Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to José L Merino.
Class I antiarrhythmic drug infusion has been established as the standard test to unmask Brugada syndrome. This report presents two patients with Brugada syndrome with positive flecainide response which was not reproducible in a subsequent test.
Management of patients with incessant monomorphic ventricular tachycardia is challenging. We report on 2 patients who had incessant ventricular tachycardia despite emergency treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs and repeated electrical cardioversions. In both cases, the arrhythmia was acutely terminated with intracoronary administration of radiographic contrast media, allowing hemodynamic stabilization. No tachycardia recurrences occurred.
We report of a patient in whom the presence of a left ventricular accessory pathway plus enhanced AV nodal conduction led to a more physiological ventricular activation sequence than that observed after ablation of the accessory pathway in a patient with baseline left bundle branch block and concealed intra-QRS pre-excitation.
BACKGROUND: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) can terminate ventricular tachyarrhythmias with shocks (painful) or antitachycardia pacing (painless). According to the results of the Pacing Fast VT Reduces Shock ThErapies Trials, antitachycardia pacing (ATP) can avoid painful shocks and also increase device longevity. The purpose of the ADVANCE-D (Atp DeliVery for PAiNless ICD ThErapy) study is to determine the most appropriate ventricular tachycardia (VT) therapy, so as to optimize painless therapy for life-threatening arrhythmias. METHODS AND RESULTS: The ADVANCE-D is a prospective, multicenter, parallel, two-arm randomized study designed to evaluate the efficacy of two different sequences of ATP therapies (burst 15 pulses, 88%, vs burst 8 pulses, 88%), during an episode of spontaneous arrhythmia classified as fast VT (FVT) in patients with a Class I or IIA indication for ICD implantation (single and dual chamber devices). The primary endpoint is to compare the efficacy of two ATP therapies for FVT episodes. The study will enroll a minimum of 900 patients within 2 years, followed-up for 12 months. The investigation is expected to be completed in 2007. CONCLUSIONS: The ADVANCE-D trial is the first large randomized clinical investigation aimed to evaluate optimal programming and efficacy of ATP.
The aim of this study was to identify mutations in the cardiac heavy-chain beta-myosin gene (MYH7b) in a group of Spanish patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The study included 36 families with at least one member who had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. DNA from exons 3 to 24 of the MYH7b gene was sequenced. Two mutations were identified: Arg858Cys and Met515Val. They occurred in two families, one of which was of Moroccan origin. This corresponds to a MYH7b gene mutation frequency of less than 5%. In contrast to findings in other Caucasian populations, MYH7b gene mutation occurred infrequently in this group of Spanish families with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
AIMS: We sought to determine the incidence, mechanisms, and time to syncope recurrence in patients with spontaneous syncopal monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SyMVT) treated with an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Incidence and causes of syncope following ICD implantation in consecutive patients (n=26) with spontaneous SyMVT were compared with those found in consecutive patients (n=50) with spontaneous non-syncopal monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (NSyMVT). Patients with SyMVT had a higher incidence of syncope (46% patients) than those with NSyMVT (2% patients) at 31+/-21 and 34+/-23 months follow-up, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.04-0.42; P=0.0001). Among the former, four patients (15%) had non-arrhythmic syncope and eight patients had arrhythmic syncope (31%), which was associated with either ICD proarrhythmia (seven episodes of VT acceleration or VF degeneration by ATP or low/high-energy shocks in three patients) or spontaneous VT and VF (five episodes in five patients). Median time to the first arrhythmic syncope was 376 days. Arrhythmic syncope presented after a first non-syncopal VT recurrence in six patients (75%). CONCLUSION: Syncope following ICD implantation is common in patients with SyMVT in contrast to patients with NSyMVT. Late syncope presentation supports reassessment of driving restrictions in this setting.
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INTRODUCTION: The ablation of ventricular tachycardia is limited by a number of factors that reduce the effectiveness of this intervention in patients with structural heart disease compared to other types of arrhythmia. Recent years have seen the development of several nonfluoroscopic navigation techniques that facilitate the mapping of complex arrhythmogenic substrates. One such technique, the LocaLisa system, has not previously been tested for the ablation of ventricular tachycardia. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A total of 32 patients with structural heart disease were treated at our center with ablation for sustained ventricular tachycardia. In 10 patients the LocaLisa system was used to visualize the catheters during the procedure. We compared the results in the LocaLisa group with those in a control group of 22 patients treated with conventional fluoroscopy-guided ablation. RESULTS: The success rate of ablation was 75% (9/12 procedures) in the LocaLisa group and 68% (17/25 procedures) in the control group (P=NS). In the LocaLisa group, mean total duration of the procedure (243 +/- 84), duration of ablation (86 +/- 56) and fluoroscopy time (46 +/- 19) did not differ significantly from those in the control group (244 +/- 72 min, 79 +/- 58 min, and 43 +/- 27 min, respectively). In the LocaLisa group the trend toward greater hemodynamic intolerance in ventricular tachycardia approached significance (42% in the LocaLisa group vs 24% in the control group, P=.05) and the number of mapping procedures performed during sinus rhythm was significantly higher in the former (33% in the LocaLisa group vs 4% in the control group, P=.03). With the LocaLisa system it was possible to locate and reposition the ablation catheter accurately at the target endocardial sites, as confirmed by electrographic recordings and fluoroscopic verification. CONCLUSIONS: The LocaLisa system helps to delineate the reentry circuit and facilitates accurate catheter repositioning in patients with structural heart disease and ventricular tachycardia.
A 47-year-old man was diagnosed with primary antiphospholipid syndrome and Budd-Chiari syndrome (membranous complete obstruction of the intrahepatic inferior vena cava), with edema and ascites refractory to medical treatment. The inferior vena cava membrane was punctured with a Brockenbrough needle under multidirectional fluoroscopic guidance via a transfemoral approach. The occlusion was dilated with balloons of increasing size and was subsequently stented successfully. At 1-year follow-up venography showed patency of the stent, and the patient remains asymptomatic 2 years after the procedure.
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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of Aspergillus aortitis in a small series of consecutive patients. BACKGROUND: Aspergillus infection of the ascending aorta after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery has rarely been reported and has always resulted in death. METHODS: Aspergillus aortitis was confirmed by pathologic and microbiologic analysis in eight men (61 +/- 8 years) of 9,375 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery between 1975 and 2000. RESULTS: Patients presented with Aspergillus aortitis after aortic valve replacement (n = 5), coronary revascularization (n = 2), or both (n = 1). Initial symptoms appeared between the immediate postoperative period and up to two years after surgery. All patients had prolonged fever. Ante-mortem diagnosis was established in only three patients for whom transthoracic echocardiography was suggestive of aortic pseudoaneurysm and was confirmed by thoracic computed tomography or aortography. All patients had negative peripheral blood cultures. Seven patients died at short-term follow-up, and the one surviving patient was promptly treated by surgery and antifungal drugs. Pathologic examination confirmed Aspergillus aortitis with multi-organ dissemination without heart involvement in all patients except for two, in whom aortic valve endocarditis was found. Fungal cultures confirmed the presence of Aspergillus fumigatus in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Aspergillus aortitis is typically found after aortic valve or coronary surgery. It commonly leads to lethal multi-organ dissemination without involvement of the intracardiac structure. This entity should be considered in patients with persistent fever and negative blood cultures after open-heart surgery involving significant aortic wall damage, irrespective of the postoperative period.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent arrhythmia in hospital emergency departments and is a serious disease associated with a twofold increase in morbidity and a high mortality rate. However, the management of AF in this scenario is variable and frequently inadequate. This is probably a consequence of the diverse clinical aspects and therapeutic options to consider in the management of patients with AF. Therefore, implementation of specific, coordinated management strategies by the different care providers involved is needed to improve the quality of care and optimize the use of human and material resources. This document presents the guidelines recommended by the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC) and the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES) for the management of AF in hospital emergency departments. These guidelines are based on published scientific evidence and are applicable to most emergency departments in Spain. Specific management strategies are proposed for the conversion and maintenance of sinus rhythm, heart rate control during AF, prophylaxis for thrombi and emboli, and hospital admission and discharge protocols.
Brugada syndrome is a clinical and electrocardiographic entity characterized by ST segment elevation in the right precordial ECG leads and sudden death or syncope secondary to malignant ventricular arrhythmia, and has a high recurrence rate. We report a patient with this syndrome who had received an automatic implantable defibrillator, who presented with multiple appropriate discharges because of recurrent episodes of ventricular fibrillation. All episodes were started by a premature ventricular beat of the same morphology and coupling interval. Endovenous procainamide administration, paradoxically, was effective in preventing new episodes. The beneficial antiarrhythmic effect of procainamide in this patient is discussed.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The information about the practice and results of catheter ablation of cardiac arrhythmias in Europe is limited and there is a lack of multicenter studies and registries. The Spanish Society of Cardiology developed a national registry to define the results of this procedure and the characteristics of the laboratories where it is performed. METHODS: A list of electrophysiology laboratories in Spain was prepared and questionnaires were sent to each of them. The questionnaires were completed with retrospective data about the characteristics of each center, their general activities, and ablation procedures performed during 2001. Data were collected on the results and complications in relation to the arrhythmic substrate or mechanism treated. RESULTS: Forty-three centers, out of a possible 48, voluntarily participated in the registry. A total of 4,374 ablation procedures were performed in 41 centers. The average number of procedures per center was 106 84 and the rates of success, major complications, and mortality were, respectively, 93%, 1.5%, and 0.1%. About 70% of the procedures were performed to treat patients with AV nodal reentrant tachycardias and accessory pathways or to abolish AV conduction. CONCLUSIONS: The 2001 Spanish National Catheter Ablation Registry is one of the largest reported series of ablation procedures. The results of the registry demonstrate a high success rate and low complication and mortality rates in the practice of catheter ablation in Western Europe.