Value of 3D mapping-guided endomyocardial biopsy in cardiac sarcoidosis: Case series and narrative review on the value of electro-anatomic mapping-guided endomyocardial biopsies

AIM

Integration of endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) in the diagnostic workup of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is under-recognized in current clinical practice, since capturing focal granulomas is challenging. Our aim was to describe our experience with electro-anatomic mapping (EAM)-guided EMB and provide a comprehensive review of the literature.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Five patients (age 49.4 ± 11.4) with suspected CS underwent EAM-guided EMB in Isala Heart Center (Zwolle, the Netherlands) between 2017 and 2019. In all patients, a 3D bipolar voltage map (<0.5-1.5 mV) and unipolar voltage map (LV < 8.3 mV, RV < 5.5 mV) was created using a high-density mapping catheter. The bioptome was connected to the mapping system to guide targeted EMB. Biopsy samples (2-9 samples) were taken from both LV and RV sites, guided by EAM and areas with abnormal electrograms, without complications. CS diagnosis was based on EMB in 2/5 patients. A granuloma was captured in one patient at the LV basal septum with normal bipolar and abnormal unipolar voltage. All patients with delayed enhancement on cardiac magnetic resonance, revealed fibrosis in the biopsy sample. In one patient with suspected isolated cardiac sarcoidosis, diagnosis could not be confirmed by histopathology analysis, while unipolar voltage mapping was abnormal and diastolic potentials were present. Literature search revealed 7 reports (18 patients) describing EAM-guided EMB in CS patients, with 100% of the EMB taken form the RV.

CONCLUSION

Unipolar voltage mapping may be superior to target active inflamed tissue and should be evaluated in future research regarding EAM-guided EMB in CS.

Long-Term Outcome of the Randomized DAPA Trial

Background:

The randomized DAPA trial (Defibrillator After Primary Angioplasty) aimed to evaluate the survival benefit of prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation in early selected high-risk patients after primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction.

Methods:

A randomized, multicenter, controlled trial compared ICD versus conventional medical therapy in high-risk patients with primary percutaneous coronary intervention, based on one of the following factors: left ventricular ejection fraction <30% within 4 days after ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction, primary ventricular fibrillation, Killip class ≥2 or TIMI (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) flow <3 after percutaneous coronary intervention. ICD was implanted 30 to 60 days after MI. Primary end point was all-cause mortality at 3 years follow-up. The trial prematurely ended after inclusion of 266 patients (38% of the calculated sample size). Additional survival assessment was performed in February 2019 for the primary end point.

Results:

A total of 266 patients, 78.2% males, with a mean age of 60.8±11.3 years, were enrolled. One hundred thirty-one patients were randomized to the ICD arm and 135 patients to the control arm. All-cause mortality was significant lower in the ICD group (5% versus 13%, hazard ratio, 0.37 [95% CI, 0.15–0.95]) after 3 years follow-up. Appropriate ICD therapy occurred in 9 patients at 3 years follow-up (5 within the first 8 months after implantation). After a median long-term follow-up of 9 years (interquartile range, 3–11), total mortality (18% versus 38%; hazard ratio, 0.58 [95% CI, 0.37–0.91]), and cardiac mortality (hazard ratio, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.28–0.99]) was significant lower in the ICD group. Noncardiac death was not significantly different between groups. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased ≥10% in 46.5% of the patients during follow-up, and the extent of improvement was similar in both study groups.

Conclusions:

In this prematurely terminated and thus underpowered randomized trial, early prophylactic ICD implantation demonstrated lower total and cardiac mortality in patients with high-risk ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Registration:

URL: https://www.trialregister.nl ; Unique identifier: Trial NL74 (NTR105).

Elimination of Benign Ventricular Premature Beats or Ventricular Tachycardia with Catheter Ablation versus Two Different Optimal Antiarrhythmic Drug Treatment Regimens (Sotalol or Verapamil/Flecainide)

BACKGROUND

Symptomatic idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (VA), including premature beats (VPB) and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) are commonly encountered arrhythmias. Although these VA are usually benign, their treatment can be a challenge to primary and secondary health care providers. Mainstay treatment is comprised of antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) and, in case of drug intolerance or failure, patients are referred for catheter ablation to tertiary health care centers. These patients require extensive medical attention and drug regimens usually have disappointing results. A direct comparison between the efficacy of the most potent AAD and primary catheter ablation in these patients is lacking. The ECTOPIA trial will evaluate the efficacy of 2 pharmacological strategies and 1 interventional approach to: suppress the VA burden, improve the quality of life (QoL), and safety.

HYPOTHESIS

We hypothesize that flecainide/verapamil combination and catheter ablation are both superior to sotalol in suppressing VA in patients with symptomatic idiopathic VA.

STUDY DESIGN

The Elimination of Ventricular Premature Beats with Catheter Ablation versus Optimal Antiarrhythmic Drug Treatment (ECTOPIA) trial is a randomized, multicenter, prospective clinical trial to compare the efficacy of catheter ablation versus optimal AAD treatment with sotalol or flecainide/verapamil. One hundred eighty patients with frequent symptomatic VA in the absence of structural heart disease or underlying cardiac ischemia who are eligible for catheter ablation with an identifiable monomorphic VA origin with a burden ≥5% on 24-h ambulatory rhythm monitoring will be included. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1:1 fashion. The primary endpoint is defined as >80% reduction of the VA burden on 24-h ambulatory Holter monitoring. After reaching the primary endpoint, patients randomized to one of the 2 AAD arms will undergo a cross-over to the other AAD treatment arm to explore differences in drug efficacy and QoL in individual patients. Due to the use of different AAD (with and without β-blocking characteristics) we will be able to explore the influence of alterations in sympathetic tone on VA burden reduction in different subgroups. Finally, this study will assess the safety of treatment with 2 different AAD and ablation of VA.

Hybrid Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation after Failed Percutaneous Endocardial and Epicardial Ablation

INTRODUCTION

Recurrent ventricular tachycardia (VT) after percutaneous ablation is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. We assessed the feasibility of open chest extracorporeal circulation (ECC)-supported 3D multielectrode mapping and targeted VT substrate ablation in patients with previously failed percutaneous endocardial and epicardial VT ablations.

METHODS

In patients with previously failed percutaneous endocardial and epicardial VT ablations and a high risk of hemodynamic collapse during the procedure, open chest ECC-supported mapping and ablation were performed in a hybrid EP lab setting. Electro-anatomic maps (3D) were acquired during sinus rhythm and VT using a multielectrode mapping catheter (HD grid; Abbott or Pentaray, Biosense Webster). Irrigated radiofrequency ablations of all inducible VT were performed with a contact force ablation catheter.

RESULTS

Hybrid VT ablation was performed in 5 patients with structural heart disease (i.e., 3 with previous old myocardial infarction and 2 with nonischemic cardiomy-opathy) and recurrent VT. Acute procedural success was achieved in all patients. Four patients were successfully weaned off the ECC. In 1 patient with a severely reduced LVEF (16%), damage to the venous graft occurred after sternotomy and that patient died after 1 month. Four patients (80%) remained VT free after a median follow-up of 6 (IQR 4-10) months.

CONCLUSION

In high-risk patients with previously failed percutaneous endocardial and epicardial VT ablations, open chest ECC-supported multielectrode epicardial mapping revealed a VT substrate in all of the patients, and targeted epicardial ablation abolished VT substrate in these patients.

Catheter ablation in highly symptomatic Brugada patients: a Dutch case series

AIMS

In the past few years, promising results were described in targeting the arrhythmogenic substrate of the epicardial right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) region in patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS). In this report, we describe our experience with endo- and epicardial substrate mapping and ablation in a series of highly symptomatic BrS patients.

METHODS

This case series consists of seven patients with clinical BrS diagnosis who underwent catheter ablation in two Dutch hospitals (Isala hospital Zwolle; and Amsterdam University Medical Centre, location AMC, Amsterdam) and Hamad Heart Hospital in Qatar between 2013 and 2017. All patients had an ICD and recurrent ventricular arrhythmia (VA) episodes. All patients underwent endo-and epicardial mapping of the RVOT region. Elimination of all abnormal potentials and disappearance of BrS ECG pattern during the ablation procedure was the aimed endpoint.

RESULTS

The study group consisted of seven patients with mean age 45.6 ± 16.9 years. Five patients had SCN5A mutations. One patient was excluded from analysis, since ablation could not be performed due to a very large low-voltage area and was later diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, associated with an SCN5A mutation. One patient underwent both endo- and epicardial ablation to eliminate VA. During a mean follow-up of 3.6 ± 1.5 years, 5/6 patients remained VA free with two patients continuing quinidine.

CONCLUSION

In patients with BrS and drug-refractory VA, ablation of the arrhythmogenic substrate in the RVOT region was associated with excellent long-term VA-free survival. The majority of these highly symptomatic BrS patients had an SCN5A mutation and also low-voltage areas epicardially.

Long-term outcome of catheter ablation in post-infarction recurrent ventricular tachycardia

OBJECTIVES

Severe LV dysfunction and advanced age are associated with VT recurrence after catheter ablation in patients with post-infarction drug-refractory VT. We present retrospective analysis of long-term outcome after single and repeat VT ablation procedures in patients with ischemic heart disease.

DESIGN

Patients with recurrent VT post infarction who underwent catheter ablation between 2006 and 2017 in Isala Heart Centre were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to identify predictors of arrhythmia recurrence post ablation. Patients were allocated to subgroups based on LVEF: severe (<30%), moderate (30-40%) and mild LV dysfunction (41-51%) and analyzed with log rank test.

RESULTS

A total of 144 patients were included. Two years VT free survival after a single procedure was 56.6% with median follow-up 46 [17-78] months. Recurrence of VT postablation wash high among patients with an old anteroseptal MI and LVEF < 30% with multiple morphologies of inducible VTs, indicating an extensive and complex substrate. Patients who underwent repeat ablations (27.1%) had significant more often LV aneurysms (20.5% vs. 7.6%, p = .03) and electrical storms (38.5% vs. 21.9%, p = .04). VT free survival was higher in patients with LVEF 41-51% compared to LVEF < 30% (71.4% vs. 47.8%, p = .01). In multivariate analysis, LVEF < 30% (vs 41-51%) was an independent predictor of arrhythmia recurrence (HR = 2.16, CI 1.15-4.06, p = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with ischemic VT, success rate of ablation was highest among patients with preserved LV function and recurrent VT and ES was highest among patients with severe LV dysfunction after single and multiple ablation procedures.