Brian Olshansky

• MD
• Electrophysiologist at Iowa City VA

Renal function, assessed by creatinine clearance (CrCl), affects the efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). To investigate the association between CrCl and the risk of clinical adverse events and compare the safety profiles of vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and non-vitamin K antagonist oral a...

Background Polypharmacy (i.e., treatment with ≥ 5 drugs) is common in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and has been associated with suboptimal management and worse outcomes. Little is known about how prescribed drug patterns affect management and prognosis in patients with AF. Methods Based on data from the prospective global GLORIA-AF Regis...

Background Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who suffered a previous stroke are at increased risk of recurrent thromboembolic events and other major outcomes. The impact of the number of stroke episodes on the natural history of patients with AF is still unclear. Methods and Results Using data from the international, multicenter, and prospect...

Background: Anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and concomitant cancer can be challenging due to the significantly increased risk of both embolism and bleeding. Moreover, the benefits and risks of vitamin K antagonists (VKA, eg. warfarin) versus non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in such patients are...

Background Cancers and atrial fibrillation (AF) are all aging-related diseases. Coexistence of the two conditions makes management complex due to increased risk of both thromboembolism and bleeding. Purpose The aim of the present study was to analyze the incidence and prognostic impact of cancers in patients with AF in the GLORIA-AF registry. Met...

Background Patients with new onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and previous stroke (PS) are at higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. An obesity paradox, where overweight or obese patients have better outcomes, has been seen. Whether body mass index (BMI) modify the risks of cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality in AF patients with PS remains...

Background Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are both associated with adverse clinical events, but the associations has not been fully elucidated, especially in relation to insulin use. Purpose To analyze the associations between DM and the risk of clinical adverse events in patients with AF, and second, explore the impact of ins...

Background New-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) is common and antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) are commonly used for treating such patients. However, whether there are temporal changes and regional differences in the choice of AADs in direct acting non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (DOACs) era is less studied. Purpose The present study aimed to analyze t...

Background Assessment of residual thromboembolic risk among atrial fibrillation (AF) patients despite being on oral anticoagulants (OACs) poses a significant challenge. This study utilises a hierarchical cluster analysis approach to identify risk phenotypic profiles in a global prospective AF registry. Methods Data were drawn from recently diagnos...

Background Renal function, as assessed by creatinine clearance (CrCl), plays a crucial role in determining the efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Purpose To investigate the relationships between CrCl and the risk of clinical adverse events in patients with AF receiving OAC therapy, co...

Cardiac arrhythmias are commonly noted in patients during infections with and recovery from COVID-19. Arrhythmic manifestations span the spectrum of innocuous and benign to life-threatening and deadly. Various pathophysiological mechanisms have been proposed. Debate continues on the impact of incident and exacerbated arrhythmias on the acute and ch...

Background Assessment of residual thromboembolic risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) prescribed oral anticoagulants (OACs) remains unexplored. We performed hierarchical cluster analysis to identify phenotypic profiles of these patients and their risks of residual thromboembolic events. Methods We utilised data from non-valvular AF patie...

Aims Atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are both associated with adverse clinical events, but the associations have not been fully elucidated, particularly with concomitant insulin use. This study aimed to analyse the associations between adverse events and DM, as well as adverse events and sole insulin use. Materials and Methods...

BACKGROUND Whether vigorous exercise increases risk of ventricular arrhythmias for individuals diagnosed and treated for congenital long-QT syndrome (LQTS) remains unknown. METHODS The National Institutes of Health–funded LIVE-LQTS study (Lifestyle and Exercise in Genetic Cardiovascular Conditions) prospectively enrolled individuals 8 to 60 years...

Clinical decision-making regarding syncope poses challenges, with risk of physician error due to the elusive nature of syncope pathophysiology, diverse presentations, heterogeneity of risk factors, and limited therapeutic options. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based techniques, including machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and natural languag...

Background Early rhythm control (ERC) can improve outcomes in select patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) but real-world data are lacking. Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of ERC in a real-world cohort of AF patients. Methods From the global, prospective GLORIA-AF Phase III Registry, adult patients with recent diagnosis (< 3 months and < 4...

The effect of digoxin and beta-blockers on cardiovascular outcomes and mortality remains unclear. The study aimed to determine differences in cardiovascular (CV) outcomes and death rates among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who were prescribed with beta-blockers, digoxin or combination therapy. Data from phase II/III of the prospective Glob...

Background Clinical complexity, as the interaction between ageing, frailty, multimorbidity and polypharmacy, is an increasing concern in patients with AF. There remains uncertainty regarding how combinations of comorbidities influence management and prognosis of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to identify phenotypes of AF patients...

Background: Heart Rate Score (HRSc), the percent of atrial beats in the largest paced/sensed 10-bpm histogram bin recorded in cardiac devices, is a metric of chronotropic incompetence. It remains uncertain if HRSc independently predicts atrial high-rate episodes (AHREs) in patients with sinus node dysfunction (SND) undergoing pacemaker (PM) implant...

Aims Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may influence management and prognosis of atrial fibrillation (AF), but this relationship has been scarcely explored in contemporary global cohorts. We aimed to investigate the association between AF and COPD, in relation to treatment patterns and major outcomes. Methods and results From the prospe...

Aims: Recent evidence supports non-class cardioprotective effects of metoprolol against neutrophil-mediated ischemia-reperfusion injury during exacerbated inflammation. Whether metoprolol exerts direct anti-inflammatory effect on cardiomyocytes is unknown. Accordingly, we aimed to investigate the direct anti-inflammatory effects of metoprolol in a...

Background The relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) remains unclear. COPD may influence the management and prognosis of AF and may affect treatments, including beta-blockers prescription. Purpose To investigate the association between COPD and AF, and assess the impact of COPD on treatment...

Background Ethnic differences in the management and outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have been shown in previous studies, but available data is still limited, although urgently needed. Purpose to analyse oral anticoagulant (OAC) prescription, OAC discontinuation, and long-term risk of major outcomes in Asian patients with AF, usi...

Background Orthostatic hypotension (OH) occurs when blood pressure regulation fails. The underlying molecular mechanism of OH remain largely unexplored. Endostatin is a biologically active molecule cleaved by matrix metalloproteinases, elastases and cathepsins from collagen XVIII in the extracellular matrix and inhibits angiogenesis. Circulating le...

Background The "obesity paradox" has been repeatedly described in atrial fibrillation (AF). Metabolic status has been proposed as a potential determinant of cardiovascular risk, particularly in overweight and obese patients, whereby ‘metabolically healthy’ and ‘metabolically unhealthy’ overweight/obesity subgroups can be defined. Purpose We aimed...

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a worldwide pandemic that continues to transform but will not go away. Cardiovascular dysautonomia in postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection has led to persistent symptoms in a large number of patients. Here, we define the condition and its associated symptoms a...

Introduction: Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST), a clinical syndrome with distressing symptoms, is characterized by paroxysmal or persistent sinus tachycardia in the absence of any identifiable primary etiology. Sinus node modification is not first line therapy given frequent recurrence and high complication rates. While medical therapy may be...

Aims: Heart Rate Score (HRSc), the percent of atrial paced and sensed event in the largest 10 bpm rate histogram bin of a pacemaker, predicts survival in patients with cardiac devices. No correlation between HRSc and development of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been reported. We evaluated the relationship between pacemaker post-implantation HRSc an...

Purpose of Review In this review, we aim to delve into the existing literature, seeking to uncover the mechanisms, investigate the electrocardiographic changes, and examine the treatment methods of various cardiac arrhythmias that occur after administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. Recent Findings A global survey has exposed an incidence of arrhyt...

Objective: To explore the association between metabolic status, body mass index (BMI), and natural history of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: The global, prospective GLORIA-AF Registry Phase II and III included patients with recent diagnosis of AF between November 2011 and December 2014 for Phase II and between January 2014 and...

Background Previous studies suggested potential ethnic differences in the management and outcomes of atrial fibrillation (AF). We aim to analyse oral anticoagulant (OAC) prescription, discontinuation, and risk of adverse outcomes in Asian patients with AF, using data from a global prospective cohort study. Methods From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase...

Importance: Whether vigorous intensity exercise is associated with an increase in risk of ventricular arrhythmias in individuals with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is unknown. Objective: To determine whether engagement in vigorous exercise is associated with increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias and/or mortality in individuals with HCM....

Syncope, a form of transient loss of consciousness, remains a complex medical condition for which adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including death, are of major concern but rarely occur. Current risk stratification algorithms have not completely delineated which patients benefit from hospitalization and specific interventions. Patients are often ad...

Syncope is a form of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) resulting from cerebral hypoperfusion and is characterized by rapid onset, short duration and spontaneous complete recovery [...]

There is an increasing proportion of the general population surviving to old age with significant chronic disease, multi-morbidity, and disability. The prevalence of pre-frail state and frailty syndrome increases exponentially with advancing age and is associated with greater morbidity, disability, hospitalization, institutionalization, mortality,...

Open in new tabDownload slide Observational studies and a recent randomized controlled trial have provided some evidence that cardioneuroablation (CNA) may prevent syncope recurrence in patients affected by cardioinhibitory reflex syncope during the first 2 years following the procedure. Nevertheless, many issues concerning clinical indications, m...

Background In REDUCE‐IT (Reduction of Cardiovascular Events With Icosapent Ethyl–Intervention Trial), icosapent ethyl (IPE) versus placebo) reduced cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, or unstable angina requiring hospitalization, but was associated with increased atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (AF) h...

Background: Heart Rate Score (HRSc), the percent of all atrial paced and sensed event in the largest 10 bpm rate histogram bin of a pacemaker, predicts survival in patients with cardiac devices. No correlation between HRSc and development of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been reported. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between pacemaker post-i...

Background We compared the efficacy and safety of cardioneuroablation (CNA) vs. permanent pacing (PM) for recurrent cardioinhibitory vasovagal syncope (CI-VVS).Methods One hundred sixty-two patients (CNA = 61, PM = 101), age 36 + 11 years) with syncope frequency of 6.7 ± 3.9/year were included in this multicenter study. All patients with CNA were p...

We appreciate Dr. Crossley and colleagues’ response to our editorial (REF our editorial – we do not have the reference) clarifying the lead design and patient follow-up in the LEADR Study (reference Dr. Crossley's letter – we do not have the reference). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Background: Syncope, a common problem encountered in the emergency department (ED), has a multitude of causes ranging from benign to life-threatening. Hospitalization may be required, but the management can vary substantially depending on specific clinical characteristics. Models predicting admission and hospitalization length of stay (LoS) are lac...

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysms (SVAs) are a rare, abnormal dilatation of the aortic root. Although often asymptomatic, SVAs can present with a variety of symptoms including rupture, which is a highly lethal condition. The majority of SVAs are small and most patients present with aneurysm in a single coronary sinus. We present the case of a 69 year old...

Aims The safety and feasibility of combining percutaneous catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation with left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) as a single procedure in the USA have not been investigated. We analyzed the US National Readmission Database (NRD) to investigate the incidence of combined LAAO + CA and compare major adverse cardiova...

Sinus tachycardia (ST) is ubiquitous, but its presence outside of normal physiological triggers in otherwise healthy individuals remains a commonly encountered phenomenon in medical practice. In many cases, ST can be readily explained by a current medical condition that precipitates an increase in the sinus rate, but ST at rest without physiologica...

The purpose of this review is to determine the causal mechanisms and treatment of inappropriate sinoatrial tachycardia (IST), defined as a non-physiological elevation in resting heart rate. IST is defined as a resting daytime sinus rate >100 beats/minute and an average 24-hour heart rate >90 beats/minute. Potential causal mechanisms include sympath...

Background The incidence and prevalence of arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy (AIC) are unclear but likely underrecognized. LV dysfunction is common among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), and frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVC). The hallmark of AIC is the improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction (L...

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), characterized by specific underlying physiological mechanisms, comprises obstructive and central pathophysiology, affects nearly 1 billion individuals worldwide, and is associated with excessive cardiopulmonary morbidity. Strong evidence implicates SDB in cardiac arrhythmogenesis. Immediate consequences of SDB incl...

Aims Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) is a syndrome characterized by an elevated sinus rate unassociated with known physiological, pathological, or pharmacological causes. Despite published consensus documents, IST definitions appear to vary in the literature. In this study, we reviewed IST publications to evaluate IST definition variability a...

Purpose of Review Arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy (AIC) is a condition where left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction is caused by or worsened by atrial or ventricular arrhythmias. While recognition of AIC has grown over time, the identification of patients at risk for AIC remains an ongoing challenge. The purpose of this review is to explore m...

Background Heart rate score (HRSc), the percentage of atrial sensed and paced beats in the largest 10 beat/min bin of a device histogram and mean intrinsic heart rate (MIHR), predicted survival in nonrandomized studies of implantable defibrillator (ICD) patients. We evaluated whether HRSc and MIHR independently predicted mortality and heart failure...

Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) is a clinical syndrome that generally affects young patients and is associated with distressing symptoms. Although the most common symptom is palpitations, it can be accompanied by a myriad of symptoms, including anxiety, dizziness, presyncope, and syncope. The pathogenesis of IST is not well understood and con...

Objective Advancements in fluoroscopy-assisted procedures have increased radiation exposure among cardiologists. Radiation has been linked to cardiovascular complications but its effect on cardiac rhythm, specifically, is underexplored. Methods Demographic, social, occupational, and medical history information was collected from board-certified ca...

Oral anticoagulants (OACs) are medications commonly used in patients with atrial fibrillation and other cardiovascular conditions. Both warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants are susceptible to drug-drug interactions (DDIs). DDIs are an important cause of adverse drug reactions and exact a large toll on the health care system. DDI for warfarin mai...

Antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) play an important role in the management of arrhythmias. Drug interactions involving AAD are common in clinical practice. As AADs have a narrow therapeutic window, both pharmacokinetic as well as pharmacodynamic interactions involving AAD can result in serious adverse drug reactions ranging from arrhythmia recurrence, fai...

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) reduces morbidity and mortality for patients with heart failure, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, QRS duration >130 ms and in sinus rhythm. Objectives: To identify patient-characteristics that predict the effect, specifically, of CRT-pacemakers (CRT-P) on all-cause mortality or the c...

Resting heart rate is a determinant of cardiac output and physiological homeostasis. Although a simple, but critical, parameter, this vital sign predicts adverse outcomes, including mortality, and development of diseases in otherwise normal and healthy individuals. Temporal changes in heart rate can have valuable predictive capabilities. Heart rate...

Background Exposure to inhaled smoke, pollutants, volatile organic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the firefighting environment has been associated with detrimental respiratory and cardiovascular effects, making firefighters a unique population with both personal and occupational risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Some of t...

Background Effective stroke prevention with oral anticoagulants (OAC) is recommended for some patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We aimed to describe OAC use by geographical region and type of site in patients with recent‐onset AF enrolled in a large global registry. Methods and Results Eligible participants were recruited into GLORIA‐AF (Glo...

Orthostatic hypotension (OH), a common, often overlooked, disorder with many causes, is associated with debilitating symptoms, falls, syncope, cognitive impairment, and risk of death. Chronic OH, a cardinal sign of autonomic dysfunction, increases with advancing age and is commonly associated with neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases, diabetes...

Background Adequate and effective therapy for resistant vasovagal syncope patients is lacking and the benefit of cardioneuroablation (CNA) in this cohort is still debated. The aim of this study is to assess the long-term effect of CNA versus conservative therapy (CT) in a retrospectively followed cohort.MethodsA total of 2874 patients underwent hea...

Nonmedical use of prescription and nonprescription drugs is a worldwide epidemic, rapidly growing in magnitude with deaths because of overdose and chronic use. A vast majority of these drugs are stimulants that have various effects on the cardiovascular system including the cardiac rhythm. Drugs, like cocaine and methamphetamine, have measured effe...

Introduction: Medical radiation has been linked to increased risk of AF but any association between solar irradiation and AF remains unexplored. Aim: To study the role of solar radiation on AF. Methods: State-wise and county-wise CDC data with AF hospitalization rates in Medicare beneficiaries from 2015 to 2017 was used. Data regarding solar irradi...

Introduction: Abbott Riata® (AR) leads are prone to conductor externalization but have similar annual failure rates compared to industry benchmarks. A recent multi-center study showed that lead extraction (LE), lead abandonment (LA), and generator change only (GC) have similar long-term outcomes for the recalled Sprint Fidelis® and AR leads when an...

Introduction: Safety of vigorous exercise for individuals with appropriately-treated HCM remains debated. Physical activity practices in this population have not been described. The objective of this report is to describe physical activity pattern in HCM patients. Long term follow up which is ongoing will determine safety of vigorous exercise. Meth...

Background/Introduction REDUCE-IT, a multinational, double-blind trial, randomized 8179 statin-treated patients with controlled low density lipoprotein cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, and cardiovascular (CV) risk, to icosapent ethyl (IPE) 4 grams/day or placebo. IPE reduced the primary (CV death, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke, coronary re...

Aim of this study was to explore whether differences in resting hemodynamic parameters may be associated with tilt test results in unexplained syncope. We analyzed age, gender, systolic (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) by merging three large databases of patients considered likely to be of vasovagal reflex etiology, compari...

Background LAAO devices have become a favorable alternative option among non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with long-term contraindication to anticoagulation. Real-world experience with post-procedural readmission rates and predictors of readmission in LAAO patients is limited. Objective To assess all-cause 30-day readmission rate and...

Background Recently there has been increased interest in a possible association between mast cell activation (MCA) disorder and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). This study examined the frequency with which symptoms and laboratory findings suggesting MCA disorder occurred in patients diagnosed with POTS. Methods and Results Data we...

Background: No real-world large database associates lower rate limit (LRL) programming and survival of subjects with cardiac resynchronization defibrillators (CRT D). Objective: We hypothesized that lower LRL programming is independently associated with survival, and LRL and heart rate score (HrSc) are associated. Methods: All dual-chamber CRT...

With the advent of novel cancer therapeutics and improved screening, more patients are surviving a cancer diagnosis or living longer with advanced disease. Many of these treatments have associated cardiovascular toxicities that can manifest in both an acute and a delayed fashion. Arrhythmias are an increasingly identified complication with unique m...

Atrial fibrillation and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction are increasing in prevalence worldwide. Atrial fibrillation can precipitate and can be a consequence of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and cardiomyopathy. Atrial fibrillation and heart failure, when present together, are associated with worse outcomes. Together, thes...

To the Editor The results of the STRENGTH trial¹ showed conclusively that omega-3 CA, a carboxylic acid formulation of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), did not improve cardiovascular outcomes compared with corn oil placebo. In contrast, REDUCE-IT² demonstrated improved cardiovascular outcomes with 4 g/d of icosapent ethyl...

Major clinical centers in Sweden have witnessed an inflow of patients with chronic symptoms following initial outpatient care for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection, suggestive of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. This report presents the first case series of 3 Swedish patients diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syn...