THE INFLUENCE OF CARRIER GAS ON THE OUTPUT OF AUTOMATIC PLENUM VAPORIZERS

The effect of the physical characteristics of the carrier gason the output of automatic plenum vaporizers was studied. TheVapor and Fluomatic halothane output at all dial settings washighest with oxygen as the carrier gas, as compared with heliumand nitrous oxide and was a function of carrier gas viscosityat all dial settings. The output of the Fluotec Mark 2 at the0.5 and 1 % settings was highest with nitrous oxide as the carriergas, but at 2, 3 and 4% settings it was highest with oxygen;at the 0.5% and 1% dial settings it was a function of carriergas density, but at 2%, 3% and 4% it was a function of carriergas viscosity.     

Dissociation between Anterograde and Retrograde Conduction during Transvenous Cryoablation of Parahissian Accessory Pathways

Ablation of parahissian accessory pathways (APs) is a challenging procedure because of the high risk to provoke “iatrogenic” atrioventricular (AV) nodal block. The feasibility and safety of cryoablation (CA) have been already demonstrated both in patients with AV nodal reentry tachycardia and in those with anteroseptal APs. However, dissociation between anterograde and retrograde conduction after CA has not yet been described. We report two cases of CA of parahissian AP associated with transient dissociation between anterograde and retrograde conduction. (PACE 2011; 34:e98–e101)     

Five Years of Catheter Ablation Procedures in South-Western Europe: Meta-Analysis of National Registries

Background: Radiofrequency catheter ablation is a well-established approach to treating several types of cardiac arrhythmias. The aim of our study was to provide data on the diffusion of catheter ablation procedures in clinical practice through a meta-analysis of National Registries of electrophysiological procedures performed over a 5-year period, from 2000 to 2005.
Methods: We found only two national registries of catheter ablation procedures published in the journals indexed in PubMed: The Spanish Catheter Ablation Registry and the Portuguese National Registry on Cardiac Electrophysiology. In addition, we included in our analysis the data from the Italian Registry of Electrophysiological Procedures.
Results and Conclusions: This meta-analysis revealed a steady increase in the total number of catheter ablation procedures, particularly for the ablation of atrial flutter, of tachycardia due to double nodal pathways, and of the left atrial substrate in atrial fibrillation. However, the progress of catheter ablation and the impetus for additional research and development of new approaches and technologic advances requires further data on clinical indications, methodologic approach, complications, and long-term success rate in the real world.