Albert Liu

and 16 more

Introduction Oral sotalol initiation requires a multiple-day, inpatient admission to monitor for QT prolongation during loading. A one-day intravenous (IV) sotalol loading protocol was approved by the FDA in March 2020, but limited data on clinical use and administration currently exists. This study describes implementation of an IV sotalol protocol within an integrated health system, provides initial efficacy and safety outcomes, and examines length of stay compared to oral sotalol initiation. Methods IV sotalol was administered according to a pre-specified initiation protocol to adult patients with refractory atrial or ventricular arrhythmias. Baseline characteristics, safety and feasibility outcomes, and length of stay (LOS) were compared to patients receiving oral sotalol over a similar time period. Results From January 2021 to June 2022, a total of 29 patients (average age 66.0 ± 8.6 years, 27.6% women) underwent IV sotalol load and 20 patients (average age 60.4 ± 13.9 years, 65.0% women) underwent PO sotalol load. The load was successfully completed in 22/29 (75.9%) patients receiving IV sotalol and 20/20 (100%) of patients receiving oral sotalol, although 7/20 of the oral sotalol patients (35.0%) required dose reduction. Adverse events interrupting IV sotalol infusion included bradycardia (7 patients, 24.1%) and QT prolongation (3 patients, 10.3%). No patients receiving IV or oral sotalol developed sustained ventricular arrhythmias prior to discharge. LOS for patients completing IV load was 2.6 days shorter (mean 1.0 vs 3.6, p < 0.001) compared to LOS with oral load. Conclusion Intravenous sotalol loading has a safety profile that is similar to oral sotalol. It significantly shortens hospital LOS, potentially leading to large cost savings.

Rachel Kaplan

and 13 more

Introduction: Standard two-dimensional (2D), phased-array intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is routinely used to guide interventional electrophysiology (EP) procedures. A novel four-dimensional (4D) ICE catheter (VeriSight Pro®, Philips, Andover, MA) can obtain 2D and three-dimensional (3D) volumetric images and cine-videos in real time (4D). The purpose of this study was to determine the early feasibility and safety of this 4D ICE catheter during EP procedures. Methods: The 4D ICE catheter was placed from the femoral vein in ten patients into various cardiac chambers to guide EP procedures requiring transseptal catheterization, including ablation for atrial fibrillation and left atrial appendage closure. 2D- and 3D- ICE images were acquired in real time by the electrophysiologist. A dedicated imaging expert performed digital steering to optimize and post-process 4D images. Results: Eight patients underwent pulmonary vein isolation (cryoballoon in 7 patients, pulsed field ablation in 1, additional radiofrequency left atrial ablation in 1). Two patients underwent left atrial appendage closure. High quality images of cardiac structures, transseptal catheterization equipment, guide sheaths, ablation tools, and closure devices were acquired with the ICE catheter tip positioned in the right atrium, left atrium, pulmonary vein, coronary sinus, right ventricle, and pulmonary artery. There were no complications. Conclusion: This is the first-in-human experience of a novel deflectable 4D ICE catheter used to guide EP procedures. 4D ICE imaging in safe and allows for acquisition of high-quality 2D and 3D images in real-time. Further use of 4D ICE will be needed to determine its added value for each EP procedure type.