Cardiac Arrhythmias, Pacing & Electrophysiology: The Expert View (Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine, 201)

Europace '97 was held in Athens, Greece, on 8-11 June Leads were, as usual, an important topic, with the earl­ 1997 in the city of classical civilisation and learning. iest mention of the then-new polyurethane leads. Future Though now held in modem surroundings and meeting conferences elaborated on these basic topics while pro­ facilities, the influence of the ancient city-state was un­ gressively adding sensors and sensor function, dual­ mistakable, with the architecture and learning of antiquity chamber pacing, and recognising the development of looming over the city, by its influence over the intellectual clinical cardiac electrophysiology. activities of the symposium. The ancient magnificence of Clinical cardiac electrophysiology and compre­ the site was matched by the novelty of modem art and hension of arrhythmias has been largely a development science, Europace is a European symposium, begun in of the twentieth century. With the description and 1979, and has occurred every second year since. Con­ recording of the bundle of His depolarisation, by direct sistent with its importance and continental reach the actual access and by catheter, modem clinical investigation of symposium has moved to different cities throughout arrhythmias and cardiac electrophysiology began. The Western Europe. The first symposium was held in London disciplines of cardiac stimulation and of investigation of and subsequent symposia have been held in Torremolinos, arrhythmias, impulse formation and A V conduction Ostend, Florence, Istanbul and other cities. Because of the were essentially separate for many years. Front Matter....Pages i-xxi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Sinus Node Reentrant Tachycardia Versus Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia: Where Lies the Difference?....Pages 3-9 Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry; What Have We Learned from Ablation Techniques?....Pages 11-27 Severe Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: Atrioventricular Junction Ablation and DDDR Mode-Switching Pacemaker Versus Pharmacological Treatment....Pages 29-34 Mechanisms of Drug Action in Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 35-42 Conclusions and Questions from Large Trials of Anticoagulants in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 43-48 Role of the Autonomic Nervous System in Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia after Myocardial Infarction....Pages 49-55 Does Assessment of Autonomic Tone Translate into New Therapeutic Approaches in Survivors of Myocardial Infarction?....Pages 57-60 Mechanisms of Ventricular Arrhythmias in Ischaemic Heart Disease....Pages 61-69 Basic Mechanisms of Vulnerability to Ventricular Fibrillation....Pages 71-76 Molecular and Electrophysiological Mechanisms of Arrhythmias in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy....Pages 77-82 Risk Stratification in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy....Pages 83-88 Floppy Mitral Valve/Mitral Valve Prolapse: Cardiac Arrhythmias....Pages 89-95 Pathology of Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathies, Dysplasia and Naxos Disease: Clinical, Pathological and Nosological Classification....Pages 97-104 Ventricular Arrhythmias in Hypertensives....Pages 105-108 The Value of Electrophysiological Testing in Diagnosis of Syncope in Post-infarction Patients, without Complex Ventricular Arrhythmias Detected in 24-hour ECG....Pages 109-112 Value of Different Mapping Strategies for Ventricular Tachycardia: Sinus Rhythm and Pace Mapping, Activation and Entrainment Mapping....Pages 113-120 The Madit Trial: What was Wrong?....Pages 121-124 Survival Analysis and Classification of Death in Patients under Antiarrhythmic Treatment....Pages 125-129 Quality of Life in Clinical Trials and Practice....Pages 131-139 Front Matter....Pages 141-141 Heart Rate Variability in Vasovagal Syncope....Pages 143-150 Front Matter....Pages 141-141 The Role of Non-Invasive Diagnostic Techniques in Reducing Mortality in Postmyocardial Infarction Survivors....Pages 151-152 QT Prolongation and Proarrhythmia....Pages 153-154 QT Dispersion: Its Clinical Value....Pages 155-157 New Perspective in Non-Invasive Risk Factors....Pages 159-169 Spectral Analysis of Cardiovascular Variability Signals....Pages 171-183 Physiological Background of the Heart Rate Variability Spectral Components....Pages 185-191 Heart Rate Variability after Myocardial Infarction....Pages 193-198 Signal Averaging for Risk Stratification after Myocardial Infarction: Do New Technologies Improve its Predictive Value?....Pages 199-203 Artificial Neural Networks in Cardiology; A Review....Pages 205-211 Front Matter....Pages 213-213 Radiofrequency Catheter Modification of Sinus Node Activity in Patients with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia....Pages 215-222 Catheter Ablation Techniques for Elimination of Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 223-227 Atrioventricular Nodal Ablation and VVIR Pacing for Rate Control and Regularisation of the Ventricular Rhythm in Patients with Established Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 229-233 Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia Related to Coronary Artery Disease....Pages 235-241 Front Matter....Pages 243-243 Historical Perspectives on Cardioversion and Defibrillation....Pages 245-256 New Concepts in Electrical Defibrillation....Pages 257-263 Role of Implantable Atrial Defibrillators in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation....Pages 265-270 Management of Atrial Fibrillation by Implantable Devices: From Electrophysiological Studies to Clinical Application....Pages 271-275 Design Concepts for Implantable Atrial Defibrillators....Pages 277-285 Criteria for Selection of Patients for Internal Atrial Defibrillator Implantations....Pages 287-290 Survival Benefits of Implantable Cardioverter/Defibrillators in Different Groups of Patients....Pages 291-294 Front Matter....Pages 243-243 Continuing Evolution of Implantable Cardioverter/Defibrillators: Smaller Size, Longer Life, Improved Cost-Effectiveness....Pages 295-300 Prophylactic Implantation of the Implantable Defibrillator in Asymptomatic Patients....Pages 301-304 Prophylactic Implantation of Implantable Cardioverter/Defibrillators in Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients....Pages 305-310 Muscle-Sparing Subpectoral Defibrillator Implantation....Pages 311-316 Follow-Up Techniques in Patients with Implantable Cardioverter/Defibrillators....Pages 317-327 Front Matter....Pages 329-329 The Features of a Paced Heart Beat....Pages 331-336 Clinical Evaluation of Chronotropic Incompetence: Implications for Rate-Adaptive Pacing....Pages 337-342 Indications for Permanent Antibradycardia Pacemakers. The Official Guidelines should be Revised....Pages 343-352 Regional Electromechanical Coupling During Ventricular Pacing....Pages 353-359 What Kind of Programming Gives the Optimal Performance in Rate-Response Ventricular Pacing....Pages 361-366 Atrial Septal Pacing: Synchronising the Atria....Pages 367-374 Automatic Mode Switching in DDD(R) Pacemakers: To Make Life Easier or More Complicated?....Pages 375-378 Neurohumoral Control of the Pacemaker and Heart System....Pages 379-388 Single-Lead VDD/DDD Pacing....Pages 389-398 Clinical Trials in Cardiac Pacing: Justification, Design, and Preliminary Results of the United States Trials....Pages 399-406 Can Pacing be More Physiological?....Pages 407-410 Improved Follow-Up Procedure....Pages 411-419 Development of a True Pacemaker Holter....Pages 421-426 Electromagnetic Interference in Current Implantable Devices....Pages 427-436 Potential Impact of Pacing in the Treatment of Dilated Cardiomyopathy....Pages 437-440 Front Matter....Pages 329-329 Can Reliable Pacing be Achieved in Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy with Normal Conduction?....Pages 441-449 AV Node Ablation and DDD Pacing in Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy....Pages 451-458 Back Matter....Pages 459-471 This book contains 62 chapters which deal with hot topics in the field of cardiac electrophysiology, arrhythmias and pacing, with special emphasis on the latest techniques for diagnosis and treatment. It is based mainly on lectures given by invited speakers at the Europace '97 congress, the official meeting of the Working Groups on Arrhythmias and Pacing of the European Society of Cardiology. A virtue of the book is its focus on the latest scientific knowledge, as perceived by acknowledged world experts in their fields. The high calibre of the contributing authors and the up-to-date subject matter ensure that the book will be of value to all scientists, including those at the highest levels, who are interested in arrhythmias and pacing