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AbstractBackgroundThe subcutaneous implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (S‐ICD) has a larger generator and its implantation involves more dissection and tunneling compared to traditional transvenous defibrillator system. Liposomal bupivacaine, an extended‐release bupivacaine with 72 h of duration has been used for postoperative pain management in patients undergoing S‐ICD implantation. Our aim was to compare postoperative pain and opioid prescription patterns among patients undergoing S‐ICD implantation who received intraprocedural liposomal bupivacaine and those who did not.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent subcutaneous ICD implantation from January 1, 2013 to March 30, 2018 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Patients were categorized into those who received liposomal bupivacaine and those who did not. Data on inpatient pain score, outpatient opioid prescription rates at discharge, and doses based on oral morphine equivalents (OME) were collected.ResultsA total of 104 patients underwent S‐ICD implantation. Intraprocedural liposomal bupivacaine was used in 69% of patients. Patients who received intraprocedural liposomal bupivacaine had similar mean inpatient pain scores (2.9 vs. 2.9, p = .786). There was also no difference in the rate of inpatient opioid administration (79.2% vs. 87.5%, p = .4139), outpatient opioid prescription (23.6% vs. 12.5%, p = .29), or mean OME (41.7‐mg vs. 16.6‐mg, p = .188) when comparing patients those who received intraprocedural liposomal bupivacaine and those who did not.ConclusionIntraprocedural liposomal bupivacaine administration was not associated with any significant impact on postoperative pain scores, inpatient opioid administration, and outpatient opioid prescription rates or OME amounts at discharge.

AbstractBackgroundThe improved life expectancy observed in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has made age‐related cardiovascular complications, including arrhythmias, a growing health concern.HypothesisWe describe the temporal trends in frequency of various arrhythmias and assess impact of arrhythmias on hospitalized HIV patients using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS).MethodsData on HIV‐related hospitalizations from 2005 to 2014 were obtained from the NIS database using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD‐9) codes. Data was further subclassified into hospitalizations with associated arrhythmias and those without. Baseline demographics and comorbidities were determined. Outcomes including in‐hospital mortality, cost of care, and length of stay were extracted. SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) was utilized for analysis. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify predictors of arrhythmias among hospitalized HIV patients.ResultsAmong 2 370 751 HIV‐related hospitalizations identified, the overall frequency of any arrhythmia was 3.01%. Atrial fibrillation (AF) was the most frequent arrhythmia (2110 per 100 000). The overall frequency of arrhythmias increased over time by 108%, primarily due to a 132% increase in AF. Arrhythmias are more frequent among older males, lowest income quartile, and nonelective admissions. Patients with arrhythmias had a higher in‐hospital mortality rate (9.6%). In‐hospital mortality among patients with arrhythmias decreased over time by 43.8%. The cost of care and length of stay associated with arrhythmia‐related hospitalizations were mostly unchanged.ConclusionsArrhythmias are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized HIV patients. AF is the most frequent arrhythmia in hospitalized HIV patients.

The impact of coronavirus disease, 2019 (COVID-19), has been profound. Though COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system, it has also been associated with a wide range of cardiovascular (CV) manifestations portending extremely poor prognosis. The principal hypothesis for CV involvement is through direct myocardial infection and systemic inflammation. We conducted a systematic review of the current literature to provide a foundation for understanding the CV manifestations and outcomes of COVID-19. PubMed and EMBASE databases were electronically searched from the inception of the databases through 27 April 2020. A second literature review was conducted to include major trials and guidelines that were published after the initial search but before submission. The inclusion criteria for studies to be eligible were case reports, case series, and observation studies reporting CV outcomes among patients with COVID-19 infection. This review of the current COVID-19 disease and CV outcomes literature revealed a myriad of CV manifestations with potential avenues for treatment and prevention. Future studies are required to understand on a more mechanistic level the effect of COVID-19 on the myocardium and thus provide avenues to improve mortality and morbidity.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the procedural safety and outcomes of high power (HP) versus conventional power (CP) radiofrequency (RF) ablation during pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). Methods: A systematic search was used via MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases between 01/1998 and 05/2020 for studies comparing the safety and efficacy between HP and CP during RF ablation for PVI using contact-force catheters (ThermocoolSmartTouch or TactiCath). The search terms used were “AF” AND “catheter ablation” OR “radiofrequency ablation”. Results: From eight comparative observational studies, we developed a cohort of 992 patients (478 in the HP and 514 in the CP group). The median maximum energy output used in the HP group was 50W vs 35W in the CP group. There was a statistically significant difference noted in acute pulmonary vein reconnection (APVR) in the HP group compared to the CP groups at16% vs 32.6%, respectively (RR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.33 - 0.86, P = 0.01). Freedom from arrhythmia at 12 months follow-up was also significant and found to be 87.8% of cases in the HP group versus75.2% of cases in the CP group (RR: 0.46, 95%CI: 0.32 - 0.65, P <0.01). The mean RF ablation time was 20.1 minutes in the HP group vs 39.6 minutes in the CP group (P <0.01). The mean total procedural time was 103.5 minutes in the HP group compared to 135 minutes in the CP group (P <0.01). Two patients in the CP group experienced severe adverse events (1 cardiac tamponade and 1 myocardial infarction). No serious AEs were found in the HP group. Non-serious AEs (groin complications, pericardial effusion, and phrenic nerve injury) were reported in 0.35% and 0.51% of cases in the HP and CP group, respectively. Conclusion: This study suggests that HP PVI ablation can be associated with better ablation outcomes by reducing the rate of acute and late PV reconnection and atrial arrhythmia recurrence, with similar safety profiles, and shorter procedural times. These findings merit evaluation in a randomized controlled trial.

A 52-year-old woman with a history of cervical spondylosis, nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, and complete heart block with implantation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (Inogen XR, Boston Scientific, Natick, MA) underwent bilateral fluoroscopy-guided radiofrequency ablation of the medial branch nerves at C4, C5, and C6 levels at an ambulatory surgery center. After completion of the seemingly routine procedure, several alerts, including 1 inappropriate shock, were received via Boston Scientific’s remote monitoring system. Tracings also showed that pacing inhibition occurred. When performing radiofrequency ablation in patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device, it is imperative to follow published best practice recommendations to minimize the risk of adverse events.

AbstractIntroductionThe need for transparency in financial relationships in the healthcare system, has culminated in Open Payments database, managed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Since its inception in 2013, the trend in such payments to physicians practicing cardiac electrophysiology was not examined.Methods and ResultsPayment information reported to CMS from January 2013 to December 2018 was obtained from the publicly available Open Payments data set using the online query tool. The data were analyzed by an individual provider and by state. An in‐depth analysis of payments in the year 2018 payments was performed. From 2014 to 2018, there was an 18% increase in the total number of payments reported from 88 877 payments in 2014 to 105 000 in 2018. Despite the increase in the total number of payments reported, the average payment steadily decreased over time, resulting in an overall reduction in the total amount of payments from 2014 to 2018 ($34.9 million to $28.2 million). Payments to the top 5% of individual recipients have also decreased over this time. In 2018, 2888 unique providers received reportable payments, a total of 105 000 payments, with a median payment amount of $1378 (interquartile range: $165–$5781). The majority of these payments were for food and beverage (82%) and travel/lodging (10%). The top five payers include Boston Scientific, Medtronic Vascular, Abbott Laboratories, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Biotronik.ConclusionAmong cardiac electrophysiologists, there is increased reporting of payments in the Open Payments program over time, with a notable decrease in the payment amount.

AbstractIn pacemaker‐dependent patients with a newly implanted cardiac device, acute lead dislodgement constitutes one of the most common causes of loss of capture and ventricular asystole. In a biventricular system, it would be expected that such a potentially catastrophic event would be prevented with back‐up right ventricular pacing unless both leads dislodge.

AbstractAims The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the Watchman device [percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO)] has resulted in the widespread use of this procedure in many centres across the USA. We sought to estimate the nationwide utilization and frequency of adverse outcomes associated with Watchman device implantation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the Watchman device implantation peri-procedural complications and comparison of the results with the previous studies.Methods and results The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried for all hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter during the year 2016 with percutaneous LAAO during the same admission (ICD-10 code—02L73DK). The frequency of peri-procedural complications, including mortality, procedure-related stroke, major bleeding requiring blood transfusion, and pericardial effusion, was assessed. We compared the complication rates with the published randomized controlled trials and the European Watchman registry. An estimated 5175 LAAO procedures were performed in 2016. The majority of procedures was performed in males (59.1%), age ≥75 years (58.7%), and White (83.1%). The overall complication rate was 1.9%. The in-hospital mortality was 0.29%. Pericardial effusion requiring pericardiocentesis was the most frequent complication (0.68%). Bleeding requiring transfusion was noted in 0.1% of device implants. The rates of post-procedure stroke and systemic embolism were 0% and 0.29%, respectively.Conclusion Percutaneous LAAO with the Watchman device in the USA is associated with low in-hospital complications and a similar safety profile to a recently published EWOLUTION cohort. The complication rates were lower than those reported in the major randomized clinical trials (RCTs). We report the frequency of peri-procedural complications of the LAAO using the Watchman device from the NIS database. We also compare the frequency of peri-procedural complications with the previously published RCTs and EWOLUTION cohort. Our findings are in concordance with findings from EWOLUTION cohort and compare favourably with RCTs.

AbstractBackgroundMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with legacy cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) in situ is likely underutilized. We hypothesized the clinical benefit of MRI would outweigh the risks in legacy CIED patients.MethodsThis is a single‐center retrospective study that evaluated and classified the utility of MRI using a prospectively maintained database. The outcomes were classified as aiding in diagnosis, treatment, or both for the patients attributable to the MRI. We then assessed the incidence of adverse effects (AE) when the MRI was performed.ResultsIn 668, MRIs performed on 479 patients, only 13 (1.9%) MRIs did not aid in the diagnosis or treatment of the patient. Power‐on reset events without clinical sequelae in three scans (0.45%) were the only AE. The probability of an adverse event happening without any benefit from the MRI scan was 1.1 × 10−4. A maximum benefit in diagnosis using MRI was obtained in ruling out space‐occupying lesions (121/185 scans, 65.4%). Scans performed in patients for elucidating answers to queries in treatment were most frequently done for disease staging at long term follow‐up (167/470 scans, 35.5%). Conservative treatment (184/470 scans, 39%) followed by medication changes (153/470 scans, 28.7%) were the most common treatment decisions made.ConclusionsThe utility of MRI in patients with non‐MRI‐conditional CIEDs far outweighs the risk of adverse events when imaging is done in the context of a multidisciplinary program that oversees patient safety.

Background: The improved life expectancy observed in patients living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection has made age-related cardiovascular complications, including arrhythmias, a growing health concern. We describe the temporal trends in frequency of various arrhythmias and assess impact of arrhythmias on hospitalized HIV patients using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) Methods and Results: Data on HIV-related hospitalizations from 2005 to 2014 were obtained from the NIS using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes. Data was further subclassified into hospitalizations with associated arrhythmias and those without arrhythmia. Baseline demographics and comorbidities were determined. Outcomes including in-hospital mortality, cost of care, and length of stay were extracted. SAS 9.4 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina) was utilized for analysis. A multivariable analysis was performed to identify predictors of arrhythmias among hospitalized HIV patients. Among 2,370,751 HIV-related hospitalizations identified, the overall frequency of any arrhythmia was 3.01%. Atrial fibrillation (AF) was the most frequent arrhythmia (2110 per 100,000). The overall frequency of arrhythmias has increased over time by 108%, primarily due to a 132% increase in AF. Arrhythmias are more frequent among older males, lowest income quartile and non-elective admissions. Patients with arrhythmias had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (9.6%). In-hospital mortality among patients with arrhythmias has decreased over time by 43.8%. The cost of care and length of stay associated with arrhythmia-related hospitalizations were mostly unchanged. Conclusions: Arrhythmias are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized HIV patients. AF is the most frequent arrhythmia in hospitalized HIV patients.