Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has become one of the most common procedures in the electrophysiology lab with rapidly increasing volumes. Peri-procedural anaesthesia for AF ablation varies between centres, from general anaesthesia to deep or conscious sedation. The aim of this survey was to assess current sedation practices for AF ablation worldwide and its evolution over the last decade. Centres regularly performing AF ablation responded to an online survey. A total of 297 centres participated in the survey. Overall, the median (interquartile range) number of AF ablation procedures increased from 91 (43–200) to 200 (74–350) per year (P < 0.001) between 2010 and 2019. The proportion of cryoablation also increased from 17.0% to 33.2% (P < 0.001). In 2019, the most used sedation technique was general anaesthesia (40.5%), followed by conscious sedation (32.0%) and deep sedation (27.5%). Between 2010 and 2019, the proportion of procedures performed under general anaesthesia (+4.4%; P = 0.02) and deep sedation (+4.8%; P < 0.01) increased, whereas the use of conscious sedation decreased (−9.2%; P < 0.001). The most commonly used hypnotic drugs were propofol and midazolam, whereas the most commonly used opioid drugs were remifentanyl and fentanyl. This worldwide survey shows that the number of AF ablation procedures has more than doubled over the last decade and general anaesthesia remains most commonly used. Studies comparing outcomes between different sedation strategies are needed to guide optimal decision-making.

To develop a suite of quality indicators (QIs) for the management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD). The Working Group comprised experts in heart rhythm management including Task Force members of the 2022 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of patients with VA and the prevention of SCD, members of the European Heart Rhythm Association, international experts, and a patient representative. We followed the ESC methodology for QI development, which involves (i) the identification of the key domains of care for the management of patients with VA and the prevention of SCD by constructing a conceptual framework of care, (ii) the development of candidate QIs by conducting a systematic review of the literature, (iii) the selection of the final set of QIs using a modified-Delphi method, and (iv) the evaluation of the feasibility of the developed QIs. We identified eight domains of care for the management of patients with VA and the prevention of SCD: (i) structural framework, (ii) screening and diagnosis, (iii) risk stratification, (iv) patient education and lifestyle modification, (v) pharmacological treatment, (vi) device therapy, (vii) catheter ablation, and (viii) outcomes, which included 17 main and 4 secondary QIs across these domains. Following a standardized methodology, we developed 21 QIs for the management of patients with VA and the prevention of SCD. The implementation of these QIs will improve the care and outcomes of patients with VA and contribute to the prevention of SCD.

Resumo A fibrilação atrial é a arritmia sustentada mais comum na prática clínica com predileção pelas faixas etárias mais avançadas. Com o envelhecimento populacional, as projeções para as próximas décadas são alarmantes. Além de sua importância epidemiológica, a fibrilação atrial é destacada por suas repercussões clínicas, incluindo fenômenos tromboembólicos, hospitalizações e maior taxa de mortalidade. Seu mecanismo fisiopatológico é complexo, envolvendo uma associação de fatores hemodinâmicos, estruturais, eletrofisiológicos e autonômicos. Desde os anos 1990, o estudo Framingham em análises multivariadas [...] Resumo A fibrilação atrial é a arritmia sustentada mais comum na prática clínica com predileção pelas faixas etárias mais avançadas. Com o envelhecimento populacional, as projeções para as próximas décadas são alarmantes. Além de sua importância epidemiológica, a fibrilação atrial é destacada por suas repercussões clínicas, incluindo fenômenos tromboembólicos, hospitalizações e maior taxa de mortalidade. Seu mecanismo fisiopatológico é complexo, envolvendo uma associação de fatores hemodinâmicos, estruturais, eletrofisiológicos e autonômicos. Desde os anos 1990, o estudo Framingham em análises multivariadas

Risk stratification in secondary prevention has emerged as an unmet clinical need in order to mitigate the Number-Needed-to-Treat and make expensive therapies both clinically relevant and cost-effective. P wave indices reflect atrial conduction, which is a sensitive marker for inflammatory, metabolic, and pressure overload myocardial cell remodeling; the three stimuli are traditional mechanisms for adverse clinical evolution. Accordingly, we sought to investigate the predictive role of P-wave indices to estimate residual risk in patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD). The cohort included 520 post-Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting patients with a median age of 60 years who were followed for a median period of 1025 days. The primary endpoint was long-term all-cause death. Cubic spline model demonstrated a linear association between P-wave duration and incidence rate of long-term all-cause death (p = 0.023). P-wave >110ms was a marker for an average of 425 days shorter survival as compared with P-wave under 80ms (Logrank p = 0.020). The Cox stepwise regression models retained P-wave duration as independent marker (HR:1.37; 95%CI:1.05–1.79,p = 0.023). In conclusion, the present study suggests that P-wave measurement may constitute a simple, inexpensive and accessible prognostic tool to be added in the bedside risk estimation in CAD patients.

Aims: Instant messaging (IM) platforms are a prominent component of telemedicine and a practical tool for sharing clinical data and counselling. Purpose of the survey was to inquire about the use of IM, the platforms used, frequency, recipients, and contents in Latin America region.Methods and results: An online survey was sent to medical community via newsletter and social media channels. The survey consisted in 22 questions, in Spanish and Portuguese, collected on SurveyMonkey. A total of 125 responders from 13 Latin-American countries (79% male, mean age 46.1 ± 9.7 years) completed the survey. Most of the responders declared that they send (88.8%) and receive (97.6%) clinical data through IM apps. Most senders declare that they anonymize clinical data before sending (71.0 ± 38.3%), but that the data received is anonymized only in 51.4 ± 33.5%. The most common tests shared with other physicians were 12-lead electrocardiograms (99.2%), followed by Holter recordings (68.0%) and tracings from electrophysiological studies (63.2%). The majority (55.2%) said that are unaware of legal data protection rules in their countries.Conclusions: IM apps are used by medical professionals worldwide to share and discuss clinical data and are preferred to many other methods of data sharing and are often used to share many different types of clinical data. They are perceived as a fast and easy way of communication, but medical professionals should be aware of the appropriate use of IM to prevent legal and privacy issues.