Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common rhythm in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Registry and trial data1,2 indicate that 20% to 35% of patients with ADHF who are admitted to the hospital will be in AF at presentation. In about one third of these patients, the AF will be of recent onset. Despite the high frequency with which the combination of AF and ADHF is encountered, t...

Investigation of the mechanisms of arrhythmia genesis and maintenance has benefited from the use of optical mapping techniques that employ excitation-contraction uncouplers. We investigated the effects of the excitation-contraction uncouplers 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) and cytochalasin D (Cyto D) on the induction and maintenance of arrhythmia by electric shocks. Electrical activity was opti...

We determined the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and therapeutic plasma concentration of encainide, a new antiarrhythmic drug that affects His-Purkinje conduction but not ventricular refractoriness. Nine patients with frequent and complex premature ventricular complexes were studied in a 3-day double-blind protocol. Each day, each patient received 75 mg of i.v. or oral encainide or placebo. Frequen...

AIMS The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the addition of carvedilol to conventional therapy in dilated cardiomyopathy patients is associated with further benefits in the treatment of complex non-sustained ventricular arrhythmias (Lown class III, IV or V). METHODS AND RESULTS We recruited 168 patients with ischaemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, with complex ventric...

In order to assess the additional information obtained from 24 hours compared to 12 hours of ambulatory ECG (electrocardiogram) recording, we analyzed 72 ambulatory ECG monitoring tapes in which arrhythmias were present. In all cases the second 12 hours included the entire period of sleep. Only 38 of 233 (16 percent) episodes of arrhythmias, frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVC's), ...

BACKGROUND Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) became an effective therapy for patients with drug-refractory AF, and the indications have broadened to include nonparoxysmal AF patients. However, data about the long-term effectiveness of ablation in patients with nonparoxysmal AF are lacking. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term outcomes of catheter ablation in...

Hypertension is known to increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. It has a role to play in atrial fibrosis and remodeling which tends to propagate further atrial fibrillation. Current anti arrhythmic therapy is unsatisfactory due to its toxicity. Management of hypertension offers an attractive target for improving therapy of atrial fibrillation. We examine the current evidence for anti hyperte...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of methadone on QT-interval dispersion. DESIGN Single-center, prospective, cohort study. SETTING Methadone maintenance treatment facility. PATIENTS One hundred eighteen patients who were newly admitted to the facility. Intervention. Twelve-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) were performed in patients at both baseline and 6 months after the start of meth...

An acyclic cucurbit[n]uril (CB[n]) based molecular container (2, a.k.a. Calabadion 2) binds to both amino-steroidal and benzylisoquinolinium type neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) in vitro, and reverses the effect of these drugs in vivo displaying faster recovery times than placebo and the γ-cyclodextrin (CD) based and clinically used reversal agent Sugammadex. In this study we have assesse...

A series of novel phenylpiperazine and phenylpiperidine derivatives bearing a 3,3-disubstituted pyrrolidin-2-one fragment were synthesized and evaluated for their binding affinity for alpha1-adrenoceptors (ARs) and for their antiarrhythmic and antihypertensive activities. The highest affinity for alpha1-ARs was displayed by 1-[2-hydroxy-3-(4-phenylpiperazin-l-yl)-propyl]-3-phenyl-3-n-propyl-pyr...