No abstract available.
Catheter Ablation ; Catheters

Medically refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT) storm can be controlled with radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA), however, it may be difficult to control in some patients with hemodynamic overload. We experienced a patient with intractable VT storm controlled by hemodynamic unloading. The patient had mid-septal hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) back-up. Because of the severe mid-septal hypertrophy, his left ventricle (LV) had an hourglass-like morphology and showed apical ballooning; the focus of VT was at the border of apical ballooning. Although we performed VT ablation because of electrical storm with multiple ICD shocks, VT recurred 1 hour after procedure. As the post-RFCA monomorphic VT was refractory to anti-tachycardia pacing or ICD shock, we reduced the hemodynamic overload of LV with beta-blockade, hydration, and sedation. VT spontaneously stopped 1.5 hours later and the patient has remained free of VT for 24 months with beta-blockade alone. In patients with VT storm refractory to antiarrhythmic drugs or RFCA, the mechanism of mechano-electrical feedback should be considered and hemodynamic unloading may be an essential component of treatment.
Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/complications/diagnosis/*physiopathology/therapy ; Catheter Ablation ; Electrocardiography ; Gated Blood-Pool Imaging ; Heart Catheterization ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tachycardia, Ventricular/diagnosis/etiology/*physiopathology/therapy ; Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy/complications/diagnosis/*physiopathology/therapy

Long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (L-PeAF) is a category in which rhythm control is attempted while atrial fibrillation (AF) is maintained for more than 1 year. Because AF is a progressive disease and L-PeAF accompanies significant electrical and structural remodeling of atria, it is difficult to restore and maintain sinus rhythm in patients with L-PeAF. Nonetheless, the rhythm outcome is being increasingly improved by the development of sophisticated mapping devices, highly efficient catheters, and evidence-based ablation strategies, and the rational choice of patient selection criteria. This review discusses the evolution of the rhythm control outcome of L-PeAF and its future direction of development.

Long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (L-PeAF) is a category in which rhythm control is attempted while atrial fibrillation (AF) is maintained for more than 1 year. Because AF is a progressive disease and L-PeAF accompanies significant electrical and structural remodeling of atria, it is difficult to restore and maintain sinus rhythm in patients with L-PeAF. Nonetheless, the rhythm outcome is being increasingly improved by the development of sophisticated mapping devices, highly efficient catheters, and evidence-based ablation strategies, and the rational choice of patient selection criteria. This review discusses the evolution of the rhythm control outcome of L-PeAF and its future direction of development.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters ; Humans ; Patient Selection ; Pulmonary Veins

The inferior vena cava (IVC) is a rare site of focal atrial tachycardia (AT). Here, we report a 20-year-old woman who underwent catheter ablation for anti-arrhythmic drug-resistant AT originating from the IVC. She had undergone open-heart surgery for patch closure of an atrial septal defect 17 years previously and permanent pacemaker implantation for sinus node dysfunction 6 years previously. The AT focus was at the anterolateral aspect of the IVC-right atrial junction, and it was successfully ablated under three-dimensional electroanatomical-mapping guidance. We suspect that the mechanism of this tachycardia was associated with previous IVC cannulation for open-heart surgery.
Catheter Ablation ; Catheterization ; Female ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; Humans ; Sick Sinus Syndrome ; Tachycardia* ; Vena Cava, Inferior* ; Young Adult

Although left atrial appendage closure is an alternative to warfarin use in atrial fibrillation patients with a high bleeding risk, long-term outcome data in real-world practice are still limited. We describe a delayed shunt on the WATCHMAN fabric membrane and associated stroke at 7 months after the procedure. This shunt on the device surface disappeared at 15 months on the follow-up transesophageal echocardiogram.
Anticoagulants ; Atrial Appendage ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Membranes ; Stroke ; Warfarin

Long QT syndrome (LQTs) is an uncommon genetic disease causing sudden cardiac death with Torsade de Pointes (TdP). The first line drug treatment has been known to be beta-blocker. We encountered a 15-year-old female student with LQTs who had prolonged QTc and multiple episodes of syncope or agonal respiration during sleep. Although her T wave morphology in surface electrocardiography resembled LQTs type 1, her clinical presentation was unusual. During the epinephrine test, TdP was aggravated during beta-blocker medication, but alleviated by sodium channel blocker (mexiletine). Therefore, she underwent implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation.
Adolescent ; Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/*adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Defibrillators, Implantable ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic Techniques, Cardiovascular ; Epinephrine/*diagnostic use ; Female ; Humans ; Long QT Syndrome/classification/*diagnosis/genetics/therapy ; Mexiletine/*therapeutic use ; Pedigree ; *Syncope

PURPOSE: We hypothesized that Purkinje potential and their preferential conduction to the left ventricle (LV) posteroseptum during sinus rhythm (SR) are part of reentrant circuits of idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia (ILVT) and reentry anchors to papillary muscle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 14 patients with ILVT (11 men, mean age 31.5+/-11.1 years), we compared Purkinje potential and preferential conduction during SR with VT by non-contact mapping (NCM). If clear Purkinje potential(SR) was observed in the LV posteroseptum and the earliest activation site (EA) of preferential conduction at SR (EASR) was well matched with that of VT (EAVT), EASR was targeted for radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). Also, the anatomical locations of successful ablation sites were evaluated by echocardiography in five additional patients. RESULTS: 1) All induced VTs exhibited clear Purkinje potential(VT) and preferential conduction in the LV posteroseptum. The Purkinje potential(VT) and EAVT was within 5.8+/-8.2 mm of EASR. However, the breakout sites of VT were separated by 30.2+/-12.6 mm from EAVT to the apical side. 2) Purkinje potential(SR) demonstrated a reversed polarity to Purkinje potential(VT), and the interval of Purkinje potential(SR)-QRS was longer than the interval of Purkinje potential(VT)-QRS (p<0.02) 3) RFCA targeting EASR eliminated VT in all patients without recurrence within 23.3+/-7.5 months, and the successful ablation site was discovered at the base of papillary muscle in the five additional (100%) patients. CONCLUSION: NCM-guided localization of EASR with Purkinje potential(SR) matches well with EAVT with Purkinje potential(VT) and provides an effective target for RFCA, potentially at the base of papillary muscle in patients with ILVT.
Adult ; Catheter Ablation ; Electrophysiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Purkinje Fibers/*physiology ; Tachycardia, Ventricular/*physiopathology/surgery ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/*physiopathology/surgery ; Young Adult

A pacemaker-induced venous obstruction is relatively common, but is rare in cases where chronic venous occlusion has developed and progressed after the removal of permanent pacemaker leads. We report a case of permanent pacemaker implantation following percutaneous balloon venoplasty in a patient with innominate vein stenosis. The patient had a history of permanent pacemaker implantation, using a right subclavian approach, with lead extraction due to infective endocarditis 6 years earlier. Although the epicardial leads were re-implanted, once more the ventricular lead broke. When we tried to implant a new pacemaker, using a left subclavian endovascular approach, extensive venous stenoses of the innominate, right internal jugular and subclavian veins were found. As it was impossible to advance the standard pacemaker lead; therefore, percutaneous balloon venoplasty of the innominate vein was performed, and a DDD-R pacemaker successfully implanted.
Angioplasty, Balloon ; Brachiocephalic Veins* ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Endocarditis ; Humans ; Pacemaker, Artificial ; Subclavian Vein ; Venous Thrombosis