CineECG for visualization of changes in ventricular electrical activity during ischemia.

BACKGROUND: CineECG offers a visual representation of the location and direction of the average ventricular electrical activity throughout a single cardiac cycle, based on the 12­lead ECG. Currently, CineECG has not been used to visualize ventricular activation patterns during ischemia. PURPOSE: To determine the changes in ventricular activity during acute ischemia with the use of CineECG, and relating this to changes in the ECG. METHODS: Continuous ECG's during percutaneous coronary intervention with prolonged balloon inflation from the STAFF III database were analyzed with CineECG at baseline and every 10 s throughout the first 150 s of balloon inflation. The CineECG direction was determined for the initial QRS-complex, terminal QRS-complex, ST-segment and T-wave. Changes in the CineECG were quantified by calculating the Δangle between the direction at baseline and the direction at every 10 s of inflation. Additionally, the root mean square amplitude (rmsA) of the ST-segment was computed. RESULTS: 94 patients were included. At start inflation, the median Δangle was 14.7° [7.5-33.4], 21.8° [11.4-34.2], 20.6° [8.0-43.9], and 23.5° [11.8-48.0] for the initial QRS-complex, terminal QRS-complex, ST-segment and T-wave, respectively. Meanwhile, the median rmsA increased from 0.039 mV [0.027-0.058] at baseline to 0.045 mV [0.033-0.075] at start of inflation. CONCLUSIONS: CineECG was able to detect immediate changes in ventricular electrical activity during induced ischemia, while changes in the ST-segment of the ECG were still subtle. Therefore, CineECG might support the early detection of acute ischemia, even before distinct ECG changes become visible.

Characteristics of a novel citizen rescue system for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the Dutch province of Limburg: relation to incidence and survival.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the characteristics of a novel text message system notifying citizen rescuers in cases of out-of-hospital circulatory arrest (OHCA) in the Dutch province of Limburg, including their relation to incidence and survival. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study area comprised 2,153 km2 (831 mi2) with 1.12 mio. inhabitants. During the 2­year study period approximately 9,000 volunteers were registered, about 60% male, 59% with no experience in actual resuscitation, and 27.4% healthcare professionals. The system was not activated in 557 of 1,085 (51.3%) OHCAs, frequently because there was no resuscitation setting present yet at the time of the emergency call. Rescuers were notified on 1,076 occasions, with no resuscitation setting being present in 548 of 1,076 (50.9%) notifications. OHCA incidence rates were 67 per 100,000 inhabitants per year, 95 per 100,000 men and 39 per 100,000 women standardised for age with the European Standard Population. The mean number of notifications per volunteer was 1.3 times per year. Higher volunteer density was related to increased survival if at least one volunteer attended the cardiac arrest. If the density exceeded 0.75%, survival increased to 34.8% compared to 20.6% at a density below 0.25%. CONCLUSION: In about half of OHCAs needing resuscitation the system was activated and in approximately half of the notifications resuscitation proved to be justified. Volunteers are notified 1.3 times per year on average. Survival was related to volunteer density, suggesting that further improvement can be achieved by increasing the number of citizen rescuers.

Correction to: Circumstances and causes of sudden circulatory arrests in the Dutch province of Limburg and the involvement of citizen rescuers.

Correction to:Neth Heart J 2017 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12471-017-1057-1 In the version of the article originally published online, there was an error in the last section of the Discussion. It is stated that 'In 42% of the OHCAs a volunteer alert would have been appropriate, but the alert system ….

Circumstances and causes of sudden circulatory arrests in the Dutch province of Limburg and the involvement of citizen rescuers.

BACKGROUND: Recently we showed that a citizen volunteer system using text message alerts improves survival of out-of-hospital sudden circulatory arrest (OHCA). It is important to characterise the OHCA population encountered by the volunteers regarding circumstances and causes of the arrests. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eligible for this study were 968 OHCAs that occurred between April 2012 and April 2014 in the Dutch province of Limburg. The distribution of causes of OHCA, patient characteristics and resuscitation settings were compared between 492 arrests wherein volunteers were notified and 476 arrests where the dispatcher decided not to do so. In case of notification, the cause of OHCA was known in 345 cases and of cardiac origin (treatable) in 83.2% (287/345). About 41% of the cardiac arrests were caused by acute or chronic coronary artery disease. OHCA occurred within the home environment in about 84%. The OHCA was witnessed in 75% of the cases. In 60.9% of the cases a witness or bystander had already started basic life support. However, in approximately 18% of the OHCAs the volunteer was the first to start basic life support before arrival of the ambulance. In about 75% of the OHCAs the ambulance arrived at 6 minutes or later after time of notification by the dispatch centre. CONCLUSION: The volunteer system is predominantly activated in situations for which it was developed; cases with cardiac aetiology (58%) and cases in the home environment (84%). The majority of patients encountered by the volunteers had 'hearts too good to die', underscoring the benefit of deploying citizen rescuers in programs to improve survival of OHCA.

Medical students and physical education students as CPR instructors: an appropriate solution to the CPR-instructor shortage in secondary schools?

BACKGROUND: Integrating cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training in secondary schools will increase the number of potential CPR providers. However, currently too few certified instructors are available for this purpose. Training medical students and physical education student teachers to become CPR instructors could decrease this shortage. AIM: Examine whether medical students and physical education student teachers can provide CPR training for secondary school pupils as well as (i. e., non-inferior to) registered nurses. METHODS: A total of 144 secondary school pupils were randomly assigned to CPR training by a registered nurse (n = 12), a  medical student (n = 17) or a physical education student teacher (n = 15). CPR performance was assessed after training and after eight weeks in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario on a resuscitation manikin, using manikin software and video recordings. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the groups on the overall Cardiff Test scores and the correctness of the CPR techniques during the post-training and retention test. All pupils showed sufficient CPR competence, even after eight weeks. CONCLUSION: Training by medical students or physical education student teachers is non-inferior to training by a registered nurse, suggesting that school teachers, student teachers and medical students can be recruited for CPR training in secondary schools.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: the prospect of E-CPR in the Maastricht region.

AIM: The current outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients in the Maastricht region was analysed with the prospect of implementing extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (E-CPR). METHODS: A retrospective analysis of adult patients who were resuscitated for OHCA during a 24-month period was performed. RESULTS: 195 patients (age 66 [57-75] years, 82 % male) were resuscitated for OHCA by the emergency medical services and survived to admission at the emergency department. Survival to hospital discharge was 46.2 %. Notable differences between non-survivors and survivors were observed and included: age (70 [58-79] years) vs. (63 [55-72] years, p = 0.01), chronic heart failure (18 vs. 7 %, p = 0.02), shockable rhythm (67 vs. 99 %, p < 0.01), and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) at departure from the site of the arrest (46 vs. 99 %, p < 0.01) and on arrival to the emergency department (43 vs. 98 %, p < 0.01), respectively. Acute coronary syndrome was diagnosed in 32 % of non-survivors vs. 59 % among survivors, p < 0.01. Therapeutic hypothermia was provided in non-survivors (20 %) vs. survivors (43 %), p < 0.01. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed in 14 % of non-survivors while 52 % of survivors received PCI (p < 0.01). No statistical significance was observed in terms of gender, witnessed arrest, bystander CPR, or automated external defibrillator deployed among the cohort. At hospital discharge, moderately severe neurological disability was present in six survivors. CONCLUSION: These observations are compatible with the notion that a shockable rhythm, ROSC, and post-arrest care improve survival outcome. Potentially, initiating E-CPR in the resuscitation phase in patients with a shockable rhythm and no ROSC might serve as a bridge to definite treatment and improve survival outcome.

Consideration of QRS complex in addition to ST-segment abnormalities in the estimation of the "risk region" during acute anterior or inferior myocardial infarction.

The myocardial area at risk (MaR) is an important aspect in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). It represents the myocardium at the onset of the STEMI that is ischemic and could become infarcted if no reperfusion occurs. The MaR, therefore, has clinical value because it gives an indication of the amount of myocardium that could potentially be salvaged by rapid reperfusion therapy. The most validated method for measuring the MaR is (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT, but this technique is not easily applied in the clinical setting. Another method that can be used for measuring the MaR is the standard ECG-based scoring system, Aldrich ST score, which is more easily applied. This ECG-based scoring system can be used to estimate the extent of acute ischemia for anterior or inferior left ventricular locations, by considering quantitative changes in the ST-segment. Deviations in the ST-segment baseline that occur following an acute coronary occlusion represent the ischemic changes in the transmurally ischemic myocardium. In most instances however, the ECG is not available at the very first moments of STEMI and as times passes the ischemic myocardium becomes necrotic with regression of the ST-segment deviation along with progressive changes of the QRS complex. Thus over the time course of the acute event, the Aldrich ST score would be expected to progressively underestimate the MaR, as was seen in studies with SPECT as gold standard; anterior STEMI (r=0.21, p=0.32) and inferior STEMI (r=0.17, p=0.36). Another standard ECG-based scoring system is the Selvester QRS score, which can be used to estimate the final infarct size by considering the quantitative changes in the QRS complex. Therefore, additional consideration of the Selvester QRS score in the acute phase could potentially provide the "component" of infarcted myocardium that is missing when the Aldrich ST score alone is used to determine the MaR in the acute phase, as was seen in studies with SPECT as gold standard: anterior STEMI (r=0.47, p=0.02) and inferior STEMI (r=0.58, p<0.001). The aim of this review will be to discuss the findings regarding the combining of the Aldrich ST score and initial Selvester QRS score in determining the MaR at the onset of the event in acute anterior or inferior ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Correlating both Aldrich and Hellemond score with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging endocardial surface area calculations in the estimation of the area at risk. Electrocardiography scores and endocardial surface area calculations: do they correlate?

INTRODUCTION: Having a bedside tool such as the ECG to assess the myocardial area at risk in a patient presenting with an ST-elevation myocardial infarction would be of great value to the clinician because this could give an insight in the efficiency of intervention therapy and the left ventricular rest function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From the MAST database (n=106), we included 84 patients, all meeting the STEMI criteria, with a first anterior and/or inferior STEMI. From the admission ECG the Aldrich and Selvester scores were measured and the combined Hellemond score was calculated and correlated with the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) estimated endocardial surface area (ESA) using the Spearman coefficient. RESULTS: The correlation between the Aldrich score was r=0.55 (p-value<0.0001) and Hellemond score r=0.45 (p-value<0.0001) with ESA. After exclusion of lateral involvement the correlation increased to 0.62 (p-value<0.0001) for the Aldrich and to 0.49 (p-value<0.0001) for the Hellemond score. CONCLUSION: The additional ECG estimation of infarcted myocardium does not improve the ECG estimation of ischemic myocardium to CMR-based ESA estimation of the myocardial area at risk. The Aldrich score could be improved for STEMIs with lateral involvement.

A dancing thrombus in the right atrium going hand-in-hand with the electrocardiogram.

A 69-year old male with a large pulmonary embolism is described before and after thrombolytic treatment. The echocardiographic and electrocardiographic hallmarks of right ventricular pressure overload and dilatation are illustrated.

Recommendations and cardiological evaluation of athletes with arrhythmias: Part 1.

Besides the consensus meeting in Amersfoort in 1988 and the Bethesda conference in 1994 recommendations are not available in the Netherlands for screening and evaluation of athletes with cardiac arrhythmias. Guidelines for competitive athletes with cardiac arrhythmias in the United States and Italy were published in 2000. In 1998 Estes et al. published the most important opinions on sudden cardiac death, screening and evaluation of athletes and arrhythmias. This study addresses the physiological and morphological consequences of athletic training, cardiac pathology and risk stratification for sudden cardiac death. Recommendations for competitive athletes with cardiovascular abnormalities, arrhythmias and proposals for specific protocols are given.

Recommendations and cardiological evaluation of athletes with arrhythmias: Part 2.

Confronted with a competitive or recreational athlete, the physician has to discriminate between benign, paraphysiological and pathological arrhythmias. Benign arrhythmias do not represent a risk for SCD, nor do they induce haemodynamic consequences during athletic activities. These arrhythmias are not markers for heart disease. Paraphysiological arrhythmias are related to athletic performance. Long periods of endurance training induce changes in rhythm, conduction and repolarisation. These changes are fully reversible and disappear when the sport is terminated. Pathological arrhythmias have haemodynamic consequences and express disease, such as sick sinus syndrome, cardiomyopathy or inverse consequences of physical training. Arrhythmias can be classified as bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias. Conduction disorders can be seen in fast as well as in slow arrhythmias.

Should class III drugs be initiated in hospital to prevent drug-induced torsade de pointes arrhythmias?

OBJECTIVES: In the US, the FDA requires in-hospital institution of class III drugs. This study retrospectively assessed whether these criteria, which differ markedly from the Dutch exclusion criteria, could predict sotalol-induced torsade de pointes arrhythmias (TdP). METHOD: Oral sotalol effect in a control group (50 patients, 62±12 years, 23 men, 27 women) was compared with five patients developing TdP (75±5years, all women), using known and new (JTU area measured in lead V2) risk parameters. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation was the most common indication for sotalol treatment. RESULTS: At baseline the strict US regulations would have identified four of five TdP patients on the basis of individual K+ levels, creatinine clearance and QTc. However, 7 of 49 controls would also have been excluded, although they did not develop documented TdP in the >2 years follow-up. Sotalol slightly increased QTc (361±34 to 387±33ms) in controls, due to heart rate reduction. In the TdP group, sotalol dramatically increased QTc (467±33 to 626±52 ms, +35%, p<0.05) accompanied by deep negative TU waves and an increased JTU area and all could be identified as risk patients. CONCLUSION: Patients developing TdP on oral sotalol can be identified using the FDA risk criteria and hospitalisation may therefore be appropriate. A European prospective study is required to investigate the costs, sensitivity and specificity of this strategy.

Giant negative T waves after treatment of severe hyperkalaemia.

We present the case of a 79-year-old female with severe hyperkalaemia and severe prerenal insufficiency due to dehydration and nephrotoxic medications, including spironolactone. The ECG showed AV nodal rhythm and tented T waves. After treatment with fluids, insulin, polystyrene sulphonate and sodium bicarbonate, the serum potassium level and kidney function normalised. Several days later, she developed QT prolongation with giant negative T waves without signs of ischaemia. In this report, we review the effect of hyperkalaemia on cardiac ion channel function and the associated changes on the ECG. In addition, the causes and mechanisms of giant negative T waves are discussed.