Despite rescue pLVAD insertion, hemodynamic collapse during VT ablation is associated with a persistently high 30-day mortality. Further studies are warranted to predict hemodynamic collapse and to refine the role of pLVAD in this setting.

Objective To investigate incidence and timing, risk factors, prognostic significance, and electrophysiological mechanisms of atrial arrhythmia (AA) after lung transplantation. Background Although new-onset AA is common after thoracic surgery and is associated with poorer outcomes, prognostic and mechanistic data is sparse in lung transplant populations. Method A total of 293 consecutive isolated lung transplant recipients without known AA were retrospectively reviewed. Mean follow-up was 28±17 months. Electrophysiology studies (EPS) were performed in 25 patients with AA. Results The highest incidence of new-onset AA after lung transplantation occurred within 30 days postoperative AA, (25 % of all patients). In multivariable analysis, postoperative AA was associated with double lung transplantation (OR 2.79; p=0.005) and lower mean pulmonary artery pressure (OR 0.95; p=0.027). Patients with postoperative AA had longer hospital stays (21 days vs 12 days; p<0.001). Postoperative AA was independently associated with late AA (HR 13.52; p<0.001) but not mortality (HR 1.55; p=0.14). In EPS, there were 14 patients with atrial flutter alone and 11 with atrial flutter and fibrillation. Of all EPS patients, 20 (80%) had multiple AA mechanisms, including peritricuspid flutter (48%), perimitral flutter (36%), right atrial incisional reentry (24%), focal tachycardia from recipient pulmonary vein (PV) antrum (32 %), focal PV fibrillation (24%), and left atrial roof flutter (20%). Left atrial mechanisms were present in 80% (20/25) of EPS patients and originated from the anastomotic PV antrum. Conclusions Postoperative AA was independently associated with longer length of stay and late AA but not mortality. Pleomorphic PV antral arrhythmogenesis from native PV antrum is the main cause of AA after lung transplantation.

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BACKGROUND Mutations in the SCN5A gene, which encodes the cardiac sodium channel, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Brugada syndrome (BrS). Febrile illnesses have been recognized to unmask and/or trigger the BrS phenotype. However, the patho-physiological mechanism has not been fully elucidated. OBJECTIVE A novel SCN5A missense mutation, V1340I, was identified in a patient with BrS suffering from frequent episodes of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) and syncope associated with fever. The biophysical modifications of hNav1.5 by V1340I were studied. METHODS The effects of the V1340I mutation were studied in the 2 splice variants, SCN5A and SCN5A-Q1077del (delQ), using patch-clamp techniques at various temperatures between 22°C and 40°C. RESULTS At 22°C, V1340I-SCN5A generated markedly diminished sodium currents compared to the wild-type (WT) SCN5A. On the contrary, V1340I-delQ generated almost identical current density compared to the WT-delQ. However, V1340I-delQ significantly attenuated the peak current density compared to the WT-delQ at 32°C, 37°C and 40°C. The voltage dependency of steady-state activation was leftward shifted both in WT-delQ and V1340I-delQ at 40°C. In addition, the V1340I-delQ accelerated the recovery time course from fast inactivation compared to the WT-delQ at 40°C. Immunohistochemical staining showed that both V1340I-SCN5A and V1340I-dQ were expressed in the plasma membrane. CONCLUSION Our study supports the concept that febrile illness predisposes individuals who carry a loss of function SCN5A mutation, such as V1340I, to fever-induced ventricular arrhythmias in BrS by significantly reducing the sodium currents in the hyperthermic state.

Our data support the use of PPIV to rapidly and accurately predict the global activation pattern during atrial arrhythmia.