EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF ARRHYTHMIA & ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY – VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1 – SUMMER 2017

Dear Colleagues, A warm welcome to the Summer 2017 edition of European Journal of Electrophysiology & Arrhythmia. We hope you enjoy this selection of expert interviews, editorials and case reports covering topical areas across the arrhythmia landscape. Submissions to our Winter edition are now open and we welcome members of the arrhythmia and electrophysiology communities […]

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) typically arises from structural heart disease and it is often associated with a high risk of sudden cardiac death. Catheter ablation therapy is a valuable treatment modality for recurrent VT and can reduce the incidence of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks, which are painful, decrease quality of life and can cause post-traumatic stress […]

Atrial fibrillation is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its incidence is increasing. It is prevalent in a number of cardiac disorders including channelopathies such as Brugada syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and, most importantly, heart failure. Treatment strategies for atrial fibrillation should therefore take into consideration multiple clinical aspects. In an expert interview, […]

Catheter ablation of the pulmonary veins has become an important treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), with a growing body of clinical evidence demonstrating its superiority over antiarrhythmic drug therapy. However, ablation outcomes remain suboptimal, leading to the identification of new anatomical targets for ablation. In addition, technological developments have improved clinical outcomes. In this expert […]

The use of electronic devices has increased during the past years; approximately 3.25 million pacemakers (PMs) and 180,000 implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) have been implanted worldwide.1 The PM implant rates range from 200 implants per million in the UK, and 420 per million in the US, to 600 per million in Belgium. At the same […]

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a hereditary disorder characterised by prolongation of the QT interval on electrocardiogram (ECG), syncope and sudden death due to torsade de pointes (Tdp) and/ or ventricular fibrillation.1 To date, 16 genes have been reported as LQTS-causing genes, and most mutations identified in LQTS patients are in the KCNQ1, KCNH2 and […]

Short QT syndrome (SQTS) is a cardiac channelopathy characterised by an abnormally short QT interval and an increased risk of atrial and ventricular fibrillation.1 As it often involves young patients with an apparently normal heart, it is imperative for physicians to recognise the clinical features of the SQTS in making a timely correct diagnosis. The […]