds further support to an elective CA approach.Clinical Perspective What is New?We report nationwide in-hospital outcomes and readmission rates in sarcoidosis patients presenting with ventricular tachycardia (VT) undergoing catheter ablation (CA) as compared to medical therapy alone.Elective catheter ablation shows a superior reduction in a composite endpoint of inpatient mortality, cardiogenic shock, and cardiac arrest and are less likely to be readmitted within 30-days compared to medical therapy.Ventricular arrhythmias (VA) are the most common cause of readmission, however, patients undergoing elective CA are less likely to be readmitted for VA.What Are the Clinical Implications?VT ablation in sarcoidosis patients favors an elective ablation strategy over medical therapy alone, making pre-procedural optimization, patient selection, and timing critical for successful catheter ablation.Provides clinicians with guidance in formulating acute management decisions in sarcoid patients presenting with VT.Patients undergoing unplanned CA for VT as compared to elective CA have similar complication rates and no obvious increased risk of harm, suggesting that CA can be an important bailout for patients who cannot afford to wait until an elective ablation is performed.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent inherited cardiomyopathy. The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is important for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients at high risk. In recent years, the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) has emerged as a viable alternative to the transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (TV-ICD). The S-ICD does not require intravascular access; however, it cannot provide antitachycardia pacing (ATP) therapy.The purpose of this study was to assess the real-world incidence of ICD therapy in patients with HCM implanted with TV-ICD vs S-ICD.We compared the incidence of ATP and shock therapies among all HCM patients with S-ICD and TV-ICD enrolled in the Boston Scientific ALTITUDE database. Cumulative Kaplan-Meier incidence was used to compare therapy-free survival, and Cox proportional hazard ratios were calculated. We performed unmatched as well as propensity match analyses.We included 2047 patients with TV-ICD and 626 patients with S-ICD, followed for an average of 1650.5 ± 1038.5 days and 933.4 ± 550.6 days, respectively. Patients with HCM and TV-ICD had a significantly higher rate of device therapy compared to those with S-ICD (32.7 vs 14.5 therapies per 100 patient-years, respectively; P.001), driven by a high incidence of ATP therapy in the TV-ICD group, which accounted for67% of therapies delivered. Shock incidence was similar between groups, both in the general and the matched cohorts.Patients with HCM and S-ICD had a significantly lower therapy rate than patients with TV-ICD without difference in shock therapy, suggesting potentially unnecessary ATP therapy. Empirical ATP programming in patients with HCM may be unbeneficial.

Background More than 3 million cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are implanted annually. There are minimal data regarding the timing of diagnosis of acute complications after implantation. It remains unclear whether patients can be safely discharged less than 24 hours postimplantation. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the precise timing of acute complication diagnosis after CIED implantation and optimal timing for same-day discharge. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of adults 18 years or older who underwent CIED implantation at a large urban quaternary care medical center between June 1, 2015, and March 30, 2020, was performed. Standard of care included overnight observation and chest radiography 6 and 24 hours postprocedure. Medical records were reviewed for the timing of diagnosis of acute complications. Acute complications included pneumothorax, hemothorax, pericardial effusion, lead dislodgment, and implant site hematoma requiring surgical intervention. Results A total of 2421 patients underwent implantation. Pericardial effusion or cardiac tamponade was diagnosed in 13 patients (0.53%), pneumothorax or hemothorax in 19 patients (0.78%), lead dislodgment in 11 patients (0.45%), and hematomas requiring surgical intervention in 5 patients (0.2%). Of the 48 acute complications, 43 (90%) occurred either within 6 hours or more than 24 hours after the procedure. Only 3 acute complications identified between 6 and 24 hours required intervention during the index hospitalization (0.12% of all cases). Conclusion Most acute complications are diagnosed either within the first 6 hours or more than 24 hours after implantation. With rare exception, patients can be considered for discharge after 6 hours of appropriate monitoring.

Patients with HIV infection have increased risk of atrial fibrillation, but the pathophysiologic mechanisms and the utility of catheter ablation in this population is not well-studied. We aimed to characterize outcomes of atrial fibrillation ablation and left atrial substrate in patients with HIV.The study was a retrospective propensity score-matched analysis of patients with and without HIV undergoing atrial fibrillation ablation. A search was performed in the electronic medical record for all patients with HIV who received initial atrial fibrillation ablation from 2011-2020. After calculating propensity scores for HIV, matching was performed with patients without HIV by using nearest neighbor matching without replacement in a 1:2 ratio. The primary outcome was freedom from atrial arrhythmia and secondary outcomes were freedom from atrial fibrillation, freedom from atrial tachycardia, and freedom from repeat ablation, compared by log-rank analysis. The procedures of patients with HIV who underwent repeat ablation at our institution were further analyzed for etiology of recurrence. To further characterize left atrial substrate, a subsequent case-control analysis was then performed for a set of randomly chosen ten patients with HIV matched with ten without HIV to compare minimum and maximum voltage at 9 pre-specified regions of the left atrium.27 patients with HIV were identified. All were prescribed antiretroviral therapy at time of ablation. These patients were matched with 54 patients without HIV by propensity score. 86.4% of patients with HIV and 76.9% of controls were free of atrial fibrillation or atrial tachycardia at one year (p=0.509). Log-rank analysis showed no difference in freedom from atrial arrhythmia (p-value 0.971), atrial fibrillation (p-value 0.346), atrial tachycardia (p-value 0.306), or repeat ablation (p-value 0.401) after initial atrial fibrillation ablation in patients with HIV compared to patients without HIV. In patients with HIV with recurrent atrial fibrillation, the majority had pulmonary vein reconnection (67%). There were no significant differences in minimum or maximum voltage at any of the nine left atrial regions between the matched patients with and without HIV.Ablation to treat atrial fibrillation in patients with HIV, but without overt AIDS is frequently successful therapy. The majority of patients with recurrence of atrial fibrillation had pulmonary vein reconnection, suggesting infrequent non-pulmonary vein substrate. In this population the left atrial voltage in patients with HIV is similar to that of patients without HIV. These findings suggest that the pulmonary veins remain a critical component to the initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation in patients with HIV. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Despite the significant progress in the prevention and treatment of HF, mortality rates still remain high. Device therapy for HF includes cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and the use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Recently, a new device therapy for the treatment of HF became available, called cardiac contractility modulation (CCM). CCM is a new device therapy for patients with HF who do not qualify for CRT. It is implanted in a minimally invasive manner to improve the patient's morbidity. Optimizer Smart System is a new device that delivers CCM therapy.Areas covered: We review the function of the Optimizer Smart System, the data from the recent clinical trials, and discuss its efficacy and future projections in the treatment for HF.Expert opinion: CCM therapy provided with the Optimizer® Smart System is safe, feasible, and applicable to a wide range of patients with HF. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the Optimizer Smart System's use merits further large multicenter randomized controlled trials.

Occult atrial fibrillation (AF) can be the underlying cause for cryptogenic stroke (CS). Implantable loop recorders (ILRs) have become an important tool for long-term arrhythmia monitoring in CS patients. Office-based ILR implantation by nonelectrophysiologist physicians is increasingly common. To report the real world diagnostic yield and accuracy of remote ILR monitoring in high risk CS patients, we retrospectively analyzed 145 consecutive patients with CS who underwent ILR implantation between October 2014 and October 2018 at New York University Langone Health. A certified device technician and an electrophysiologist adjudicated all transmissions. The yield and accuracy of Reveal LINQ Intra Cardiac Monitor (ICM), a fourth generation device, was compared to that of TruRhythm Detection algorithm (fifth generation device). AF was diagnosed in 17 patients (12%) over a mean follow-up of 28 ± 12 months. The median time to diagnosis was 7.4 ± 21.3 months. A total of 1,637 remote transmissions (scheduled- and auto-triggered alerts: 756; patient-triggered: 881) were adjudicated. The positive predictive value for AF episodes in the scheduled interrogations increased from 4% in the Reveal LINQ ICM to 16% in the TruRhythm LINQ. Of 881 patient-triggered transmissions, none were found to be true positive. In the Reveal LINQ ICM, for scheduled transmissions, primary causes of false positive (FP) were atrial ventricular premature complexes (80%). In the TruRhythm LINQ, for scheduled transmissions, primary cause of FP were T-wave over-sensing (87%). In conclusion, the real world diagnostic yield of ILR for patients with CS remains suboptimal, with at least 84% of AF alerts being FP. Patient-riggered events did not correlate with arrhythmia and the necessity of patient triggering in this population should be questioned. Expert interpretation of recordings is critical to assure accurate diagnosis.

Background Increased peak luminal esophageal temperature (LET) is associated with increased risk of esophageal injury after left atrial posterior wall (LAPW) ablation. The magnitude, distribution, and risk factors of LET increase with high-power short-duration (HPSD) LAPW ablation are not well understood. Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the spatial and temporal characteristics of LET changes associated with HPSD LAPW radiofrequency (RF) ablation. Methods LET was sampled at 20 Hz using a 12-point esophageal temperature monitor (CIRCA S-CATH; Circa Scientific, Inc) in 16 patients undergoing LAPW ablation. Esophageal temperature sensor position and lesion locations were recorded using an electroanatomic mapping system with fluoroscopic integration (CARTO 3, CARTOUNIVU; Biosense Webster, Inc). Point-by-point LAPW ablation was performed at 50 W for 6 seconds. The first 20 LAPW lesions were individually analyzed in each patient. Results LET increase ≥4°C (8 lesions: max LET 5.8°C), 2°–4°C (34 lesions), and 1°–2°C (58 lesions) occurred at 9 ± 2 mm, 8 ± 2 mm, and 13 ± 2 mm from sensors, respectively. Lesions placed >20 mm from a temperature sensor did not result in an LET increase ≥2°C. Temperature resolution to within 1°C of baseline occurred ∼60 seconds after cessation of RF application. Consecutive lesions resulting in additive heating of at least 1°C occurred in 17 lesion pairs with an interlesion distance of 9 ± 4 mm and interlesion time of 21 ± 4 seconds. Conclusion HPSD LAPW ablation can result in severe esophageal temperature increases. Significant LET increase will be undetected when lesions are >20 mm away from a temperature sensor. Additive LET increase was observed with consecutive lesions placed

Prior studies have shown that addition of posterior wall isolation (PWI) may reduce atrial fibrillation recurrence in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation. No data on PWI in paroxysmal AF (pAF) patients with normal left atrial voltage is available, to date.This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of PWI in addition to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients presenting with pAF and normal left atrial voltage.Consecutive patient registry analysis was performed on all patients with pAF and normal left atrial voltage undergoing initial radiofrequency ablation from November 1, 2018 to November 15, 2019. Primary endpoint was recurrence of atrial arrhythmia including AF, atrial tachycardia (AT), or atrial flutter (AFL).A total of 321 patients were studied, 214 in the PVI group and 107 in the PWI + PVI group. Recurrence of any atrial arrhythmia occurred in 18.2% of patients in the PVI group and 16.8% in the PVI + PWI cohort (p = 0.58). At 1 year, recurrence was 14.0% in the PVI group and 15.0% in the PWI + PVI group (p = 0.96). There was a lower AT/AFL recurrence in the PVI + PWI group, not reaching significance (3.7% in the PWI + PVI group vs. 7.9% in PVI group, p = 0.31). Need for carina lesions predicted recurrence in the PVI-only group.Addition of PWI to PVI in pAF patients undergoing their first ablation did not reduce the frequency of atrial arrhythmia recurrence. This warrants further study in a prospective trial.

Purpose Catheter ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation (AF) were significantly curtailed during the peak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to conserve healthcare resources and limit exposure. There is little data regarding peri-procedural outcomes of medical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic. We enacted protocols to safely reboot AF ablation while limiting healthcare resource utilization. We aimed to evaluate acute and subacute outcomes of protocols instituted for reboot of AF ablation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Perioperative healthcare utilization and acute procedural outcomes were analyzed for consecutive patients undergoing AF ablation under COVID-19 protocols (2020 cohort; n=111) and compared to those of patients who underwent AF ablation during the same time period in 2019 (2019 cohort; n=200). Newly implemented practices included preoperative COVID-19 testing, selective transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), utilization of venous closure, and same-day discharge when clinically appropriate. Results Pre-ablation COVID-19 testing was positive in 1 of 111 patients. There were 0 cases ablation-related COVID-19 transmission and 0 major complications in either cohort. Pre-procedure TEE was performed in significantly fewer 2020 cohort patients compared to the 2019 cohort patients (68.4% vs. 97.5%, p

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most prevalent inherited cardiomyopathy. Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is important for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients at high risk. In recent years the subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) has emerged as a viable alternative to the transvenous ICD (TV-ICD). The S-ICD does not require intravascular access, but cannot provide antitachycardia pacing therapy (ATP). Objective: To assess the real world incidence of ICD therapy in patients with HCM implanted with TV-ICD versus S-ICD.Methods: We compared the incidence of ATP and shock therapies between all HCM patients with S-ICD and TV-ICD enrolled in the Boston Scientific ALTITUDE database. Cumulative Kaplan Meier incidence was used to compare therapy free survival and Cox proportional hazard ratios were calculated. We performed an unmatched as well as propensity match analysis. Results: We included 2462 patients with TV-ICD and 716 patients with S-ICD followed for an average of 1348 {plus minus} 989 days. Patients with HCM and TV-ICD had significantly higher rate of device therapy as compared to those with S-ICD (31.1 vs. 14.7 therapies /100 patient year; p

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in worldwide morbidity at unprecedented scale. Troponin elevation is a frequent laboratory finding in hospitalized patients with the disease, and may reflect direct vascular injury or non-specific supply-demand imbalance. In this work, we assessed the correlation between different ranges of Troponin elevation, Electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities, and mortality.Methods: We retrospectively studied 204 consecutive patients hospitalized at NYU Langone Health with COVID-19. Serial ECG tracings were evaluated in conjunction with laboratory data including Troponin. Mortality was analyzed in respect to the degree of Troponin elevation and the presence of ECG changes including ST elevation, ST depression or T wave inversion.Results: Mortality increased in parallel with increase in Troponin elevation groups and reached 60% when Troponin was >1 ng/ml. In patients with mild Troponin rise (0.05–1.00 ng/ml) the presence of ECG abnormality and particularly T wave inversions resulted in significantly greater mortality.Conclusion: ECG repolarization abnormalities may represent a marker of clinical severity in patients with mild elevation in Troponin values. This finding can be used to enhance risk stratification in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Backgroundthe COVID19 pandemic has resulted in worldwide morbidity at unprecedented scale. Troponin elevation is a frequent laboratory finding in hospitalized patients with the disease, and may reflect direct vascular injury or nonspecific supply-demand imbalance. In this work, we assessed the correlation between different ranges of Troponin elevation, Electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities and mortality.MethodsWe retrospectively studied 204 consecutive patients hospitalized at NYU Langone Health with COVID19. Serial ECG tracings were evaluated in conjunction with laboratory data including Troponin. Mortality was analyzed in respect to the degree of Troponin elevation and the presence of ECG changes including ST elevation, ST depression or T wave inversion.ResultsMortality increased in parallel with increase in Troponin elevation groups and reached 60% when Troponin was >1 ng/ml. In patients with mild Troponin rise (0.05 – 1.00 ng/ml) the presence of ECG abnormality resulted in significantly greater mortality.ConclusionECG repolarization abnormalities may represent a marker of clinical severity in patients with mild elevation in Troponin values. This finding can be used to enhance risk stratification in patients hospitalized with COVID19.

BACKGROUND: Improved catheter stability is associated with decreased arrhythmia recurrence after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Recently, atrial voltage mapping in AF was demonstrated to correlate better with scar as compared to mapping in sinus rhythm (SR). However, it is unknown whether ablation of persistent AF in sinus rhythm with atrial pacing or in atrial fibrillation with ventricular pacing results in differences in catheter stability or arrhythmia recurrence. METHODS: We analyzed 53 consecutive patients undergoing first-time persistent AF ablation with pulmonary vein and posterior wall isolation: 27 were cardioverted, mapped, and ablated in sinus rhythm with atrial pacing, and 26 were mapped and ablated in AF with ventricular pacing. Ablation data was extracted from the mapping system and analyzed using custom MATLAB software to determine high-frequency (60Hz) catheter excursion as a novel metric for catheter spatial stability. RESULTS: There was no difference in catheter stability as assessed by maximal catheter excursion, mean catheter excursion, or contact force variability between the atrial-paced and ventricular-paced patients. Ventricular-paced patients had significantly greater mean contact force as compared to atrial-paced patients. Contact-force variability demonstrated poor correlation with catheter excursion. One year arrhythmia-free survival was similar between the atrial paced and ventricular paced patients. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with persistent AF, ablation in AF with ventricular pacing results in similar catheter stability and arrhythmia recurrence as compared to cardioversion and ablation in sinus rhythm with atrial pacing. Given the improved fidelity of mapping in AF, mapping and ablating during AF with ventricular pacing may be preferred.

Background The prolongation in QT interval typically observed following cardiac arrest is considered to be multifactorial and induced by external triggers such as hypothermia therapy and exposure to antiarrhythmic medications. Objective To evaluate the corrected QT interval (QTc) dynamics in the first 10 days following cardiac arrest with respect to the etiology of arrest, hypothermia and QT prolonging medications. Methods We enrolled 104 adult survivors of cardiac arrest, where daily ECG was available for at least 3 days. We followed their QT and QRS intervals for the first 10 days of hospitalization. We used both Bazett and Fridericia formulas to correct for heart rate. For patients with QRS 120 ms we analyzed the JTc (n = 104) vs. including only the narrow QRS samples (n = 89). We stratified patients by 3 groups: (1) presence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) (2) treatment with hypothermia protocol, and (3) treatment with QTc prolonging medications. Additionally, genetic information obtained during hospitalization was analyzed. Results QTc and JTc intervals were significantly prolonged in the first 6 days. Maximal QTc/JTc prolongation was observed in day 2 (QTcB = 497 ± 55). There were no differences in daily QTc/JTc and QRS intervals in the first 2 days post arrest between patients with or without hypothermia induction but such difference was found with QT prolonging medications. All subgroups demonstrated significantly prolonged QTc/JTc interval regardless of the presence of IHD, hypothermia protocol or QTc prolonging medication exposure. Our results were consistent for both Bazetts’ and Frediricia correction and for any QRS duration. Prolongation of the JTcB beyond 382 ms after day 3 predicted sustained QTc/JTc prolongation beyond day 6 with an ROC of 0.78. Conclusions QTc/JTc interval is significantly and independently prolonged post SCA, regardless of known QT prolonging triggers. Normalization of the QTc post cardiac arrest should be expected only after day 6 of hospitalization. Assessment of the QTc for adjudication of the etiology of arrest or for monitoring the effect of QT prolonging medications may be unreliable.

BackgroundThe emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over two million affected and over 150 thousand deaths to date. There is no known effective therapy for the disease. Initial reports suggesting the potential benefit of Hydroxychloroquine/Azithromycin (HY/AZ) have resulted in massive adoption of this combination worldwide. However, while the true efficacy of this regimen is unknown, initial reports have raised concerns regarding the potential risk of QT prolongation and induction of torsade de pointes (TdP).MethodsThis is a multicenter retrospective study of 251 patients with COVID-19 treated with HY/AZ. We reviewed ECG tracings from baseline and until 3 days after completion of therapy to determine the progression of QTc and incidence of arrhythmia and mortality.ResultsQTc prolonged in parallel with increasing drug exposure and incompletely shortened after its completion. Extreme new QTc prolongation to > 500 ms, a known marker of high risk for TdP had developed in 15.9% of patients. One patient developed TdP requiring emergent cardioversion. Seven patients required premature termination of therapy. The baseline QTc of patients exhibiting QTc prolongation of > 60 ms was normal.ConclusionThe combination of HY/AZ significantly prolongs the QTc in patients with COVID-19. This prolongation may be responsible for life threating arrhythmia in the form of TdP. This risk mandates careful consideration of HY/AZ therapy in lights of its unproven efficacy. Strict QTc monitoring should be performed if the regimen is given.

We report the change in the QT interval in 84 adult patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection treated with Hydroxychloroquine/Azithromycin combination. QTc prolonged maximally from baseline between days 3 and 4. in 30% of patients QTc increased by greater than 40ms. In 11% of patients QTc increased to >500 ms, representing high risk group for arrhythmia. The development of acute renal failure but not baseline QTc was a strong predictor of extreme QTc prolongation.

The first uncatalyzed hydrophosphinations of propargylic amines and alcohols with phosphine- borane complexes are described. The reactions proceed at ambient temperature or below without the use of protecting groups or the need to handle pyrophoric secondary phosphines, furnishing air-stable phosphineborane-amines and alcohols in good yields. Utilization of chiral propargylic substrates and unsymmetrical secondary phosphineboranes leads to diastereomeric P-chiral products that can be separated by fractional crystallization or chromatography. Initial applications of these new P-X species to asymmetric catalysis are detailed.

Employment enhances the outcomes of substance dependency treatment. Unfortunately, although unemployed methadone treatment patients frequently state they are interested in a job, many fail to participate in vocational services when available. Unless patients become engaged, vocational services do not have an opportunity to be effective. This is the first study to explore a broad array of factors that may be associated with differential engagement in vocational services among methadone patients. The study was conducted in two methadone programs in New York City during 2001-2004. Unemployed methadone patients (n = 211) were voluntarily randomly assigned to either of two vocational counseling programs (standard vs. experimental) and followed for 6 months. The sample was 59% male, 75% minority group, aged 45 years on average, and in methadone treatment for 5 years on average. Being engaged in the vocational counseling programs was defined as five or more sessions with the counselor in the first 6 months after study entry. In multivariate analysis, the factors associated with higher engagement in vocational counseling were being non-Hispanic, having more education, a drug injection history, a crack use history, having chronic emotional/mental problems, better work attitudes, and assignment to the experimental vocational program. The results indicate that it is often the most "needy" unemployed methadone patients who become more engaged in vocational counseling. A vocational counseling model which emphasizes assertive outreach and attends to nonvocational clinical issues as well is more likely to engage patients.

An innovative employment counseling model, Customized Employment Supports, was developed for methadone-treatment patients, a population with historically low employment rates. The effectiveness of a key component of the model, “vocational fieldwork,” the delivery of services in the community rather than only within the clinic, was assessed through a quasi-experimental study of the first 55 patients receiving the model in 2 clinics. Employment outcomes after 6 months were compared between patients who received vocational fieldwork (n = 18) and those who did not (n = 37). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that patients receiving vocational fieldwork had significantly better outcomes for competitive work, informal work, and any paid work.

This article presents initial efficacy data for an innovative vocational rehabilitation model designed for methadone-maintained patients--the Customized Employment Supports (CES) model. In this model, a CES counselor works intensively with a small caseload of patients in order to overcome the vocational as well as nonvocational barriers that hinder their employment, with the goal of attaining rapid placement in competitive employment. The CES model was implemented at two Manhattan methadone treatment programs as part of a randomized clinical trial comparing the model's employment outcomes with those of standard vocational counseling. The study tested the hypothesis that patients in the experimental group will have better employment outcomes than those in the comparison group. The data were collected from May 2001 through September 2003. The sample consisted of the first 121 patients who had completed their 6-month follow-up interviews. The preliminary results supported the hypothesis for two indices of paid employment, i.e., the CES group was more likely to obtain both competitive employment and informal paid employment. The clinical trial is continuing.

Traditionally, methadone-maintained patients have made only limited progress in vocational rehabilitation programs, largely because they encounter multiple individual-level barriers to their employment. The Customized Employment Supports (CES) model is designed to help patients overcome these employment barriers and attain paid work as soon as possible. To facilitate this transition, the model assigns CES counselors small caseloads so that, using intensive interventions, they can engage patients in a working alliance and enhance patients' self-efficacy. Methods used to help patients increase their self-efficacy are derived from social psychological literature and include role modeling, persuasion, and minimizing emotional arousal. Because the transition to competitive work is a major change, many patients initially take smaller steps such as entering training programs and accepting informal employment. The CES model is being evaluated in a randomized clinical trial.

An elevated triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio has been described as a predictor of insulin resistance and cardiovascular events. We evaluated whether a TG/HDL ratioor = 3.5 was associated with the burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) on cardiac catheterization. A retrospective chart review of 156 consecutive adults presenting to the Montefiore Medical Center Emergency Department with symptoms of unstable angina and no known history of CAD who underwent cardiac catheterization as part of their index hospitalization was performed. TG and HDL data were available in 100 patients within 6 months prior to admission and no more than 24 hours after presentation. A priori, a burden of CAD score was developed. On multivariate analysis, a TG/HDL ratioor = 3.5 was associated with the burden of CAD (odds ratio, 2.87; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-7.96; p = 0.04). Further study is warranted.

Hydrophosphination of secondary propargylic alcohols generates phosphine-containing allylic alcohols that undergo facile [2,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements with chlorophosphines, furnishing highly enantioenriched, crystalline diphosphine monoxides. The configuration at the newly formed stereocenter is opposite to that expected based on prior studies, and an ab initio computational evaluation of the possible transition states was performed to help explain the stereochemical course of the reaction.