Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jacep.2025.08.016
Ching Zhu MD, PhD , Takako Makita PhD , Emilio Y. Lucero MD, PhD , Arun Jyothidasan PhD , Rhea Patel PhD , Jessica J. Wang MD, PhD , Yang Cao PhD , Howard A. Rockman MD , Kalyanam Shivkumar MD, PhD, FACC
Background
Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are a leading cause of death and arise from a combination of cardiac muscle injury and dysfunction of the intramyocardial sympathetic nerves that control cardiac electrophysiology. The adrenergic mechanisms by which intramyocardial nerves contribute to arrhythmogenesis are poorly understood. Semaphorin-plexin signaling pathways are responsible for developmental guidance of sympathetic nerves onto the heart and have previously been associated with VAs in humans.
Objectives
This study sought to investigate adrenergic control of arrhythmogenesis, and explored the cardiac electrophysiology of a Plexin-A3/-A4 double knockout mouse model with loss of cardiac adrenergic nerves.
Methods
Cardiac structure and function were studied by using tissue clearing, immunohistochemistry, and echocardiography. Electrocardiogram and optical mapping of action potentials were used to evaluate electrophysiological responses to pharmacologic β-adrenergic stimulation and blockade. Circulating catecholamines were measured and β-adrenergic receptor density quantified in cardiac membranes. Finally, a phenome-wide association study was performed by using data from the UK Biobank to search for associations between PLXNA4 and human arrhythmias.
Results
Mice with loss of plexin-dependent cardiac innervation had structurally normal hearts but displayed spontaneous VAs driven by adrenergic hypersensitivity, as well as increased cardiac β-adrenergic receptor density. Several human PLXNA4 variants were associated with arrhythmia phenotypes.
Conclusions
These data establish a model of VAs driven by enhanced adrenergic receptor signaling, in the absence of structural heart disease. This model can be used to investigate adrenergic mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis and to identify novel antiarrhythmic targets.
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Pub Date : 2026-01-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jacep.2025.09.010
Patrick Badertscher MD , Teodor Serban MD , Gregoire Massoullie MD, PhD , Romain Eschalier MD, PhD , Lena Rivard MD, MSc , Delphine Portelance MD , Ron Waksman MD , Valerie Pavlicek MD , Patrizio Pascale MD , Mattia Pagnoni MD , Thomas Lambert MD , Christian Reiter MD, PhD , Clemens Steinwender MD , Sven Knecht PhD, MSc , Felix Mahfoud MD , Christian Sticherling MD , Michael Kühne MD
Background
Managing left bundle branch block (LBBB) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) remains challenging.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to develop a novel, simplified electrocardiogram (ECG) algorithm for predicting infranodal conduction delay in LBBB (both new onset as well as preexisting) patients after TAVI and to compare its performance vs current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) ECG criteria.
Methods
A multicenter analysis of prospectively enrolled patients undergoing electrophysiology testing for preexisting or new-onset LBBB after TAVI was conducted. The novel algorithm was developed by analyzing various combinations of the PR interval, QRS duration pre-TAVI and post-TAVI, and changes in these parameters to identify patients with infranodal conduction delay (defined as a His-ventricular interval ≥70 milliseconds).
Results
A total of 769 patients with LBBB (12% preexisting) after TAVI underwent risk stratification using electrophysiology testing at 7 institutions (mean age 81 ± 7 years; 57% female; 21% His-ventricular ≥70 milliseconds). A novel algorithm using solely a PR interval of 190 milliseconds and a QRS interval of 160 milliseconds revealed a sensitivity of 88% and an negative predictive value of 92% for the rule-out of infranodal conduction delay (PR interval post-TAVI <190 milliseconds AND QRS duration post-TAVI <160 milliseconds) and a specificity and positive predictive value of 85% and 41%, respectively, for the rule-in of infranodal conduction delay (PR interval post-TAVI ≥190 milliseconds AND QRS duration post-TAVI ≥160 milliseconds). By comparison, the ESC ECG criteria showed a sensitivity of 72%, a negative predictive value of 88%, specificity of 53%, and a positive predictive value of 28%.
Conclusions
The novel, simplified ECG algorithm showed a superior performance for the rule-out and rule-in of infranodal conduction delay compared with current ESC ECG criteria.
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