[Guidelines of the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) on cardiopulmonary resuscitation 2021: update and comments]. / Leitlinien des European Resuscitation Council (ERC) zur kardiopulmonalen Reanimation 2021: Update und Kommentar.

The European guidelines on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, which are divided into 12 chapters, have recently been published. In addition to the already known chapters, the topics "epidemiology" and "life-saving systems" have been integrated for the first time. For each chapter five practical key statements were formulated. In the present article the revised recommendations on basic measures and advanced resuscitation measures in adults as well as on postresuscitation treatment are summarized and commented on.

In-hospital major arrhythmias, arrhythmic death and resuscitation after successful primary percutaneous intervention for acute transmural infarction: a retrospective single-centre cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Transmural acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with a high risk for ventricular arrhythmia before, during and after treatment. Consequently, it is recommended that patients diagnosed with transmural AMI be monitored in a cardiac care unit (CCU) so life-threatening arrhythmias can be treated promptly. We examined the incidence and timing of in-hospital malignant ventricular arrhythmias, sudden cardiac or arrhythmic death (SCD/AD) and resuscitation requirements in patients with transmural AMI recovering from percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) undertaken within 12 h of symptom onset and without antecedent thrombolysis. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using the Duisburg Heart Center (Germany) cardiac patient registry. In total, 975 patients met the inclusion criteria. The composite endpoint was post-PCI ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia, SCD/AD or requirement for resuscitation. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who met the composite endpoint with those who did not, recorded the timing of endpoint episodes, and used multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with the endpoint criteria. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the length of CCU or hospital stay between the groups. In-hospital mortality was 6.5%, and the composite endpoint was met in 7.4% of cases. Malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmia occurred in 2.8% of the patients, and SCD/AD occurred in 0.3% of the cases. There was a biphasic temporal distribution of endpoint events; specifically, 76.7% occurred < 96 h after symptom onset, and 12.6% occurred 240-360 h after symptom onset. Multivariable regression analysis identified positive associations between an endpoint episode and the following: age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05] per year); left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 30% (OR 3.66, 95% CI 1.91-6.99); peak serum creatine phosphokinase concentration (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02 per 100 U/dl); leucocytosis (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.04-3.32), and coronary thrombus (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.04-3.27). CONCLUSIONS: Most post-PCI malignant ventricular arrhythmias, SCD/AD and resuscitation episodes occurred within 96 h of transmural AMI (76.7%). A substantial minority (12.6%) of these events arose 240-360 h after symptom onset. Further study is needed to establish the influence of age, LVEF < 30%, peak serum creatine phosphokinase concentration, leucocytosis and coronary thrombus on post-PCI outcomes after transmural AMI.

Transfemoral implantation of Edwards SAPIEN-XT® transcatheter heart valve in a degenerated tricuspid bioprosthesis.

We report on a percutaneous transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation (Edwards-SAPIEN-XT®) (Edwards Lifesciences Corp., One Edwards Way Irvine, CA 92614) in a 50-year-old i.v. drug user with a history of biological tricuspid valve replacement (Perimount 31 mm) (Edwards Lifesciences Corp., One Edwards Way Irvine, CA 92614) due to tricuspid valve endocarditis five years earlier. Re-operation was considered unfavorable due to general and specific risk factors. The case was discussed by the heart team. Obviously, some type of valve replacement was required. Given the high risk of tricuspid valve re-operation in general and the specific risk factors of the patient (New York Heart Association functional class III, reduced right ventricular function, continued drug abuse, active hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus infection, suspected non-compliance, unfavorable social background) the consensus was to attempt percutaneous transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation. Implantation of an Edwards-SAPIEN-XT® valve (Edwards Lifesciences Corp., One Edwards Way Irvine, CA 92614) in tricuspid position was successfully performed and the patient was transferred to the ward on day 2, completely free of symptoms. Pre-discharge echocadiographic control on day 6 again confirmed adequate position and regular function of the Edwards-SAPIEN-XT® valve (Edwards Lifesciences Corp., One Edwards Way Irvine, CA 92614) without any signs of regurgitation or stenosis. .

Evaluation of heart rate measurements in clinical studies: a prospective cohort study in patients with heart disease.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement of heart rate undertaken in clinical studies by (1) assessing the repeatability and reproducibility of heart rate measurements by various methods and under various conditions and (2) determining whether a single heart rate measurement at rest is representative of the circadian and inter-day variation of heart rate. METHODS: Prospective cohort study in 102 patients with various types of heart disease at Duisburg Heart Center, Germany between 2011 and 2012. The heart rate measurements were based on self-assessment, ECG tracings at rest, and bicycle stress ECG in the office as well as 24-h Holter ECG. RESULTS: Office measurements and self-assessment at rest as well as 24-h Holter ECG and self-assessment at rest are highly correlated, but no correlation between self-assessment and office recordings/24 h recordings under exercise conditions was seen. Coefficient of variability was below 10 % for the self-assessment and for office measurements at rest. There were no differences in coefficient of variability during the day and within the 6 days for self-assessment of heart rate at rest and circadian variation was normal. CONCLUSIONS: At rest heart rate measurements by various methods agree sufficiently and inter-day/circadian variation is adequately represented. Under exercise conditions self-assessment of heart rate is not valuable and use of 24 h Holter as well as stress ECG recordings is necessary. Thus, self-reported heart rate measurements by the patient at rest seem to be reliable, but should be used in clinical studies only for heart rate assessment at rest.

[62-year old male patient with position-depending dyspnoe after hemipneumectomia]. / 62-jähriger Patient mit lageabhängiger Dyspnoe nach einseitiger Pneumektomie.

BACKGROUND: Dyspnoe is a symptom with a huge differential diagnostic spectrum. According to patients hemodynamic, acute forms can be caused by myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary edema and heart rhythm disturbances while chronic forms can be caused by restrictive myocardial and pericardial diseases, hematooncological diseases, orthopedic deformations and chronic pulmonary diseases. The platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome with underlying interatrial connection is a rare cause and need a special diagnostic work-up. CASE REPORT: A 62-year old male patient with previously known pneumectomy on right side due to underlying cancer presented with a 6-months history of increasing dyspnoe (NYHA III) on exertion and upright position. The physical examination just revealed a lack of ventilation on right side. The saturation drops from 97% in supine position to 68% in upright position. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a compressed right atrium with a persisted foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal aneurysm resulting in a right-left shunt. After completing diagnostic work-up and excluding other possible causes for dyspnoe an interventional closure of interatrial connection was performed. Subsequently the symptoms of the patients resolved (NYHA I). CONCLUSION: The Platypnea-Orthodeoxia-Syndrome isa rare cause of dyspoe. The diagnosis can be made by echocardiography. Medical treatment of such disease is of less success, thus a closure of interatrial connection is recommended.

Paroxysmal regular supraventricular tachycardia: the diagnostic accuracy of the transesophageal ventriculo-atrial interval.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the diagnostic accuracy of the transesophageal ventriculo-atrial (VA) interval in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) and normal baseline electrocardiogram (ECG). METHODS: The transesophageal VA interval during tachycardia was recorded in 318 patients (age 45 ± 17 years, 58% female) with PSVT and a normal surface ECG between attacks. Subsequently, all patients underwent an ablation procedure establishing the correct tachycardia diagnosis. RESULTS: AV nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), AV reentrant tachycardia through a concealed accessory pathway (AVRT), and ectopic atrial tachycardia (EAT) were found in 213, 95, and 10 cases, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified an optimal cutoff for a binary categorization of AVNRT versus AVRT/EAT at ≤80 ms (area under the curve 0.891). Owing to a biphasic distribution, AVNRT was very likely at VA intervals ≤90 ms with a sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value (PPV) of 87%, 91%, and 95%. In the range 91-160 ms the corresponding values for AVRT were 88%, 95%, and 88% (90%, 99%, and 98% in male patients). In the small group with VA intervals >160 ms (n = 29), the diagnosis was less clear (PPV of 67% for AVNRT). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with sudden onset regular tachycardia and a normal ECG during sinus rhythm, a transesophageal VA interval of ≤80 ms has the highest diagnostic accuracy to diagnose AVNRT versus AVRT/EAT. Overall, the biphasic distribution of VA intervals suggests considering AVNRT at 90 ms and below and AVRT between 91 and 160 ms (in particular in male patients) while the diagnosis is vague at VA intervals above 160 ms.

Six sequence variants on chromosome 9p21.3 are associated with a positive family history of myocardial infarction: a multicenter registry.

BACKGROUND: Recent genome-wide association studies have identified several genetic loci linked to coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI). The 9p21.3 locus was verified by numerous replication studies to be the first common locus for CAD and MI. In the present study, we investigated whether six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) rs1333049, rs1333040, rs10757274, rs2383206, rs10757278, and rs2383207 representing the 9p21.3 locus were associated with the incidence of an acute MI in patients with the main focus on the familial aggregation of the disease. METHODS: The overall cohort consisted of 976 unrelated male patients presenting with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with ST-elevated (STEMI) as well as non-ST-elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Genotyping data of the investigated SNPs were generated and statistically analyzed in comparison to previously published findings of matchable control cohorts. RESULTS: Statistical evaluation confirmed a highly significant association of all analyzed SNP's with the occurrence of MI (p<0.0001; OR: 1.621-2.039). When only MI patients with a positive family disposition were comprised in the analysis a much stronger association of the accordant risk alleles with incident disease was found with odds ratios up to 2.769. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in the present study confirmed a strong association of the 9p21.3 locus with MI particularly in patients with a positive family history thereby, emphasizing the pathogenic relevance of this locus as a common genetic cardiovascular risk factor.

Genetic testing in patients with aortic aneurysms/dissections: a novel genotype/phenotype correlation?

OBJECTIVE: Mutations in the genes encoding fibrillin-1 (FBN1) and transforming growth factor beta receptor type II (TGFBR2) are known causes of Marfan syndrome (MFS) and related disorders. However, a sound correlation between the genotype and the cardiovascular phenotype has not yet been established. The objective of the present study was to identify novel mutations in FBN1 and TGFBR2 and to assess whether the type of mutation is linked to a particular clinical subtype of the cardiovascular condition. METHODS: The clinical records of 36 patients referred to us for molecular genetic diagnosis were reviewed to assess the course and severity of the vascular deterioration. A semiautomatic protocol was established enabling a rapid and cost-effective screening of the genes FBN1 and TGFBR2 by direct sequencing of all coding exons and flanking intronic regions. RESULTS: Novel mutations in FBN1 and TGFBR2 were detected in 12 and 2 patients, respectively. Four individuals carried a recurrent mutation in FBN1. Throughout the study cohort, the incidence of aortic dissections per se did not depend on the type of mutation. However, we found that mutations affecting the calcium-binding epidermal growth factor-like domain were more frequently associated with a dissection of distal parts of the aorta than mutations that lead to a premature termination codon (chi(1)(2): p=0.013), suggesting that the spatio-temporal pattern of vascular deterioration may vary with the type of mutation. CONCLUSIONS: Detecting a mutation in the genes FBN1 and TGFBR2 proves the genetic origin of vascular findings and allows the identification of family members at risk who should undergo preventive checkups. Routine genetic testing of patients with suspected MFS or thoracic aortic aneurysms/dissections could provide further insight into genotype/phenotype correlations related to aortic dissection.

Incidence and clinical relevance of slow ventricular tachycardia in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator recipients: an international multicenter prospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to assess the incidence and clinical relevance of slow ventricular tachycardia (VT) and the effectiveness and/or deleterious effects of antitachycardia pacing in slow VT in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator recipients. METHODS AND RESULTS: This multicenter prospective randomized study included 374 patients (326 men) without prior history of slow VT (<148 bpm) implanted with a dual-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. Patients had a 3-zone detection configuration: a slow VT zone (101 to 148 bpm), a conventional VT zone (>148 bpm), and a ventricular fibrillation zone. Patients were randomized to a treatment group (n=183) with therapy activated in the slow VT zone or a monitoring group (n=191) with no therapy in the slow VT zone. During follow-up (11 months), 449 slow VTs occurred in 114 patients (30.5% slow VT incidence); 181 VTs (54 patients) occurred in the monitoring group; 3 were readmitted to the hospital; and lightheadedness and palpitations occurred in 4 and 250 (60 patients) in the treatment group treated by antitachycardia pacing (89.8% success rate) and shock delivery (n=2). There were 10 crossovers from the monitoring to treatment group and 3 crossovers from the treatment to monitoring group (P=0.09). Quality of life scores were not different between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Slow VT incidence (<150 bpm) is high (30%) in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator recipients without prior history of slow VT, has limited clinical relevance, and is efficiently and safely terminated by antitachycardia pacing.

The 1+1 trial: a prospective trial of a dual- versus a single-chamber implantable defibrillator in patients with slow ventricular tachycardias.

BACKGROUND: The tachycardia detection interval (TDI) in implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs) is conventionally programmed according to the slowest documented ventricular tachycardia (VT), with a safety margin of 30 to 60 ms. With this margin, VTs above the TDI may occur. However, longer TDIs are associated with an increased risk of inappropriate therapy. We hypothesized that patients with slow VTs (<200 bpm) may benefit from a long TDI and a dual-chamber detection algorithm compared with a conventionally programmed single-chamber ICD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients with VTs <200 bpm were implanted with a dual-chamber ICD that was randomly programmed to a dual-chamber algorithm and a TDI of > or =469 ms or to a single-chamber algorithm with a TDI 30 to 60 ms above the slowest documented VT cycle length and the enhancement criteria of cycle length variation and acceleration. The primary combined end point was the number of all inappropriate therapies, VTs above the TDI, and VTs with significant therapy delay (>2 minutes). After 6 months, a crossover analysis was performed. Total follow-up was 1 year. One hundred two patients were included in the study. The programmed TDI was 500+/-36 ms during the dual-chamber phase and 424+/-63 ms during the single-chamber phase. For the primary end point (inappropriate therapies, VTs above the TDI, or VTs with detection delay), a moderate superiority of the dual-chamber mode was found: Mann-Whitney estimator=0.6661; 95% CI, 0.5565 to 0.7758; P=0.0040. CONCLUSIONS: Dual-chamber detection with a longer TDI improves VT detection and does not increase the rate of inappropriate therapies despite a considerable increase in tachycardia burden.

Die Transmurale ERP-Dispersion von Epi-,Mid-und Endomyokard im gesunden und hypertrophierten Hundemyokard / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Viele Studien haben das Vorliegen von M-Zellen im Midmyokard des Hundes in vitro beobachtet und weiterhin gefunden, da das Vorliegen von M-Zellen zur Differenz der Repolarisation und zur Dispersion der Refrakt?rzeit zwischen Midmyokard und Epi- und Endomyokard fuhren kann.Diese Dispersion hat enge Beziehungen mit der Entstehung der Arrhythmie. Aber die Beobachtungen in vitro waren nicht konkordant mit den Ergebnissen in vivo. Mittels direkten Messungen der ERP in drei Myokardschichten wurde erstmals im gesunden Hundemyokard und im hypertrophierten Hundemyokard in vivo untersucht. Die Untersuchung hat gezeigt, da die ERP von Endomyokard, Epimyokard und Midmyokard im gesunden Hundeherzen homogen sind. Die relevante transmurale Refrakt?rgradient, die die Induktion einer kreisenden Erregung begünstigt, besteht unter physiologischen Bedingungen nicht. Im Gegensatz dazu konnte eine deutliche Verl?ngerung der ERP in allen Myokardschichten von hypertrophierten Hundeherzen nachgewiesen werden. Weiterhin wurde gezeigt, d?eine transmurale ERP-Dispersion zwischen verschiedenen Myokardschichten im hypertrophierten Hundemyokard besteht. Es ist zu postulieren, d? diese transmurale ERP-Dispersion als Substrat für die Arrhythmie angesehen werden kann,weil diese Dispersion die lokalen kreisende Erregung zwischen Epikard und Midkard, oder zwischen Midkard und Endokard begünstigen kann. Nach den Ergebnissen l?t sich postulieren, d?eine transmurale ERP-Dispersion durch eine pl?tzliche Zyklusl?ngever?nderung, n?mlich durch eine Kurz-Lang- und eine Lang-Kurz-Sequenz verst?rkt werden kann.

Die Transmurale ERP-Dispersion von Epi-,Mid-und Endomyokard im gesunden und hypertrophierten Hundemyokard / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Viele Studien haben das Vorliegen von M-Zellen im Midmyokard des Hundes in vitro beobachtet und weiterhin gefunden, da das Vorliegen von M-Zellen zur Differenz der Repolarisation und zur Dispersion der Refrakt?rzeit zwischen Midmyokard und Epi- und Endomyokard fuhren kann.Diese Dispersion hat enge Beziehungen mit der Entstehung der Arrhythmie. Aber die Beobachtungen in vitro waren nicht konkordant mit den Ergebnissen in vivo. Mittels direkten Messungen der ERP in drei Myokardschichten wurde erstmals im gesunden Hundemyokard und im hypertrophierten Hundemyokard in vivo untersucht. Die Untersuchung hat gezeigt, da die ERP von Endomyokard, Epimyokard und Midmyokard im gesunden Hundeherzen homogen sind. Die relevante transmurale Refrakt?rgradient, die die Induktion einer kreisenden Erregung begünstigt, besteht unter physiologischen Bedingungen nicht. Im Gegensatz dazu konnte eine deutliche Verl?ngerung der ERP in allen Myokardschichten von hypertrophierten Hundeherzen nachgewiesen werden. Weiterhin wurde gezeigt, d?eine transmurale ERP-Dispersion zwischen verschiedenen Myokardschichten im hypertrophierten Hundemyokard besteht. Es ist zu postulieren, d? diese transmurale ERP-Dispersion als Substrat für die Arrhythmie angesehen werden kann,weil diese Dispersion die lokalen kreisende Erregung zwischen Epikard und Midkard, oder zwischen Midkard und Endokard begünstigen kann. Nach den Ergebnissen l?t sich postulieren, d?eine transmurale ERP-Dispersion durch eine pl?tzliche Zyklusl?ngever?nderung, n?mlich durch eine Kurz-Lang- und eine Lang-Kurz-Sequenz verst?rkt werden kann.