0034: Preexcitation syndrome and atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia: coincidence or not?

BackgroundReciprocating tachycardia which occurs in patients with a preexcitation syndrome (PS) generally is directly related to the presence of the accessory pathway (AP) and is called atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia (AVRT). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the incidence of re-entrant tachycardia of other nature among patients with a PS.Methods785 patients with paroxysmal tachycardia were admitted AP ablation, 294 patients with a concealed AP (group I) and 491 patients with a Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) (group II). Programmed atrial stimulation was performed in the control state and if necessary after isoproterenol to induce the clinical tachycardia and determine its mechanism.ResultsAVRT was induced in 760 patients (97%), 282 of group I (96%)and 478 of group II (97%) (NS). Atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT) was induced in 13 group I patients (4.6%) and 12 group II patients(2.5%) (NS; 0.11). In 9 group I patients (3%) and in 4 group II patients (1%) (p<0.015), both AVRT and AVNRT were induced. In patients with only induced AVNRT, slow pathway ablation was performed and accessory pathway was respected because there was no inducible tachycardia using AP and the conduction over AP was poor. These patients remained free of symptoms after ablation of AV node slow pathway. Among this population 3 families were identified as having either AVRT or AVNRT.ConclusionsIn patients with concealed or patent accessory pathway and complaining of paroxysmal tachycardia, a careful evaluation of the mechanism of tachycardia is required before ablation. Patients with concealed conduction over an AP have more frequently an association of AVRT and AVNRT than patients with a patent preexcitation syndrome. Rarely AVNRT can be the only mechanism of symptoms

AGE AND GENDER-RELATED SYMPTOMS RECURRENCE AFTER AV NODE RE-ENTRANT TACHYCARDIA

International audienc

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure &lt; 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate &lt; 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

0019: Significance of atrial fibrillation/tachycardia induced by esophageal stimulation

Esophageal electrophysiological study (EPS) is an easy means to evaluate the cause of palpitations in patients with negative Holter monitoring or when cardiac event monitor is not interpretable. The purpose of study was to evaluate the clinical significance and the diagnosis value of inducible atrial tachycardia or fibrillation (AF) by esophageal EPS.MethodsEsophageal EPS was performed in 159 patients, 72 males, 87 females, aged from 19 to 89 years (mean 56±16) with a normal ECG in sinus rhythm; 35 patients had presented one episode of documented sustained AF (group I). Remaining 124 patients had no documented AF (group II) and were studied for not documented tachycardia (n=70), not documented tachycardia associated with dizziness/syncope (n=23), unexplained stroke and salvos of AF (n=25), wide-QRS tachycardia suspected of atrial origin (n=6). Atrial pacing and programmed atrial stimulation with 1 and 2 extrastimuli were performed in control state (CS) and after infusion of isoproterenol. Patients were followed from 1 month to 13 years (mean 4±4 years).ResultsAmong group I, AF was induced in 21 patients (60%). Sustained AF was induced in CS (n=50) or after isoproterenol (n= 64) in all group II patients. The follow-up indicated that 7 group I patients (21%) had recurrent AF/atrial flutter requiring ablation, 5 patients with induced AF and 2 with negative EPS (NS). Two group I patients (6%) with induced AF died from a cardiac cause. Among group II, 20 patients (16%) presented documented AF/atrial flutter and 14 of them required an ablation. Five group II patients (4%) died from a cardiac cause. The sensitivity of esophageal EPS to reproduce AF was 60%. Its positive predictive value to predict the occurrence of AF in symptomatic patients without documented AF was 16%. The positive value to predict AF and cardiac death was 24%.ConclusionsDespite an average sensitivity for the induction of AF in patients with documented AF, the risk of subsequent AF and/or cardiac death was relatively high in these patients and in symptomatic patients without documented AF but with induced AF. These patients require a careful follow-up

Risk and Outcome after Ablation of Isthmus-Dependent Atrial Flutter in Elderly Patients

International audiencePurpose of the research To study the influence of age on the clinical presentation and long-term outcome of patients referred for atrial flutter (AFL) ablation. Age-related differences have been reported regarding the prognosis of arrhythmias. Methods A total of 1187 patients with a mean age 65±12 years consecutively referred for AFL abla-tion were retrospectively analyzed in the study. Results 445 (37.5%) patients were aged 70 (range 70 to 93) among which 345 were aged 70 to 79 years (29.1%) and 100 were aged 80 (8.4%). In multivariable analysis, AFL-related rhythmic cardiomyopathy and presentation with 1/1 AFL were less frequent (respectively adjusted OR = 0.44, 0.27–0.74, p = 0.002 and adjusted OR = 0.29, 0.16–0.52, p<0.0001). AFL ablation-related major complications were more frequent in patients 70 although remained lower than 10% (7.4% in 70 vs. 4.2% in <70, adjusted OR = 1.74, 1.04–2.89, p = 0.03). After 2.1±2.7 years, AFL recurrence was less frequent in patients 70 (adjusted OR = 0.54, 0.37–0.80, p = 0.002) whereas atrial fibrillation (AF) occurrence was as frequent in the 70– 79 and 80 age subsets. As expected, cardiac mortality was higher in older patients. Patients aged 80 also had a low probability of AFL recurrence (5.0%) and AF onset (19.0%). Conclusions Older patients represent 37.5% of patients referred for AFL ablation and displayed a <10% risk of ablation-related complications. Importantly, AFL recurrences were less frequent in patients 70 while AF occurrence was as frequent as in patients <70. Similar observations were made in patients 80 years. AFL ablation appears to be safe and efficient and should not be ruled out in elderly patients

Influence of advancing age on clinical presentation, treatment efficacy and safety, and long-term outcome of pre-excitation syndromes: a retrospective cohort study of 961 patients included over a 25-year period

International audienc

Influence of advancing age on clinical presentation, treatment efficacy and safety, and long-term outcome of inducible paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia without pre-excitation syndromes: A cohort study of 1960 patients included over 25 years.

To investigate the influence of increasing age on clinical presentation, treatment and long-term outcome in patients with inducible paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) without pre-excitation syndromes.Clinical and electrophysiological study (EPS) data, as well as long-term clinical outcome (mean follow-up 2.4±4.0 years) were collected in patients referred for regular tachycardia with inducible SVT during EPS without pre-excitation.Among 1960 referred patients, 301 patients (15.4%) were aged ≥70 (70-97). In this subset, anticoagulants were prescribed in 49 patients following an erroneous diagnosis of atrial tachycardia and 14 were previously erroneously diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia because of wide QRS. Ablation was performed more frequently in patients ≥70 despite more frequent failure and complications. During follow-up, higher risks of AF, stroke, pacemaker implantation and death were observed in patients ≥70 whereas SVT recurrences were similar in both age groups. In multivariable analysis, age ≥70 was independently associated with higher risks of SVT-related adverse events prior to ablation (OR = 1.93, 1.41-2.62, p<0.001), conduction disturbances (OR = 11.27, 5.89-21.50, p<0.001), history of AF (OR = 2.18, 1.22-3.90, p = 0.009) and erroneous diagnosis at baseline (OR = 9.14, 5.93-14.09, p<0.001) as well as high rates of procedural complications (OR = 2.13, 1.19-3.81, p = 0.01) and ablation failure (OR = 1.68, 1.08-2.62, p = 0.02). In contrast, age ≥70 was not significantly associated with a higher risk of AF in multivariable analysis.A sizeable proportion of patients with inducible SVT without pre-excitation syndromes are elderly. These patients exhibit higher risks of erroneous tachycardia diagnosis prior to EPS as well as failure and/or complication of ablation, but similar risk of SVT recurrence. These results support performing transesophageal EPS in most patients and intracardiac EPS in selected patients. EPS may furthermore prove useful in elderly patients with regular tachycardia, mainly by avoiding treatment based on an erroneous diagnosis