BACKGROUND Radiofrequency catheter ablation is increasingly used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Esophageal wall changes varying from erythema to ulcers have been described by endoscopy in up to 47% of patients following pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Although esophageal changes are frequently reported, the development of a left atrial (LA)-esophageal fistula is fortunately rare. Neve...

Results confirm the catalytic potential of imidazole groups anchored on the polymeric backbone of polyvinylimidazole (PVI) in dephosphorylation reactions with diand tri-phosphoesters, promoting impressive enhancements up to 10-fold. We propose the imidazole groups on PVI react by nucleophilic catalysis (neutral specie) with a phosphate triester and bifunctionally by general acid-nucleophilic ca...

Due to its high biomass yield, low environmental impact, and widespread adaptability to poor soils and harsh conditions, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a warm-region perennial herbaceous plant, has attracted much attention in recent years. However, little is known about microRNAs (miRNAs) and their functions in this bioenergy grass. Here, we identified and characterized a miRNA gene, Pvi-MI...

OBJECTIVES We sought to clarify the efficacy of corticosteroid therapy for preventing atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). BACKGROUND The inflammatory process may cause acute AF recurrence after PVI. However, no studies have examined the relationship between corticosteroid administration and AF recurrence after PVI. METHODS A total of 125 patients with p...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is increasingly used for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), but few reports exist regarding long-term success. We determined 5-year outcomes of PVI among patients with freedom from AF off antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) for 1 year after PVI. METHODS AND RESULTS Consecutive patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF who underwent PVI at the University of...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether clinical presentations and risk factor profiles differ between periventricular venous infarction (PVI) and arterial presumed perinatal ischemic stroke (APPIS). DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS A total of 59 children with presumed perinatal ischemic stroke (PPIS) from the SickKids Children's Stroke Program who were carried to term (63% boys). S...

Method In this prospective randomized study, we included 95 patients with pAF and CAD who underwent CABG combined with intraoperative irrRA. Patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups: CABG and PVI (CABG+PVI, n = 31), CABG and MM procedure (CABG+MM, n = 30), and isolated CABG (CABG alone, n = 34). All patients received implantable loop recorders (ILRs). Patient QoL was assessed using the Short...

Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation (PVI) techniques have evolved as a curative treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) since PVI guided by circumferential mapping with a circular catheter was initially proposed. A multielectrode basket catheter (MBC) is also useful for PVI because of some advantages; (1) an MBC provides some information about the PV anatomy on the fluoroscopic image, (2) an MBC can ut...

INTRODUCTION The endoscopic laser balloon ablation system (EAS) is a relatively novel technique to perform pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). The present study aimed to report the results of the first 50 patients treated in the Netherlands with the EAS in terms of procedural characteristics and AF-free survival. METHODS Fifty patients successfully und...

As quite a lot of data has been recently reported on the impact of body mass index (BMI) on (1.) the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) development, (2.) peri-procedural risk in pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) and (3.) PVI outcome, as well as (4.) quality of life (QoL) after PVI, we would like to dedicate our review to these topics. We will try to give a general picture about the impact of obesity...