GI‐BYOUNG NAM

INTRODUCTION: The circadian and seasonal patterns of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA) in patients with early repolarization syndrome (ERS) have not been determined. We compared the timing of VTAs in patients with ERS and Brugada syndrome (BS). METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled patients with ERS (n = 14) and BS (n = 53) who underwent implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation. The timing of VTAs, including cardiac arrest and appropriate shocks, was determined. During follow up of 6.4 ± 3.6 years in the ERS group and 5.0 ± 3.3 years in the BS group, 5 of 14 (36%) ERS and 10 of 53 (19%) BS patients experienced appropriate shocks (P = 0.37). Cardiac arrest showed a trend of nocturnal distribution peaking from midnight to early morning (P = 0.14 in ERS, P = 0.16 in BS). Circadian distribution of appropriate shocks showed a significant nocturnal peak in patients with ERS (P < 0.0001) but a trend toward a nocturnal peak in patients with BS (P = 0.08). There were no seasonal differences in cardiac arrest in patients with ERS and BS. However, patients with ERS showed a seasonal peak in appropriate shocks from spring to summer (P < 0.0001). There was no significant seasonal peak in patients with BS. The timing of VTAs (cardiac arrest plus appropriate shock) showed significant nocturnal distributions in patients with ERS and BS (P < 0.01, respectively). A significant clustering of VTAs was noted from spring to summer (P < 0.01) in patients with ERS, but not in patients with BS (P = 0.42). CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of VTAs showed marked circadian variations with night-time peaks in patients with ERS and BS.

We describe a patient with gastroparesis after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) as a result of vagus nerve injury. A 42-year-old man underwent redo-RFCA due to recurrent drug-resistant symptomatic atrial fibrillation. The patient complained of indigestion and early satiety 2 weeks after the second procedure. There was also weight loss of approximately 5 kg for 2 months. He underwent endoscopy during which food material was noticed. In the upper gastrointestinal series, most contrast material still remained in the stomach on the 2-hour delayed images, suggesting delayed gastric emptying time.

The VDD pacemaker is useful for sequential pacing with a single lead but carries a risk of sensing failure. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between the relative position of atrial lead and atrial sensitivity in different postures in patients with VDD pacemakers. Atrial sensitivity determination and chest roentgenography was performed in the supine and standing position 3 months after implantation in 25 patients with VDD pacemakers. Measurements of cardiac longitudinal length (from the top of the aortic arch to the diaphragm) and distances from the floating electrode to the upper margin of the seventh thoracic vertebra (D-T7), to the top of the aortic arch (D-knob), to the lateral wall of right atrium (D-wall), and the D-knob/cardiac longitudinal length (D-Ratio) were performed. Atrial signal amplitude decreased with the standing compared to the supine position in eight patients (group I) and increased or did not change in the other 17 patients (group II). In group I, the change of the D-ratio was greater (0.073 vs 0.035, P < 0.01), and the change of the cardiac longitudinal length with standing position was greater (18.4 +/- 7.3 vs 12.1 +/- 8.8 mm, P < 0.05) than in group II. The change of atrial sensitivity was related to the change of the atrial electrode position with different postures. Decreased atrial-sensed amplitude was observed in patients who had a greater change in the cardiac longitudinal length while standing. Thus, a decrease in atrial sensitivity with standing may be predicted by the positional changes of the cardiac silhouette on roentgenography before the procedure.