Javier García-Seara

Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago. Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain · Servicio de Cardiología

Background Oral anticoagulation (OAC) for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients is administered frequently. Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) prevent thromboembolic events, but information about the quality of life (QoL) and patient satisfaction, related to both anticoagulants, is limited. Methods REGUEIFA is an observat...

Introduction Carotid sinus syndrome (CSS), characterized by exaggerated vagal responses leading to asystolic pauses with carotid sinus massage (CSM), often necessitates pacemaker implantation. This study investigates cardioneuroablation (CNA) as an alternative management strategy for CSS. Methods Prospective study of consecutive patients referred...

Introduction and objectives: The tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/systolic pulmonary artery pressure (TAPSE/SPAP) ratio is a noninvasive surrogate of right ventricular to pulmonary circulation that has prognostic implications in patients with heart failure (HF) or pulmonary hypertension. Our purpose was to evaluate the prognostic value o...

Introduction and objectives: Sodium-glucose cotransporter type 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have been associated with improved prognosis in patients with heart failure, but their impact on atrial arrhythmic (AA) and ventricular arrhythmic (VA) events is not fully understood. Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included patients with implantab...

Introduction Cardioneuroablation (CNA) or ablation of the ganglionated plexi (GP) is an emergent procedure that has been used in the treatment of vasovagal syncope Conclusions: (VVS), functional sinus node dysfunction (SND) and functional atrioventricular block (AVB), however long term effects of this technique are not well defined. The aim of the...

Background and purpose High density (HD) mapping is associated with a reduction in fluoroscopy time compared to conventional mapping in accessory pathway (AP) ablation. The Open Window (OW) technique (CARTO 3, Biosense Webster) is a new tool that automatically uses conventional electrophysiology criteria for AP location, as shorter local EGM AV int...

Introduction Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SLGT2) inhibitors have demonstrated benefits on survival and hospital admissions in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. However, their impact on the burden of ventricular (VA) and atrial arrhythmias (AA) is unknown. Methods Retrospective multicentric study of heart failure patient...

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the more frequent arrhythmia in clinical practice and probably one of the more analyzed. Despite this, the clinical pattern classification not always correlates with the clinical course of AF. There are still a lack of biomarkers to predict recurrence and the clinical course of this disease. Purpose ST2 solub...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia worldwide, affecting 1% of the population over 60 years old. The incidence and prevalence of AF are increasing globally, representing a relevant health problem, suggesting that more advanced strategies for predicting risk stage are highly needed. miRNAs mediate several processes involved in AF....

This study aims to determine the predictive value of the soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) biomarker in atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence. This prospective, observational study included patients with AF referred for electrical cardioversion (ECV) or pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) procedures. Baseline characteristics were collected, a...

Aims: This study aims to investigate the clinical and biochemical characteristics of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) referred for ablation who develop arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy (AiCM) as well as their long-term outcomes after catheter ablation (CA). Methods and results: A prospective multicentre study was conducted on consecutive...

The image in Medicine is about the usefulness of a LBB area pacing in patients with RBBB and heart failure.

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background and purpose Cardioneuroablation (CNA) or ablation of the ganglionated plexi (GP) is an emergent procedure that has been used in the treatment of vasovagal syncope (VVS), functional sinus node dysfunction (SND) and functional atrioventricular block (AVB). The aim of the present stud...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background and purpose High density (HD) mapping is associated with a reduction in fluoroscopy time compared to conventional mapping in accessory pathway (AP) ablation. The Open Window (OW) technique (CARTO 3, Biosense Webster) is a new tool that automatically uses conventional electrophysiol...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public hospital(s). Main funding source(s): No fundings related Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the more frequent arrhythmia in clinical practice and the efficacy of pulmonary vein ablation has being widely demonstrated. There is still a lack of information about the predictive value of elec...

The pharmacological inhibition of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) has emerged as a treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), cardiovascular disease and/or other metabolic disturbances, although some of the mechanisms implicated in their beneficial effects are unknown. The SGLT2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) empagliflozin has been sug...

Atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent tachyarrhythmia in clinical practice, with very high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with a high-cost impact in health systems. Currently, it is one of the main causes of stroke and subsequent heart failure and sudden death. miRNAs mediate in several processes involved in cardiovascular disease, incl...

Relaxin-2 exerts many favourable cardiovascular effects in pathological circumstances such as atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure, but the mechanisms underlying its actions are not completely understood. Since inflammation and fibrosis are pivotal processes in the pathogenesis of AF, our aim was to study the relationship between relaxin-2 pl...

Catheter ablation (CA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) is the therapy of choice for the maintenance of sinus rhythm in patients with symptomatic AF. Time towards interventional treatment and peri-procedural management of patients undergoing AF ablation may vary in daily practice. The scope of this European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) survey was to...

Influence of antrophometric factors on outcomes in AF.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the more frequent arrhythmia in clinical practice. The ST2S is a biomarker that has demonstrated to be predictor of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with heart failure but there is scarce information of his utility in patients with AF. Purpose Considering the characteristics of the ST2S we hypothesize this...

Background/Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia diagnosed in European countries. Several studies have shown that catheter ablation is a more effective treatment than antiarrhythmic drugs and should be prioritised in symptomatic patients. However, AF recurrence after catheter ablation remains a challenge. MiR...

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is known to trigger a reversible dilated cardiomyopathy referred as arrhythmia-induced CM (AiCM). However, it remains unclear why some patients are more prone to develop AiCM than others and there is scarce information about their clinical outcomes after AF ablation. Purpose We ought to find clinical and analyti...

Introduction and purpose We sought to described a new protocol of open window mapping (OW) utilizing high-density mapping in accessory pathways (AP) in CARTO® 3 system. This protocol automatically map conventional electrophysiology criteria for AP location, as shorter local EGM AV interval (extended early meets late tool), earliest local activation...

Background Leadless pacemakers systems (LPM), have demonstrated safety and efficacy at mid-long term follow-up. There are still issues that cannot be completely avoided with conventional transvenous pacemaker (VVI) such as infectious or pocket related complications in which LPM are clearly superior. Purpose The aim of the study was to compare the...

Background: Frailty is a medical syndrome characterised by reduced physiological reserve and increased vulnerability to stressors. Data regarding the relationship between frailty and atrial fibrillation (AF) are still inconsistent. Objectives: We aim to perform a comprehensive evaluation of frailty in a large European cohort of AF patients. Met...

Aims: The utility of biomarkers in characterizing atrial cardiomyopathy is unclear. We aim to test the ability of biomarkers of fibrosis (galectin-3 (Gal-3)) and adiposity (fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) and leptin) to predict: (1) the presence of low-voltage areas (LVA) in the electroanatomic voltage mapping; and (2) the recurrence of atria...

Background Clinical complexity is increasingly prevalent among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The ‘Atrial fibrillation Better Care’ (ABC) pathway approach has been proposed to streamline a more holistic and integrated approach to AF care; however, there are limited data on its usefulness among clinically complex patients. We aim to determi...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Leadless pacemakers (LPM) have demonstrated safety in patients with multiple commorbidities. Very elderly patients have multiple commorbidities and are more prone to develop complications in pacemaker implants. Purpose We present our experience with LPM in a subgroup of very eld...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction and Objectives We described a new protocol of open window mapping (OW) in accessory pathways (AP) in CARTO® 3 system. This protocol automatically mapping conventional electrophysiology criteria of AP diagnostic, as shorter local EGM AV interval (extended early meets late tool), e...

Aims The 4S-AF classification scheme comprises of four domains: stroke risk (St), symptoms (Sy), severity of atrial fibrillation (AF) burden (Sb), and substrate (Su). We sought to examine the implementation of the 4S-AF scheme in the EORP-AF General Long-Term Registry and compare outcomes in AF patients according to the 4S-AF-led decision-making pr...

The article deals with the management of the patients with cancer in the EORPAF Registry and the clinical outcomes

Cardiac resynchronization therapy represents a therapeutic option for heart failure drug-refractory patients. However, due to the lack of success in 30% of the cases, there is a demand for an in-depth analysis of individual heterogeneity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of circulating miRNA differences. Responder patients w...

In this review, the authors describe evolving alternative strategies for the management of AF, focusing on non-invasive and percutaneous autonomic modulation. This modulation can be achieved – among other approaches – via tragus stimulation, renal denervation, cardiac afferent denervation, alcohol injection in the vein of Marshall, baroreceptor act...

Background Epidemiological studies in atrial fibrillation (AF) illustrate that clinical complexity increase the risk of major adverse outcomes. We aimed to describe European AF patients’ clinical phenotypes and analyse the differential clinical course. Methods We performed a hierarchical cluster analysis based on Ward’s Method and Squared Euclidea...

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of thromboembolism. We investigate the efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy and explored the number needed to treat for net effect (NNTnet) of OAC in the Spanish cohort of the EURObservational Research Programme AF (EORP-AF) Long-term General Registry. Methods The EORP-AF...

Resumen Se presenta lo más destacado en el ámbito de las arritmias cardiacas, con especial énfasis en electrofisiología intervencionista y ablación. Se han seleccionado artículos publicados a lo largo de 2021 en revistas científicas de gran impacto. Es voluntad de los autores presentar la información de forma sencilla (huyendo de los aspectos más t...

Introduction Leadless pacemakers (LPM) have demonstrated adequate electrical performance and safety in patients with multiple commorbidities such as heart valve replacements at short-term follow-up. Purpose We present our experience in patients with LPM and heart valve replacements at long-term follow-up. Methods This was a prospective observatio...

Introduction Feasibility of concomitant leadless-pacemaker (LP) implantation plus atrioventricular node ablation (AVNA) is unknown. Moreover, safety issues in the long run are also undetermined. It seems theoretically attractive since it could avoid one additional procedure and catheter could be introduced through the same sheath employed for the L...

To analyze the clinical profile and therapeutic strategy in atrial fibrillation (AF) according to gender in a contemporaneous patient cohort a prospective, multicenter observational study was performed on consecutive patients diagnosed with AF and assessed by cardiology units in the region of Galicia (Spain). A total of 1007 patients were included,...

Aims: The 4S-AF scheme [Stroke risk, Symptom severity, Severity of atrial fibrillation (AF) burden, Substrate severity] has recently been described as a novel approach to in-depth characterization of AF. We aim to determine if the 4S-AF scheme would be useful for AF characterization and provides prognostic information in real-world AF patients. M...

Post-infarction remodeling is a clinical problem with no curative treatment. Our objective was to search for new biomarkers of cardiac remodeling that have clinical value after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This pilot study enrolled 67 consecutive patients with de novo STEMI who underwent revascularization by primary angioplas...

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-021-02062-6

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a valvular replacement that has been developed as an alternative in patients with high and intermediate risk. One of the more frequent complications are new on-set conduction abnormalities. Purpose The purpose of the study was to...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Feasibility of concomitant leadless-pacemaker(LP) implantation plus atrioventricular node ablation(AVNA) is unknown. Moreover, safety issues in the long run are also undetermined. It seems theoretically attractive since it could avoid one additional procedure and catheter could b...

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction Leadless pacemakers (LPM) have demonstrated adequate electrical performance and safety in patients with multiple commorbidities. Limited information has been published about patients with LPM and heart valve replacements. Purpose We were interested to present our experience in p...

Introduction The benefit of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in heart failure (HF) patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) have been observed in the first year. However, there are few data on long‐term follow‐up and the effect of changes of LVEF on mortality. This study aimed to assess the LV remodeling after CRT impl...

Purpose Despite the developments in conventional transvenous pacemakers (VVIPM), the procedure is still associated with significant complications. Although there are no prospective clinical trials that compared VVI-PM with transcatheter pacemaker systems (TPS). Methods This is a prospective, observational, single-center study that included all pat...

Aims: Adiposity plays a key role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). Our aim was to study the sex differences in adipokines levels according to AF burden. Methods and results: Two independent cohorts of patients were studied: (i) consecutive patients with AF undergoing catheter ablation (n = 217) and (ii) a control group (n = 105). (i...

Resumen Este año ha estado marcado por la pandemia por coronavirus del síndrome respiratorio agudo grave de tipo 2 (SARS-CoV-2), que ha afectado nuestro modo de vida y de trabajo, además de focalizar una gran proporción de la publicación científica. Repasaremos las principales novedades en arritmias cardiacas y electrofisiología durante los últimos...

Resumen Introducción y objetivos Evaluar el tratamiento y aplicación de las recomendaciones de las guías europeas del tratamiento de fibrilación auricular (FA), en una cohorte contemporánea de pacientes con FA. Métodos REGUEIFA es un estudio observacional, prospectivo y multicéntrico de pacientes con diagnóstico primario o secundario de FA que re...

Aims Adiposity plays a key role in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). Its associated proteins are differentially released between male and female. FABP4 and leptin are mediators in adipose tissue-inflammatory effects. Our aim was to study their gender differential behavior on mechanisms associated with AF progression. Methods and result...

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with a high risk of stroke and mortality. Some years ago, the EURObservational Research Programme launched the General Long-Term Registry with the aim to evaluate contemporary management of AF patients in Europe, the current use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOA...

Aims There has been an increasing focus on integrated, multidisciplinary, and holistic care in the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). The ‘Atrial Fibrillation Better Care’ (ABC) pathway has been proposed to streamline integrated care in AF. We evaluated the impact on outcomes of an ABC adherent management in a contemporary real-life European-wi...

Introduction and objectives Initial results of Leadless pacemakers (LPM) has been promising in worldwide, nevertheless there are still no long term experience published, so the objective of our study was to evaluate electrical parameters at mid and long term follow-up, describing as well total complications and mortality in a single center-study....

Objective We wondered if a modification of the conventional transseptal puncture technique performed with an angioplasty wire could be useful in patients with contrast hypersensitivity or allergy-like reactions. Methods This study comprised our initial experience in 22 patients with atrial fibrillation who were scheduled for an electrophysiology s...

Objective We wondered if a modification of the conventional transseptal puncture technique performed with an angioplasty wire could be useful in patients with contrast hypersensitivity or allergy-like reactions. Methods This study comprised our initial experience in 22 patients with atrial fibrillation who were scheduled for an electrophysiology s...

ABSTRACT During March 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 virus spread throughout Europe, with the spread being especially intense in Italy and Spain. Given the emergency created by the COVID-19 outbreak, routine activity has been altered in most cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology labs. Health staff working in these areas are faced with performing proc...

RESUMEN Durante marzo de 2020, el virus SARS-CoV-2 se ha extendido por toda Europa, con especial intensidad en Italia y España. Ante la emergencia creada por el brote de COVID-19, la inmensa mayoría de las salas de hemodinámica y electrofisiología han visto alterada su actividad habitual. Además se enfrentan a la realización de procedimientos en pa...

Background: Leadless pacemakers (L-PM) are an emerging effective and safe technology that offer an alternative to conventional pacemakers (C-PM) for right ventricular stimulation. However, there is little information about their potential benefits for quality of life (QoL) in patients with L-PM. We compared QoL between patients with L-PM and C-PM....

Background Real-world data reinforce positive results in different implant locations of leadless pacemaker (LPM). LPM have special characteristics regarding accelerometer programmation. Purpose The purpose of the study was to describe our experience with LPM different implantation location and its programmation according the vector accelerometer....

Introduction Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a highly prevalent heart disease, affecting a significant proportion of patients over 65 years old. The CHA2DS2-VASc score predicts 1 year risk of a thromboembolic (TE) event and is well validated against several populations. However, calibration may vary if there is subgroup heterogeneity. Purpose To compa...

Background As more experience is obtained with leadless pacemakers systems (LPM), a great group of patients is considered for its implantation. There are issues that cannot be completely avoided with conventional transvenous pacemaker (VVI-PM) such as infectious or pocket related complications in which LPM are clearly superior. Purpose The aim of...

Background: Real-world data on non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are essential in determining whether evidence from randomised controlled clinical trials translate into meaningful clinical benefits for patients in everyday practice. RIVER (RIVaroxaban Evaluation in Real life setting) is an ongoing international, prospective registry of pati...

Aims In recent years, stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has radically changed, with increasing use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Contemporary European data on AF thromboprophylaxis are needed. Methods and results We report 1-year follow-up data from the EURObservational Research Programme in Atri...

Aims In recent years, stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has radically changed, with increasing use of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Contemporary European data on AF thromboprophylaxis are needed. Methods and results We report 1-year follow-up data from the EURObservational Research Programme in Atri...

Aims: This work aimed to compare the behavior of the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their soluble receptor (sRAGE) in two cohorts of patients: those with heart failure (HF) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods and results: A unicentric observational clinical study was performed in 102 patients with ACS and 102 patients with chroni...

Objectives Characterization of the type of glycation found in circulating proteins from cardiovascular patients in comparison with healthy control subjects and to explore the pathophysiological molecular effects of these glycomodified proteins on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in culture. Methods Human serum albumin pools from 10 s...

Background Imaging techniques have shown the association between left atrial adipose tissue (LAAT) volume and atrial fibrillation (AF) risk. Purpose To analyze 1) adipokines in peripheral and atrial plasma from patients undergoing AF ablation; 2) its association with LAAT volume measured by multislice CT and 3) its predictive value for AF recur...

The management of an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in a patient with existing atrial fibrillation (AF) often presents a management dilemma both in the acute phase and post-ACS, since the majority of AF patients will already be receiving oral anticoagulation (OAC) for stroke prevention and will require further antithrombotic treatment to reduce the...

Introduction and objectives: We describe the results for Spain of the Second European Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Survey (CRT-Survey II) and compare them with those of the other participating countries. Methods: We included patients undergoing CRT device implantation between October 2015 and December 2016 in 36 participating Spanish center...

Background Patients with COPD are at higher risk of presenting with atrial fibrillation (AF). Information about clinical outcomes and optimal medical treatment of AF in the setting of COPD remains missing. We aimed to describe the prevalence of COPD in a sizeable cohort of real-world AF patients belonging to the same healthcare area and to examine...

Introduction Leadless pacemakers may provide a safe and attractive pacing option to patients with cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection. We describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with a recent CIED infection undergoing Micra implant attempt. Methods and Results Patients with prior CIED infection and device explant w...

Introduction: Today's healthcare policies rely heavily on data that has been gathered from multiple small studies in intrinsically varied populations. We sought to describe the prevalence, comorbidities and outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the population of a specific region where all healthcare centers have implemented a common information...

Introduction Today's healthcare policies rely heavily on data that has been gathered from multiple small studies in intrinsically varied populations. We sought to describe the prevalence, comorbidities and outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the population of a specific region where all healthcare centers have implemented a common information t...

Acetilcholine secretion of the atrial and ventricular epicardial tissue and involvement in atrial fibrillation development

Resumen Introducción y objetivos Se describen los resultados en España de la segunda encuesta de la Sociedad Europea de Cardiología sobre terapia de resincronización cardiaca (CRT-Survey II) y se comparan con los de los demás países participantes. Métodos Pacientes a los que se implantó un dispositivo de terapia de resincronización cardiaca entre...

Botulinum toxin injection on epicardial fat, which inhibits acetylcholine (ACh) release, reduced the presence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients after heart surgery. Thus, we wanted to study the profile of the released proteins of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) under cholinergic activity (ACh treatment) and their value as AF predictors. Biops...

Objectives: This study aimed: 1) to determine the voltage correlation between sinus rhythm (SR) and atrial fibrillation (AF)/atrial flutter (AFL) using multielectrode fast automated mapping; 2) to identify a bipolar voltage cutoff for scar and/or low voltage areas (LVAs); and 3) to examine the reproducibility of voltage mapping in AF. Background:...