Pulmonary vein reconnections are predominantly posteriorly located. Along the right- and left-inferior PW segments, there was an association with elevated oesophageal temperature during the index procedure.
IMPORTANCE Autonomic neuromodulation provides therapeutic benefit in ventricular tachycardia (VT) storm. Transcutaneous magnetic stimulation (TcMS) can noninvasively and nondestructively modulate a patient's nervous system activity and may reduce VT burden in patients with VT storm. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the safety and efficacy of TcMS of the left stellate ganglion for patients with VT storm. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This double-blind, sham-controlled randomized clinical trial took place at a single tertiary referral center between August 2019 and July 2021. The study included 26 adult patients with 3 or more episodes of VT in 24 hours. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomly assigned to receive a single session of either TcMS that targeted the left stellate ganglion (n = 14) or sham stimulation (n = 12).
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary outcome was freedom from VT in the 24-hour period following randomization. Key secondary outcomes included safety of TcMS on cardiac implantable electronic devices, as well as burden of VT in the 72-hour period following randomization.RESULTS Among 26 patients (mean [SD] age, 64 [13] years; 20 [77%] male), a mean (SD) of 12.7 (10.3) episodes of VT occurred within the 24 hours preceding randomization. Patients had recurrent VT despite taking a mean (SD) of 2.0 (0.6) antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs), and 11 patients (42%) required mechanical hemodynamic support at the time of randomization. In the 24-hour period after randomization, VT recurred in 4 of 14 patients (29% [SD 47%]) in the TcMS group vs 7 of 12 patients (58% [SD 51%]) in the sham group (P = .20). In the 72-hour period after randomization, patients in the TcMS group had a mean (SD) of 4.5 (7.2) episodes of VT vs 10.7 (13.8) in the sham group (incidence rate ratio, 0.42; P < .001). Patients in the TcMS group were taking fewer AADs 24 hours after randomization compared with baseline (mean [SD], 0.9 [0.8] vs 1.8 [0.4]; P = .001), whereas there was no difference in the number of AADs taken for the sham group (mean [SD], 2.3 [0.8] vs 1.9 [0.5]; P = .20). None of the 7 patients in the TcMS group with a cardiac implantable electronic device had clinically significant effects on device function.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this randomized clinical trial, findings support the potential for TcMS to safely reduce the burden of VT in the setting of VT storm in patients with and without cardiac implantable electronic devices and inform the design of future trials to further investigate this novel treatment approach.
Background
- Truncating variants of the titin gene (TTNtv) are a leading cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and have been associated with an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias. This study evaluated the substrate distribution and the acute and long-term outcomes of patients with TTN-related cardiomyopathy undergoing ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation.
Methods
- This multicenter registry included 15 patients with DCM (age 59±11 years, 93% male, ejection fraction 30±12%) and genotypically confirmed TTNtvs who underwent VT ablation between July 2014 and July 2020.
Results
- All patients presented with sustained monomorphic VT, including electrical storm in 4 of them. A median of 2 VTs per patient were induced during the procedure (cycle-length 318±68 ms) and the predominant morphologies were left bundle branch block with inferior axis (39%) and right bundle branch block with inferior axis (29%). A complete map of the left ventricle (LV) was created in 12 patients and showed voltage abnormalities mainly at the periaortic (92%) and basal septal region (58%). A preprocedural cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was available in 13 patients and in 11 there was evidence of LV delayed gadolinium enhancement, with predominantly midmyocardial distribution. Sequential ablation from both sides of the septum was required in 47% of patients to target septal intramural substrate and epicardial ablation was performed in 20%. At the end of the procedure, the clinical VT was noninducible in all patients, while in 3 cases a non-clinical VT was still inducible. After a follow-up of 26.5±23.0 months, 53% of patients experienced VT recurrence, 20% received transplant or mechanical circulatory support and 7% died.
Conclusion
- The arrhythmogenic substrate in TTN-related cardiomyopathy involves the basal septal and perivalvular regions. Long-term outcomes of catheter ablation are modest, with high recurrence rate, likely related to an intramural location of VT circuits.
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