CVIA Journal

New Issue of Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications Journal Published with Special Focus on Electrophysiology

Beijing, February 5, 2016: The new journal Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications (CVIA) has just published its second issue, with a special focus on Electrophysiology. CVIA is the official journal of the Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology (GW-ICC) and its first issue was published in October 2015 to coincide with the 26^th GW-ICC in Beijing, China.

The CVIA Special Issue on Electrophysiology has been Guest Edited by Dr. Jamie B. Conti of the University of Florida and brings together contributions from leading cardiologists from the United States and China.

Featured papers in this issue are:

Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation: Current Strategies and Recommendations by Gerald V. Naccarelli, Gregory Caputo, Thomas Abendroth, Samuel Faber, Mauricio Sendra-Ferrer, Deborah Wolbrette , Soraya Samii, Sarah Hussain and Mario Gonzalez. This review considers the growing incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) which is expected to double over the next 30 years and already accounts in the United States for one third of cardiac arrhythmia hospitalizations and

70% of Medicare arrhythmia admissions. Registry data suggests that almost half of patients who should be on therapeutic anticoagulation for stroke prevention in AF (SPAF) are not.  Warfarin and more recently developed agents, the “novel anticoagulants” (NOACs) reduce the risk of embolic strokes.  In addition, the NOACS also reduce intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) by over 50% compared to warfarin. Anticoagulation and bridging strategies involving cardioversion, catheter ablation, and invasive/surgical procedures are reviewed.  The development of reversal agents for NOACS and the introduction of left atrial appendage occluding devices will evolve the use of newer strategies for preventing stroke in high risk AF patients.

Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: Indications, New Advances, and Complications by Chang-Sheng Ma.

This review considers catheter ablation as a cornerstone in the management of atrial fibrillation. As new strategies and technologies are implemented to improve the success rates of this procedure, prevention and early detection of complications will contribute to reduction of adverse outcomes with this technology

Other papers in this issue include:

REVIEWS

Current Management of Ventricular Tachycardia: Approaches and Timing by Roy M. John and William Stevenson. This review considers Ventricular tachycardia (VT) which in the presence of structural heart disease is associated with sudden cardiac death and warrants prompt attention. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators, although highly effective in terminating sustained ventricular arrhythmias and reducing mortality, have no effect on the arrhythmia substrate, and recurrent shocks for VT termination occur in approximately 20% of patients. Antiarrhythmic drugs, mainly in the form of beta-blockers or amiodarone, are moderately effective in reducing the need for implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapies, but drug intolerance and serious toxic effects of amiodarone necessitate drug cessation in a quarter of patients. Catheter ablation has emerged as an effective treatment for control of frequent VT episodes and can be lifesaving in cases of incessant VT or VT storm.

Principles of Arrhythmia Management During Pregnancy by Thomas Adam Burkart, William M. Miles and Jamie Beth Conti. Serious arrhythmias that threaten the lives of both the mother and the unborn child during pregnancy are fortunately rare. Documentation of the arrhythmias and correlation of findings with symptoms is imperative before initiation of any therapy. Women with previously diagnosed arrhythmias will frequently experience worsening of their arrhythmia during pregnancy. However, advances in fluoro-less mapping technologies are opening the door to the possibility of performing advanced, invasive arrhythmia therapies during any stage of pregnancy without subjecting the mother and fetus to high doses of radiation.

Changing the Way We “See” Scar: How Multimodality Imaging Fits in the Electrophysiology Laboratory by Anita Wokhlu. Substrate characterization is the mainstay of ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT). Although the use of electro anatomic voltage mapping (EAVM) in the electrophysiology (EP) laboratory has enabled real-time approximation of myocardial scar, it has limitations. Various non-invasive methods of scar assessment have emerged, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) being the most accurate. Integrated MRI and electro anatomic voltage mapping studies demonstrate good correlation, although MRI has numerous advantages.

Syncope and Early Repolarization: A Benign or Dangerous ECG Finding? by Matthew McKillop and William M. Miles. Electrocardiographic ER patterns are common in the normal adult population, especially in young athletes. However, the most frequently observed pattern, the rapidly ascending/upward sloping variety, is not associated with negative outcomes. There are uncommon morphologies, including the type 1 Brugada pattern and type 2 or 3 ER pattern with horizontal/descending ST segments, that have associations with sudden cardiac death, although the event rate in such patients is still very low.

Inherited Wolff–Parkinson–White Syndrome by Yang Liu, Yumei Xue, Shulin Wu and Dan Hu. Recent studies have identified several rare genetic variants associated with WPW syndrome. Present data account for only a limited percentage of the heritability of WPW syndrome. Patients with heritable WPW syndrome have a phenotype that is clearly different from that of those with sporadic WPW syndrome, who typically have structurally normal hearts. No gene defect associated with typical WPW syndrome has yet been identified. In most well-recognized cases, ventricular preexcitation is accompanied by various cardiac or noncardiac clinical manifestations. Integration of next-generation sequencing technologies, improved identification of disease causing genetic variants, and a more complete understanding of causative mechanisms behind WPW syndrome risk loci will be required.

The Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator: A Practical Review and Real-World Use and Application by Mark E. Panna Jr and William M. Miles. The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a novel technology using a subcutaneous (extrathoracic) system for treatment of potential lethal ventricular arrhythmias. This paper reviews patient selection, system components, the implantation technique, and screening considerations for subcutaneous ICD implantation. Its uses in specific patient populations, including children, patients with congenital heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or end-stage renal disease, and patients with pre-existing pacemakers, are highlighted. Areas of future investigation are reviewed, including potential use with leadless pacing and magnetic resonance imaging.

Athletes and Arrhythmias by Michael J. Jansen and Floyd W. Burke. This review considers the medical management of athletes which presents many unique challenges. The normal cardiac adaptations that occur with intense physical training can be misinterpreted and lead to unnecessary testing and withdrawal from competition. Athletes, however, can have underlying asymptomatic cardiac disease which can be exacerbated by exercise and, rarely, results in sudden cardiac death. Preventative strategies such as preparticipation cardiac screening to better identify those athletes at higher risk of sudden death are currently under investigation and remain controversial.

COMMENTARY

Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators: Who Needs Them and Who Does Not? by C. Richard Conti. ICD implantation is a subject that needs much consideration before proceeding. Dr. Conti writes: ‘When the physician is advising an individual patient about the implantation of an ICD, the patient is entitled to know the benefits and the risks. It is also imperative that the physician knows the patient’s expectations about life expectancy and quality of life…Finally, my advice to those who implant ICDs is “think before you implant an ICD” and have the patient and the family think before an ICD is implanted.’

Led by Editor-in-chief C. Richard Conti, Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Florida and former president of the American College of Cardiology and its founding editor Professor Hu Dayi of Peking University, CVIA is a high-profile peer-reviewed journal with an international Editorial Board. The journal publishes focused articles and original clinical research that explore novel developments in cardiovascular disease, effective control and rehabilitation in cardiovascular disease, and promote cardiovascular innovations and applications for the betterment of public health globally.

CVIA is available on the IngentaConnect platform and at https://dhn.zgc.mybluehostin.me/cvia/. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts (https://mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/cvia-journal). There are no author submission or article processing fees.

Inaugural Issue of Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications Journal Launches with Special Issue on Heart Failure.

Beijing, October 21, 2015: The new journal Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications (CVIA) has been launched with a Special Issue on Heart Failure. CVIA was founded on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Great Wall-International Congress of Cardiology (GW-ICC) in 2014 by Professor Dayi Hu, president of the GW-ICC and past president of the Chinese Society of Cardiology, who will serve as Founding Editor.

Richard Conti, MD, a past president of the American College of Cardiology and former Editor of Clinical Cardiology, servers as Editor-in-Chief of the new journal, which has published its first issue to coincide with the GW-ICC meeting in October 2015 in Beijing, China.

The GW-ICC is one of the largest congresses in the Asian-Pacific region and is the most comprehensive and influential academic conference on cardiology. Held as a regular annual conference since 1990, GW-ICC has provided a platform for continuing education in cardiovascular disease diagnosis, treatment, and technology training, through events that leverage the expertise of internationally renowned cardiologists and scholars from the United States, Europe and Asia.

The CVIA Special Issue on Heart Failure has been Guest Edited by Juan M. Aranda, Jr. of the University of Florida and brings together contributions from leading cardiologists from the United States, China and Europe.

Featured papers in this issue are:

A Clinician’s Commentary on Heart Failure Treatment in the Future  by C. Richard Conti.  This paper considers the results of the latest heart failure trial entitled ‘Efficacy and Safety of LCZ696 Compared to Enalapril on Morbidity and Mortality of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure.’ The drug LCZ696 has now been approved by the FDA and will be manufactured by Novartis as Entresto.

Strategies to Reduce Heart Failure Hospitalizations and Readmission: How Low Can We Go?  by Juan M. Aranda, Jr. This paper examines the strategies available to reduce heart failure readmission levels. It is estimated that more than one million heart failure hospitalizations occur each year and heart failure readmission rates continue to be about 25%. Strategies to reduce heart failure readmission are key to reducing hospitalization rates. This paper considers strategies available at three different stages of the treatment process: during hospitalization, before discharge and post-discharge. The interventions conducted by a multidisciplinary team adopting these strategies have great potential to reduce heart failure hospitalization rates.

Other papers in this issue are:

Editorial by the Founding Editor by Dayi Hu. This editorial notes the considerable rise in China-based cardiology papers in recent years, with China now the second largest source of cardiology papers in world research rankings. As such, it is now an opportune time to launch a new China-based cardiology journal to publish the best cardiology papers, with a wide range of contributors across China, the United States and Europe.

Congestive Heart Failure Clinics: How to Make Them Work in a Community-Based Hospital System  by Joshua Larned, Mohamad Kabach, Leonardo Tamariz, and Kristine Raimondo. This paper concludes that Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Clinics in community hospitals that use a rapid and frequent follow-up with CHF-trained teams effectively reduce hospitalization rates up to 1 year.

Heart Failure Issues and Management: A European Perspective by Alberto Dominguez-Rodriguez, Julia Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Carima Belleyo-Belkasem and Pedro Abreu-Gonzalez. This review provides a European perspective on management of heart failure.

Unusual Cardiomyopathies: Some May Be More Usual Than Previously Thought and Simply Underdiagnosed by  Frank W Smart. This paper studies certain cardiomyopathies that have previously been regarded as very rare. These are being recognized with increasing frequency, because of improved imaging techniques and an increased understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms that result in these diseases.

Cardiac Sarcoidosis: Sorting Fact from Fiction in This Rare Cardiomyopathy by Indranee Rajapreyar and Elizabeth Langlois. This review details the current understanding of cardiac sarcoidosis and highlights diagnostic strategies and treatment with the aim of guiding the clinician to early identification of patients and implementation of appropriate management in this rare disease entity.

Epidemiological Study of Heart Failure in China by Yang Guo, Dong Zhao and Jing Liu:  This review highlights important epidemiological studies of heart failure in China.

Noninvasive Hemodynamic Monitoring for Heart Failure: A New Era of Heart Failure Management by Gabriel A. Hernandez, Viviana Navas and Sandra Chaparro.  This paper describes advances in implantable wireless technology that now allow frequent and direct measurement of intracardiac filling pressures, which can be monitored by health care providers to help tailor therapy to reduce filling pressures and hospital readmission rates.

The Evaluation of the Heart Failure Patient by Echocardiography: Time to go beyond the Ejection Fraction by Jacqueline Dawson Dowe, Juan Vilaro, Karen Hamilton, Anita Szady and Juan M. Aranda, Jr. This article reviews the role of the echocardiogram in the evaluation of the heart failure patient, without focusing on the left ventricle.

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and the Failing Ventricle: Getting It Right by Stacy A Mandras, Sylvia Oleck and Hector O. Ventura.  This paper concludes that the discovery of new prognostic indicators, use of hybrid imaging for early detection of Right Ventricular Failure (RVF), and strategies to prevent the development of RVF will be important if outcomes in this patient population are to improve.

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in 2015: Lessons Learned by Siva Ketha and Fred M. Kusumoto. This paper reviews the pathobiology of cardiac dyssynchrony, the rationale for the use of CRT, the history and the state of the art of CRT, and guidelines and recommendations for CRT, while also focusing on the areas of controversy and potential future applications.

Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device Therapy: A Focused Review on Optimal Patient Selection and Long-Term Follow-up Using Echocardiography by Juan R. Vilaro, Anita Szady, Mustafa M. Ahmed, Jacqueline Dawson  and Juan M. Aranda Jr.  This paper provides a focused clinical review on the use of echocardiography in two main aspects of the evaluation of patients who are being considered for or are mechanically supported by Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices (CF-LVADs): (a) optimal patient selection for CF-LVAD support and (b) follow-up assessment of optimal pump function.

Mechanical Circulatory Support for the Failing Heart: Which Device to Choose by Mustafa Ahmed and Rene Alvarez, Jr. This article reviews the literature and provides an algorithm for the treatment of cardiogenic shock.