Current Cardiology Reviews - Volume 11, Issue 2, 2015

Focal atrial tachycardias arise preferentially from specific locations within the atria. Careful analysis of the P wave can provide useful information about the chamber and likely site of origin within that chamber. Macro-reentrant atrial flutter also tends to occur over a limited number of potential circuits. In this case, the ECG usually gives a guide to the chamber of origin, but unless it shows a specific morphology it is less useful in Read More

Determining the chamber of origin of focal atrial tachycardias (FATs) arising at or close to the septum might require biatrial mapping. This review focuses on the available tools and methods used to distinguish right atrial from left atrial origin before left atrial access is obtained. These include analysis of P wave morphology, assessing the timing of right atrial septal activation, the sequence of right atrial and/or biatrial activation Read More

Focal atrial tachycardias arising from the atrial appendages and the aortic sinuses of Valsalva are less frequently encountered in clinical practice. This review article describes the clinical presentation, surface P wave morphology, electrophysiologic characteristics and treatment of these arrhythmias. Catheter ablation of these focal tachycardias has a high success rate. It is however important to be aware of specific anato Read More

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the cavo-tricuspid isthmus (CTI) is one of the most frequently performed procedures in electrophysiology. Despite a high success rate, ablation of the CTI can be unusually difficult in some cases. Multiple tools like angiography, 3D mapping, remote navigation and intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) have been introduced to facilitate typical flutter ablation. This review article summarizes the clinical Read More

Atrial tachycardias are common after open heart surgery. Most commonly these are macro-reentrant including cavotricuspid isthmus dependent atrial flutter, incisional right atrial flutter and left atrial flutter. Focal atrial tachycardias occur less frequently. The specific type of atrial tachycardia highly depends on the type of surgical incision. Catheter ablation can be very effective, however requires a thorough understanding of a Read More

Macroreentrant atrial tachycardia is a common complication following surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD), and is often highly symptomatic with potentially significant hamodynamic consequences. Medical management is often unsuccessful, requiring the use of invasive procedures. Cavotricuspid isthmus dependent flutter is the most common circuit but atypical circuits also exist, involving sites of surgical intervention Read More

One of the most important proarrhythmic complications after left atrial (LA) ablation is regular atrial tachycardia (AT) or flutter. Those tachycardias that occur after atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation can cause even more severe symptoms than those from the original arrhythmia prior to the index ablation procedure since they are often incessant and associated with rapid ventricular response. Depending on the method and extent Read More

The short-term advantage of mitral valve repair versus replacement for degenerative disease has been extensively documented. These advantages include lower operative mortality, improved survival, better preservation of leftventricular function, shorter post-operative hospital stay, lower total costs, and fewer valve-related complications, including thromboembolism, anticoagulation-related bleeding events and Read More

Aneurysms involving the main pulmonary artery and its branches are rare. Clinical experience is limited, and their management is not well established. We present the case of a 35-year-old male patient with dyspnea and hemoptysis in whom subsequent imaging studies revealed a giant pulmonary artery aneurysm associated with an uncorrected patent ductus arteriosus and Eisenmenger’s syndrome. We chose to treat t Read More

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia. Because of the sub-optimal outcomes and associated risks of medical therapy as well as the recent advances in non-pharmacologic strategies, a multitude of combined (hybrid) algorithms have been introduced that improve efficacy of standalone therapies while maintaining a high safety profile. Antiarrhythmic administration enhances success rate of electrical cardio Read More

The traditional transvenous defibrillator has been one of the greatest advancement in Cardiology in the last 30 years and has demonstrated to reduce arrhythmic and total mortality in selected patients. However the traditional defibrillator can have a high price to pay in terms of complications, the “weakest link” being the transvenous/endocardial leads. The entirely subcutaneous defibrillator (S-ICD) has recently e Read More