Journal of interventional cardiac electrophysiology : an international journal of arrhythmias and pacing
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J Interv Card Electrophysiol · Sep 2015
Comparative Study Controlled Clinical TrialDetection of left atrial thrombus by intracardiac echocardiography in patients undergoing ablation of atrial fibrillation.
The role of intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) to detect thrombus within left atrium (LA) before atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation despite a recent transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is not well defined. We examined the prevalence of LA/left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombus using ICE immediately prior to AF ablation in patients in whom anticoagulation was not withheld. ⋯ The results of our staged imaging approach suggest that ICE has a complimentary value in re-screening the LA/LAA for thrombus after a recent negative or equivocal TEE. The presence of SEC during TEE increases the probability of finding a thrombus with ICE, which could potentially be dislodged during catheter manipulation.
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J Interv Card Electrophysiol · Sep 2015
Transcutaneous carbon dioxide monitoring to avoid hypercapnia during complex catheter ablations: a feasibility study.
The aim of this study was to determine if transcutaneous CO(2) monitoring (TCO(2)) is feasible to avoid hypercapnia during complex catheter ablation. Cumulative analgesic and anxiolytic effects during complex catheter ablation can rarely provoke hypoventilation and respiratory complications. End tidal CO(2) monitors have limitations in non-ventilated patients, and frequent arterial blood gas sampling is impractical. ⋯ Transcutaneous CO2 monitoring is feasible during complex catheter ablation and correlates with invasively obtained data. However, further development is needed to achieve the desired level of agreement.