Aim: To describe and interpret patients’, family members’ and ambulance personnel’s experiences with regard to survival, attendance, and caring at cardiac arrests and deaths, and to analyze ethical conflicts that arise in relation to families and how the personnel’s ethical competence can affect caring and the ability to handle ethical problems. Method: The three interview studies were guided by a reflective lifeworld approach grounded in phenomenology and analyzed by searching for the essence of the phenomenon in two studies and by attaining a main interpretation in one study. In the fourth study, the general approach was supplemented by “reflective equilibrium” that guided the ethical analysis. Results: The survivors are striving towards a good life by means of efforts to reach meaning and coherence, facing existential fear and insecurity as well as gratitude and the joy of life. Family members lose everyday control through feelings of unreality, inadequacy and overwhelming responsibility. Ambulance personnel’s care mediates hope and despair until the announcement of survival or death. After the event, family members risk involuntary loneliness and anxiety about the future. For the ambulance personnel, caring for families involves a need for mobility in decision making, forcing the personnel to balance their own perceptions, feelings and reactions against interpretative reasoning. To base decision making on emotional reactions creates the risk of erroneous conclusions and a care relationship with elements of dishonesty, misdirected benevolence and false hopes. Identification with family members can promote recognition of and response to their existential needs, but also frustrate meeting family members emotions’ and handling one’s own vulnerability and inadequacy. It was found that futile cardiopulmonary resuscitation, administered to patients for the benefit of family members, is not an acceptable moral practice, due both to norms of not deliberately treating persons as mere means and to norms of taking care of families. Conclusions: Ethical conflicts exist when it comes to conveying realistic hope, relief from guilt, participation, responsibility for decision making, and fairness in the professional role. Ambulance personnel need support to enhance ethical caring competence and to deal with personal discomfort, as well as clear guidelines on family support.

Der Plötzliche Herztod ist eine der häufigsten Todesursachen in Europa, in den USA sogar die häufigste Ursache aller natürlichen Todesfälle. Ziel der experimentellen und klinischen Forschung ist das Erkennen und Verhindern ("Prediction and Prevention") der malignen Herzrhythmusstörungen. Schwerpunkt der wissenschaftlichen Arbeit bilden die experimentellen Untersuchungen hinsichtlich der Mechanismen von Herzrhythmusstörungen. Durch die Entwicklung neuartiger Mappingsysteme konnte erstmalig gezeigt werden, dass im Tiermodell Kammerflimmern initial fokal und geordnet entsteht. Die bisherigen Untersuchungen und Daten erweitern unser Wissen zur kardialen Defibrillation und zum Entstehen von malignen Herzrhythmusstörungen, stellen aber nur einen Baustein im Gesamtverständnis des Plötzlichen Herztodes dar. Weitere begonnene oder geplante Projekte beschäftigen sich mit Herzrhythmusstörungen bei Vorliegen einer Kardiomyopathie und akuter Ischämie, sowohl im Tiermodell als auch beim Patienten. Neuartige Mappingtechnologien und Tiermodelle können helfen, die Mechanismen zu verstehen, die Therapie von Herzrhythmusstörungen zu verbessern und Therapieverfahren weiterzuentwickeln. / Sudden cardiac death is one of the leading causes of death in Europe, and the leading cause of all natural deaths in the USA. The primary aim of experimental and clinical research is the "prediction and prevention" of lethal ventricular arrhythmias. The focus of this thesis is on animal studies investigating the mechanisms of arrhythmias. Using a novel multichannel electrical cardiac mapping technique we were able to demonstrate that whatever generates fibrillation activations it locates at a small region in the LV apex. This research will widen our understanding of defibrillation and causes of lethal ventricular arrhythmias, but is still only a piece of the puzzle called sudden cardiac death. New initiated or planed project are focusing on arrhythmias in patients and animals with heart failure or acute ischemia. Novel mapping techniques and animal models might further widen our understanding of the mechanisms and might help to develop and improve therapeutic options.

Die Hypertrophe Kardiomyopathie (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, HCM) ist eine Erkrankung des Herzens, die durch eine Hypertrophie des Myokards und einem erhöhten Risiko für den plöztlichen Herztod charakteriziert ist. Die Erkrankung wird autosomal-dominant vererbt. Neun HCM-assozierte Genen wurden bisher beschrieben, die alle für Sarkomer-Proteine kodierend. Mutationen in den Genen für die essentielle (ELC) und regulatorische (RLC) leichte Myosin-Kette sind für ca. 1% bzw. 1-7% aller HCM-Fälle verantwortlich. Bisher gibt es nur wenige Informationen zum Krankheitsverlauf und zur Prognose bei HCM-Formen, die durch Mutationen in diesen Genen verursacht werden. Ziel dieser Studie war daher, das ELC- bzw. RLC-Gen in einem Kollektiv klinisch gut charakterisierter HCM-Patienten hinsichtlich möglicher krankheitsverursachender Mutationen zu analysieren. Darüber hinaus sollte untersucht werden, ob die hier identifizierten Mutationen mit einem malignen bzw. benignen Phönotyp assoziiert sind. Methoden: 71 unverwandete Patienten mit primärer HCM wurden mittels körperlicher Untersuchung, EKG und Echokardiographie evaluiert. Die aus Blutlymphozyten extrahierte DNA wurde mittels exonspezifischer PCR-Amplifikation und Single-strand-conformation-polymorphism (SSCP) Analyse auf Mutationen in den 6 Exons des ELC- und 7 Exons des RLC-Gens untersucht. Proben mit auffälligen Bandenmustern wurden direkt sequenziert. Ergebnisse: Die systematische Analyse ergab zwei krankheitsassoziierte Mutationen im RLC-Gen, die zu einem Aminosäurenaustausch führen. Im ELC-Gen wurden keine Mutationen gefunden. Die erste Mutation im RLC-Gen ist ein G zu A-Basenaustausch an Position c.64 im Exon 2, der zu einem Austausch von Glutamat durch Lysin im Codon 22 führt. Die zweite Variante verursacht eine Argininsubstitution durch Glutamin im Codon 58 aufgrund eines Basenpaaraustausches an Position c.173 im Exon 4 (G zu A). Beide Mutationen betreffen hoch-konservierte Aminosäuren in der amino-terminalen Domöne des RLC in der Nähe von möglichen Phosphorylierungs- bzw. Kalcium-Bindungsstellen. Zusätzlich wird die elektrische Ladung dieser Proteinregion durch den Aminosäurenaustausch verändert. Die Glu22Lys-Mutationen konnte in sieben Individuen der Familie K identifiziert werden und ist mit einer geringen septalen Hypertrophie, einer späten klinischen Manifestation sowie einem benignen Verlauf und einer guten Prognose assoziiert. Die Arg58Gln-Mutation ist ebenfalls mit einer moderaten Septumhypertrophie aber mit einem frühen Krankheitsbeginn und einem vorzeitigen Auftreten eines plätzlichen Herztodes in der Familie B assoziiert. Zusätzlich wurden mehrere Abweichungen von der Referenz-Sequenz, eine stumme Mutation sowie zwei "Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms" (SNPs) während des Screenings in beiden Genen identifiziert. Die SNPs verursachen keinen Aminosäureaustausch und beeinflussen nicht den Splei§vorgang, soweit dies durch ihre Lokalisation vorhersagbar ist. Schlussfolgerung: Zwei missense Mutationen konnten in der regulatorischen leichten Myosinkette identifiziert und sowohl mit einem benignen als auch einem malignen HCM-Phänotyp assoziiert werden. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Genotypisierung wertvolle Informationen für die Risikostratifizierung, die genetische Beratung sowie für Therapiestrategien in der Hypertrophe Kardiomyopathie liefern kann. / Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a heart disorder characterized by unexplained ventricular myocardial hypertrophy and a high risk of sudden cardiac death. The disease is inherited as an autosomal-dominant trait. Nine disease-causing genes have been described all encoding for sarcomeric proteins. Mutations in the ventricular myosin essential (ELC) and regulatory (RLC) light chain genes are responsible approximately for 1% and 1 - 7% of all HCM cases, respectively. Limited data are available on the disease course and prognosis in HCM caused by mutations in these genes. Therefore, the present study was aimed to analyse the ELC and RLC genes for disease-causing mutations in a group of clinically well-characterized HCM patients. Further purpose was to assess whether the detected mutations are associated with malignant or benign phenotype in the respective families. Methods: 71 unrelated patients with HCM and 14 family members were evaluated using physical examination, ECG and echocardiography. DNA was extracted from blood lymphocytes. Screening of the 6 exons of the ELC gene and the 7 exons of the RLC gene was done by using PCR and single strand conformation polymorphism analysis (SSCP). Samples with aberrant band patterns were directly sequenced. Results: Systematic analysis revealed no mutation in the ELC gene but two disease-associated mutations leading to an amino acid exchange in the RLC gene. The first mutation was found in exon 2 of the RLC gene: a G>A nucleotide substitution at position c.64 caused a replacement of glutamic acid by lysine at codon 22. The second mutation was in exon 4 of the RLC gene: a G>A substitution at nucleotide c.173 led to a change of arginine to glutamine at codon 58. Both mutations affected highly conserved amino acids and were located in the amino terminal half of the RLC close to the putative phosphorylation and calcium-binding sites. They also changed overall electrical charge of this protein region. The Glu22Lys mutation was identified in seven individuals of family K and was associated with moderate septal hypertrophy, a late onset of clinical manifestation, benign disease course, and good prognosis. The mutation Arg58Gln showed also moderate septal hypertrophy, but, in contrast, it was associated with an early onset of clinical manifestation and premature sudden cardiac death in family B. Additionally, a number of sequence differences from reference genomic sequences, one silent mutation, and two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified while screening the ELC and RLC genes. Detected SNPs did not cause an amino acid exchange and did not affect splicing process proceeding from their localisation. Conclusions: Two missense mutations were identified in the ventricular myosin regulatory light chain gene and associated with either benign or malignant HCM phenotypes. These findings show that genotyping could give valuable information for risk stratification, genetic counselling, and treatment strategies in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Omega 3 poly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have been shown to protect against sudden cardiac death following myocardial infarction and reduce the risk of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with heart failure. At the inception of this study, there was one clinical study that reported n-3 PUFA supplementation reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) following CABG. As AF is a very common arrhythmia and as there are no safe and effective means of preventing AF, we designed this study to further validate the findings of the previous study in a more robust study design. In addition, this study also aimed to evaluate the cellular changes that underpin the beneficial anti-arrhythmic effect of n-3 PUFA.The outcome of this study shows that n-3 PUFA does not reduce the risk of AF following CABG. However, short term supplementation with n-3 PUFA reliably increases the membrane incorporation in phospholipids and results in alteration in the expression levels of cardiac calcium handling proteins phospholamban and ryanodine receptors. In addition, such incorporation in animal (rat) ventricular myocytes leads to changes in the rate of decay of the systolic calcium transient and an increase in the amplitude of the caffeine induced calcium transient thereby indicating a greater activity of SERCA. These findings needs further evaluation but is clearly interesting as the clinical situations where n-3 PUFA have been shown to be anti-arrhythmic are situations where cellular calcium overload is the main mechanism of arrhythmogenesis.

Introduction : De nombreuses différences liées au sexe ont été décrites en pathologie cardiovasculaire. Cependant, les données concernant les spécificités liées au sexe, dans le domaine de la mort subite, sont rares. Objectifs : Dans ce travail, nous avons souhaité décrire les caractéristiques des morts subites survenant pendant une activité sportive, en fonction du sexe. Ensuite, nous avons décidé d’étudier le pronostic de la mort subite en fonction du sexe en population générale. L’étape suivante a pour objectif de décrire et analyser les interventions coronaires réalisées en fonction du sexe. Enfin, le dernier travail a eu pour objectif d’étudier les caractéristiques selon le sexe des patients ayant présenté une mort subite en population générale. Matériels et méthodes : Pour la première partie du travail, nous avons inclus les patients de l’observatoire des morts subites du sportif (cas de morts subites pendant le sport dans 60 départements français de 2005 à 2010). Nous avons comparé les caractéristiques et l’incidence de ces morts subites, par tranche d’âge et par sexe. Dans la deuxième partie, nous avons réalisé une revue systématique de la littérature avec une méta-analyse des études rapportant le pronostic après une mort subite en fonction du sexe. La méta-analyse a suivi un modèle à effets aléatoires, et nous avons rapporté l’hétérogénéité statistique entre les études suivant la statistique I2. La troisième partie a inclus les patients de la base de données PROCAT (patients admis en réanimation à l’hôpital Cochin après une mort subite réanimée). Parmi ces patients, nous avons étudié la fréquence de réalisation d’une coronarographie et d’une angioplastie en fonction du sexe, et l’association entre intervention coronaire précoce et pronostic en fonction du sexe. Les analyses ont été réalisées suivant une régression logistique uni- puis multivariée ; le critère de jugement était la survie avec un bon résultat neurologique en sortie d’hôpital. Enfin, dans la dernière partie, la population d’étude était composée des patients inclus dans le registre régional du Centre d’Expertise Mort Subite CEMS (morts subites survenues dans Paris et les 4 départements de la petite couronne), de 2011 à 2016. Nous avons étudié les caractéristiques, le pronostic et les étiologies des morts subites en fonction du sexe. Résultats : Pour la première partie du travail, 820 morts subites du sportif ont été colligées (dont 5% de femmes). L’incidence était de 0.51 cas par million de pratiquants chez les femmes contre 10.1 chez les hommes (P<0.001), avec une répartition différente en fonction de l’âge. Les caractéristiques Utstein des patients étaient homogènes entre hommes et femmes dans la mort subite du sportif, et les femmes avaient une survie significativement meilleure à l’arrivée à l’hôpital (47% vs 30%, P=0.02). Dans la 2e partie, concernant la mort subite en population générale, la revue systématique a inclus 13 études sur le sujet, et la méta-analyse a retrouvé une survie meilleure chez les femmes (OR ajusté=1.1, IC95% 1.03-1.20, P=0.006). Dans la troisième partie, nous avons mis en évidence que les femmes ont moins souvent une coronarographie que les hommes à l’admission (OR ajusté de coronarographie=0.57, IC95% 0.41-0.79, P=0.001) mais que les taux d’angioplastie après une coronarographie étaient similaires, et l’association au pronostic ne différait pas en fonction du sexe. Enfin, dans la 4e partie, nous avons démontré que le meilleur pronostic retrouvé chez les femmes était essentiellement lié à un meilleur taux de survie préhospitalier (OR=1.3, IC95% 1.2-1.5, P<0.001). De plus, les hommes avaient plus souvent une cause ischémique que les femmes (51% vs 28%), et les femmes davantage de causes hypoxiques ou d’embolies pulmonaires. (...) / Introduction: Several gender-specificities have been described in cardiovascular diseases. By contrast, data regarding gender-specificities in the field of sudden cardiac death remain sparse. Objectives: Our first aim was to describe the characteristics of sports-related sudden death, according to gender. Secondly, we assessed the prognosis after sudden death according to gender. The third step aimed at describing and analyzing gender differences in early invasive strategy after cardiac arrest. In the last part, we wanted to assess the respective characteristics of sudden death in men and women in general population. Material and Methods: In the first part, we included cases of sports-related sudden death observatory (sudden deaths that occurred during sport activity in 60 french districts between 2005 and 2010). We compared characteristics and incidence of sudden death, according to age and sex. In the second part, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between gender and survival after sudden cardiac death. We used a random-effects model, and reported statistical heterogeneity across the studies using I2 statistic. The third part included patients from PROCAT database (cohort of patients admitted alive in intensive care unit in Cochin hospital after a resuscitated sudden death). Among these patients, we studied gender differences regarding early coronary angiogram and percutaneous intervention after sudden death. We also reported the association between coronary intervention and prognosis, according to gender. Analyses were performed with uni and multivariate logistic regression; primary outcome was favorable neurologic outcome at hospital discharge). In the last part, population was drawn from Sudden Death Expertise Center registry (including sudden death in Paris and 4 districts around), from 2011 to 2016. We described characteristics, prognosis and etiologies of sudden death according to gender. Results: In the first part, 820 sport-related sudden deaths were included (including 5% women). Incidence was 0.51 cases per million among women, compared with 10.1 in men (P<0.001), with different distribution among age categories. Utstein characteristics of patients were homogeneous between men and women in sport-related sudden deaths, and women had significantly higher survival at hospital admission (47% vs 30%, P=0.02). In the second part, systematic review included 13 studies, and meta-analysis found a significant association between female gender and survival after sudden death (adjusted OR=1.1, 95% CI 1.03-1.20, P=0.006). In the third part, we found that women had less coronary angiography than men (adjusted OR for coronary angiography=0.57, 95% CI 0.41-0.79, P=0.001) but the rates of percutaneous interventions after coronary angiography were similar. Association between coronary intervention and prognosis did not differ according to sex. Finally, in the fourth part, we reported that the better prognosis reported among women was mainly related to a better survival rate before hospital admission (OR=1.3, 95% CI 1.2-1.5, P <0.001). In addition, men had more often ischemic cause than women (51% vs 28%), who presented more hypoxic causes or pulmonary embolism. Conclusion: In this work, we used several sources (a national observatory, a systematic review of the literature, an hospital database and a regional registry) to clarify the specificities of sudden death in women. We highlighted several specificities associated with female gender in sudden death, regarding characteristics, management and prognosis. Assessing the medical history prior to the event, and examining the long-term prognosis according to gender are the next steps to explore.

Depuis le début des années 2000, le défibrillateur automatique implantable (DAI) est prescrit de manière prophylactique aux populations à risque de mort subite. Nombre de ces implantations semblent prématurées, ce qui pose problème en raison des complications post-opératoires encourues. Il apparaît donc important de mieux définir la population à risque de mort subite, afin d'optimiser la sélection des patients.Le pouvoir prédictif de mort subite des différents descripteurs du Holter a fait l'objet de nombreuses études univariées, sans permettre d'amélioration des critères de sélection. Dans ce mémoire, nous présentons l'analyse multivariée des descripteurs du Holter que nous avons menée. Nous avons extrait l'ensemble des descripteurs calculables sur la base étiquetée d'enregistrements de patients, victimes ou non d'arythmies traitées par le DAI, dont nous disposons. À l'aide de connaissances physiologiques sur l'arythmogenèse, nous avons réalisé une sélection des descripteurs les plus pertinents. Puis, par une méthode originale de conception et d'évaluation de classifieur, nous avons construit un classifieur ad hoc, basé, sur les connaissances physiologiques de l'arythmogenèse ; ce classifieur discrimine les patients à risque, des patients pour lesquels l'implantation ne paraît pas opportune.Au vu des performances atteintes, il semble possible d'améliorer la fiabilité des indications d'implantation prophylactique, à l'aide de méthodes d'apprentissage statistique. Pour valider cette conclusion, il paraît néanmoins nécessaire d'appliquer la méthode exposée dans la présente étude à une base de données de plus grande dimension, et de contenu mieux adapté à nos objectifs. / Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) have been prescribed for prophylaxis since the early 2000?s, for patients at high risk of SCD. Unfortunately, most implantations to date appear unnecessary. This result raises an important issue because of the perioperative and postoperative risks. Thus, it is important to improve the selection of the candidates to ICD implantation in primary prevention. Risk stratification for SCD based on Holter recordings has been extensively performed in the past, without resulting in a significant improvement of the selection of candidates to ICD implantation. The present report describes a nonlinear multivariate analysis of Holter recording indices. We computed all the descriptors available in the Holter recordings present in our database. The latter consisted of labelled Holter recordings of patients equipped with an ICD in primary prevention, a fraction of these patients received at least one appropriate therapy from their ICD during a 6-month follow-up. Based on physiological knowledge on arrhythmogenesis, feature selection was performed, and an innovative procedure of classifier design and evaluation was proposed. The classifier is intended to discriminate patients who are really at risk of sudden death from patients for whom ICD implantation does not seem necessary. In addition, we designed an ad hoc classifier that capitalizes on prior knowledge on arrhythmogenesis. We conclude that improving prophylactic ICD-implantation candidate selection by automatic classification from Holter recording features may be possible. Nevertheless, that statement should be supported by the study of a more extensive and appropriate database.

No description available.

Introdução: Distúrbios dos canais iônicos cardíacos potencialmente letais, como a síndrome de Brugada (SBr), a síndrome do QT longo congênito (SQTL) e a taquicardia ventricular polimórfica catecolaminérgica (TVPC) podem ser responsáveis por pelo menos um terço do total de casos de morte súbita que permanecem inexplicados. Estes pacientes, por vezes, não obtêm tratamento odontológico e analgesia adequados devido à falta de informações na literatura em relação à dose e tipo de anestésico local recomendado, e ao risco potencial de eventos cardíacos ameaçadores à vida e instabilidade hemodinâmica. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo piloto, randomizado, duplo-cego e cruzado com portadores de canalopatias cardíacas submetidos a tratamento odontológico restaurador em duas sessões, realizadas com intervalo mínimo de sete dias (wash-out) entre ambas, sendo o paciente seu próprio controle. Na primeira sessão, por randomização, o paciente recebeu uma das soluções anestésicas: lidocaína 2% sem vasoconstritor (LSA) ou lidocaína 2% com adrenalina 1:100.000 (LCA), originando duas condições: sem adrenalina e com adrenalina; na segunda sessão recebeu o outro anestésico. Todos foram monitorados com Holter por 28 horas, contadas a partir de uma hora antes do procedimento, nas duas sessões do estudo. Durante o atendimento odontológico, foram feitos registros pontuais em três momentos por meio de eletrocardiograma de 12 derivações, esfigmomanômetro digital para pressão arterial e escala de mensuração da ansiedade. Resultados: Sessenta e dois procedimentos restauradores foram realizados em 31 pacientes: 16 (51,6%) tinham SQTL, 12 (38,7%) SBr e três (9,7%) TVPC, dentre os quais 12 (38,7%) eram portadores de cardiodesfibrilador implantável. A idade média dos pacientes foi 45,2+15,8 anos, sendo 21 (67,7%) do sexo feminino. Os valores médios da frequência cardíaca máxima se mostraram aumentados com o uso de LCA no período da anestesia (84,4 x 80,4 bpm; p=0,005) com diferença estatisticamente significante entre as duas condições, assim como o QTc em pacientes com SQTL (465,4 x 450,1; p=0,009). Valores de pressão arterial e mensuração da ansiedade não mostraram diferença estatisticamente significante. Não foram observadas arritmias ventriculares ameaçadoras à vida durante os procedimentos. Conclusões: O uso da anestesia local com lidocaína, independente do uso de vasoconstritor, não resultou em arritmias ameaçadoras à vida e foi considerado seguro nos pacientes selecionados. Estes resultados preliminares devem ser confirmados em uma população maior, em um estudo multicêntrico / Background: Ion channel disorders, such as Brugada syndrome (BS), long QT syndrome (LQTS), and catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), may account for at least one-third of unexplained sudden cardiac deaths. These patients often do not receive adequate dental treatment and analgesia owing to the lack of information in the literature regarding the dose and type of local anesthetic recommended, and due to the potential risk of life-threatening cardiac events. Methods: This is a randomized, double-blind pilot trial in patients with cardiac CCh underwent to restorative dental treatment in two sessions, with a wash-out period of 7 days (crossover trial). In the first session, by randomization, the patient received one of the anesthetic solutions: 2% lidocaine without vasoconstrictor (LSA) or 2% lidocaine with epinephrine 1: 100,000 (LCA), making two conditions: without epinephrine and with epinephrine; and in the second session received the other anesthetic. Twenty-eight-hour Holter monitoring was performed in all patients, initiated one hour before the procedure, in the two study sessions. During the dental treatment, additional specific monitoring including 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG), digital sphygmomanometry and anxiety scale assessments was also applied at three time points. Results: Sixty-two dental procedures were performed in 31 patients with CCh: 16 (51.6%) had LQTS, 12 (38.7%) had BS and three (9.7%) had CPVT; 12 (38.7%) patients had an implantable defibrillator. The mean age was 45.2+15.8 years, and 21 (67.7%) patients were female. The maximum heart rate was increased after the use of epinephrine during the anesthesia period (84,4 x 80,4 bpm, p=0.005), as well the corrected QT in LQTS patients (465,4 x 450,1; p=0,009). Blood pressure and anxiety measurements showed no statistically significant differences. No life-threatening arrhythmias occurred during the dental treatment. Conclusions: The use of local dental anesthesia with lidocaine, regardless of the use of a vasoconstrictor, did not result in life-threatening arrhythmias and was considered safe in these selected patients with channelopathies. These preliminary findings need to be confirmed in a larger population study, in a multicenter study

INTRODUÇÃO: pacientes com doença renal crônica em diálise apresentam elevada mortalidade anual, principalmente decorrente de eventos cardiovasculares, com destaque para morte súbita cardíaca (MSC). Os eventos arrítmicos (EA) são considerados os principais responsáveis pela MSC, tornando relevante a sua avaliação. Dispositivos cardíacos modernos como o looper implantável, que tem capacidade de monitorar o ritmo cardíaco por longo período de tempo e diagnosticar EA, podem contribuir na estratificação de risco desta população. OBJETIVOS: avaliar a taxa de ocorrência dos EA em candidatos a transplante renal com looper implantável e identificar fatores associados; determinar a significância prognóstica dos EA na MSC e mortalidade total; avaliar eficiência diagnóstica do looper e o papel da diálise. MÉTODOS: estudo clínico observacional, prospectivo e aberto que incluiu cem candidatos a transplante renal, em hemodiálise e com alto risco para transplante (idade >=50 anos, DM ou doença cardiovascular). Entre junho/2009 e janeiro/2010, os pacientes foram submetidos ao implante do looper para detecção dos EA e seguimento clínico de um ano. A idade média do grupo foi 59 anos; 65% homens; 97% hipertensos, 70% diabéticos, 34% com infarto prévio e tempo médio de 53,8 meses em hemodiálise. O diagnóstico dos EA seguiu protocolo específico e foram descritos todos os eventos clínicos fatais e não fatais. A estatística incluiu: análise descritiva dos EA, associação destes com variáveis exploratórias pelos testes de qui-quadrado, exato de Fischer, t-Student, Mann-Whitney e regressão logística stepwise selection para análise multivariada (p<0,05). RESULTADOS: foram diagnosticados 5075 EA em 98 pacientes em seguimento médio de 425 dias. A taxa de ocorrência dos EA na casuística foi: bradiarritmias (25%), arritmias supraventriculares (94%) e arritmias ventriculares (79%). Os EA mais comuns foram: taquicardia sinusal (39%) e atrial não sustentada (27%), extrassístoles ventriculares e atriais isoladas (16% e 5,4%) e taquicardia ventricular não sustentada (TVNS - 5,3%). Foram preditores para ocorrência dos EA: duração intervalo PR (p=0,0008; OR=1,05; IC-95%=1,02-1,08) e QT longo (p=0,002; OR=7,28; IC- 95%=2,01-26,35) para bradiarritmias; duração intervalo QTc (p=0,022; OR=1,02; IC-95%=1,01-1,04) e presença de insuficiência cardíaca (p=0,034; OR=9,87; IC- 95%=1,17-82,79) para arritmias ventriculares e dilatação ventricular esquerda (p=0,041; OR=2,83; IC-95%=1,01-7,96) para TVNS. Ocorreram 35 eventos clínicos não fatais, 14 transplantes renais e 18 óbitos. Dentre os óbitos, 38,9% foram cardiovasculares súbitos: quatro arritmogênicos, um IAM e dois indeterminados. Não houve associação entre EA e eventos fatais; fibrilação atrial e bradiarritmias tiveram associação significativa com eventos não fatais. O mecanismo de morte (arritmogênico) foi elucidado pelo looper em quatro pacientes com MSC; um paciente apresentou bloqueio atrioventricular e necessitou de marca-passo. A taxa de EA foi superior no período intradiálise em comparação ao interdiálise (p<0,001). CONCLUSÕES: neste estudo, que avaliou a monitorização cardíaca prolongada com looper implantável em candidatos a transplante renal, a taxa de ocorrência de EA foi elevada; foram preditores dos EA: a duração intervalo PR e presença de QT longo para bradiarritmias, duração intervalo QTc e insuficiência cardíaca para arritmias ventriculares e dilatação ventricular para TVNS; a taxa de mortalidade foi elevada, com importante contribuição da MSC; não houve associação entre EA e mortalidade total ou súbita; houve associação entre as bradiarritmias e a fibrilação atrial com a ocorrência de eventos não fatais; os EA foram mais frequentes no período intradiálise; o looper implantável foi eficiente na elucidação diagnóstica, com poucas complicações. / INTRODUCTION: chronic kidney disease patients undergoing dialysis have a high annual mortality rate, mainly due to cardiovascular disease. Sudden cardiac death (SCD), attributed to arrhythmic mechanisms, is considered the major cause of these high death rates. The implantable loop recorder (ILR), a modern cardiac device has the ability for long-term cardiac rhythm monitoring and diagnosing arrhythmic events (AE), which in fact may contribute to the risk stratification of this population. OBJECTIVES: this study was designed to evaluate the incidence and predictors of AE in renal transplant candidates with ILR; to determine the prognostic significance of AE in SCD and all-cause mortality, evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of ILR and the role of dialysis. METHODS: a prospective, open, observational clinical study was conducted, including one hundred renal transplant candidates undergoing hemodialysis, at high risk for transplantation (age >=50 years, diabetes or cardiovascular disease). Between June/2009 and January/2010, patients received an ILR for detection of AE with a one-year follow-up. Mean age of the group was 59 years; 65% were men; 97% hypertensive, 70% diabetic, 34% had previous myocardial infarction and mean hemodialysis time was 53.8 months. The diagnosis of AE followed specific protocol and all fatal and non-fatal clinical events were described. The statistical analysis included: descriptive analysis of AE, an association between these events and exploratory variables by chi-square tests, Fisher exact test, Student\'s t test, Mann-Whitney test and logistic regression using stepwise selection for multivariate analysis (p<0.05). RESULTS: during mean follow-up of 425 days, 5075 AE were diagnosed by ILR in 98 patients. The rate of occurrence of EA in this patients was: bradyarrhythmias (25%), supraventricular arrhythmias (94%) and ventricular arrhythmias (79%). The most common AE were: sinus tachycardia (39%), nonsustained atrial tachycardia (27%), isolated premature ventricular beats (16%), isolated premature atrial beats (5.4%) and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT - 5.3%). Predictors for the occurrence of AE were: duration of PR interval (p=0.0008; OR=1.05; 95%CI=1.02-1.08) and long QT (p=0.002; OR=7.28; 95%CI=2.01-26.35) for bradyarrhythmia; duration of QTc interval (p=0.022; OR=1.02; 95%CI=1.01-1.04) and presence of heart failure (p=0.034; OR=9.87; 95%CI=1.17-82.79) for ventricular arrhythmia and left ventricular dilatation (p=0.041; OR=2.83; 95%CI=1.01-7.96) for NSVT. There were 35 non-fatal clinical events, 14 renal transplantations and 18 deaths during follow-up. Regarding causes of death, 38.9% were due to sudden cardiovascular event: four were arrhythmogenic, one resulted from acute myocardial infarction and two were indeterminate. There was no association between AE and all cause or sudden mortality; bradyarrhythmias and atrial fibrillation were associated with the occurrence of non-fatal clinical events. The mechanism of death (arrhythmogenic) was elucidated by ILR in four patients with SCD; one patient had atrioventricular block and required pacemaker insertion. The rate of AE was higher in the intradyalitic period compared to interdialytic (p <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: in this study, which evaluate long-term cardiac rhythm monitoring with ILR in renal transplant candidates, the incidence of AE was high; predictors for the occurrence of AE were: duration of PR interval and presence of long QT for bradyarrhythmia, duration of QTc interval and heart failure for ventricular arrhythmia and left ventricular dilatation for NSVT; mortality rate was high and SCD made an important contribution. There was no association between AE and all-cause mortality and SCD; bradyarrhythmias and atrial fibrillation were associated with non-fatal events; the EA rate was higher at intradialytic period; the ILR was efficient in elucidating diagnoses and had few complications.