Oskar Kowalski

• Śląskie Centrum Chorób Serca

Background The global rise in insulin resistance has led to an increased emphasis on dietary modifications as a primary strategy for its management. While such interventions are essential for improving metabolic health, they can also contribute to heightened nutritional knowledge. However, this increased focus on diet may inadvertently lead to the...

Plant-based products are gaining increasing popularity, making a vegetarian diet a fundamental part of nutrition among many social groups. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of selected vegetarian products available on the Polish market and their homemade counterparts. Additionally, consumer preferences and dietary behaviors regarding...

Complementary feeding involves introducing additional foods to a child’s diet, influenced by the child’s age, developmental stage, and skills, such as sucking, swallowing, and chewing. The WHO and ESPGHAN recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, with the gradual introduction of complementary foods thereafter. The baby-led weaning...

Background: The increasing focus on healthy eating and achieving an ideal physique can lead to the development of disordered eating patterns, including orthorexia nervosa. The relationship between body image perception, self-esteem, and the risk of orthorexia nervosa is multifaceted, with negative body image and low self-esteem often acting as cont...

Background Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) is a new concept that provides physiological pacing with a narrow QRS duration. Recently published data suggest that LBBAP may prevent deleterious effects of right ventricular pacing, namely pacemaker-induced cardiomyopathy, especially in patients with expected high ventricular pacing burden, which...

Background/Objectives: The development of culinary tourism offers not only unique culinary travel experiences but also allows for the exploration of various aspects related to food. The main aim of this study was to assess the food preferences of a selected group of female consumers regarding world cuisine and to analyze the sensory quality of sele...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and clinical significance of depression in patients with cardiac resynchronization therapy with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (CRT-D). The study was also to evaluate the impact of shock therapy on depression development and long-term prognosis. METHODS: The prospective study...

Background/Objectives: Eating disorders (EDs) pose a significant health issue affecting athletes, with risk factors varying by sport level, sex, and social media use. This study assesses the risk of EDs among professional and amateur football players, considering these factors, and compares findings with a control group of non-athletes. Methods: Th...

Cardiomyopathies (CMs) are a very broad group of diseases, including genetically determined and acquired, and their classification is based on phenotypic characteristics. There is always a need to search for the etiology (often also to try to identify the genetic cause), which may determine the appropriate choice of clinical management. The geograp...

Background/Objectives: Increasing drugs’ stability and adequately protecting them against degradation will ensure a decrease in their price and broader availability of pharmaceutical substances. This is of great importance, especially for drugs used to treat the most common diseases in the population, such as hypertension. The study examined two ne...

Background/objectives: Diet therapy is a key component of a holistic approach to the physiological and psychological health of children with autism spectrum disorders. A personalized diet, tailored to clinical symptoms, yields positive therapeutic effects. The aim of this study was to assess the intake of specific food groups and the dietary metho...

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) includes age-inappropriate feeding behaviors in eating patterns, including food neophobia, defined as refusal or reluctance to eat new or unknown foods. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of ARFID and food neophobia among adults and determine the related characteristics of these risks. The st...

Public procurement of food is crucial for ensuring proper nutrition and the provision of high-quality products in public institutions like schools and kindergartens. It should be seen as an investment in health promotion, particularly for young children. Notably, when no quality criteria are specified, the cheapest and often lowest-quality products...

Projekt „Schody Zdrowia – edukacja i nauka wyznacznikiem zdrowego i otwartego społeczeństwa” był realizowany w ramach programu „Społeczna Odpowiedzialność Nauki” – finansowanego ze środków Ministerstwa Edukacji i Nauki – przez Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny w Katowicach (SUM), Regionalny Ośrodek Metodyczno-Edukacyjny „Metis” w Katowicach oraz Fundację...

Wstęp Celem badania była ocena częstości występowania nadwagi i otyłości u młodzieży w wieku 11–13 lat oraz porównanie masy ciała i zawartości tkanki tłuszczowej uczniów klas o profilu ogólnym i sportowym. Materiał i metody W badaniu pilotażowym uczestniczyło 352 uczniów z klas 6 i 7 szkół podstawowych w Bytomiu, biorących udział w projekcie „Scho...

Profilaktyka nadwagi i otyłości u dzieci i młodzieży koncentruje się na edukacji i promowaniu zdrowego stylu życia. Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia wskazuje na wzrost poziomu zachorowalności na chorobę otyłościową; od 1975 r. poziom ten wzrósł niemal 3-krotnie, a choroba dotyka obecnie wszystkie grupy społeczno-gospodarcze niezależnie od wieku czy poc...

Introduction: The popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets is linked to various motivations, such as health, ethics, ecology, and social and religious influence. India has the highest proportion of vegetarians and vegans. The practise of these diets is linked to moral and health reasons and environmental concerns. Vegetarianism may also be associat...

Anthropometric indices, such as the BMI (body mass index), WC (waist circumference), and WHR (waist–hip ratio) are commonly used for cardiometabolic risk assessment. Consequently, in the context of evaluating cardiometabolic risk in the post-MI population, it is worthwhile to consider indices such as the Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI) and Body Adip...

The study aimed to assess the frequency of food intake and to compare the consumption of female extramural players training floorball in Poland and the Czech Republic during the preparation period for the league season. In total, 43 players training floorball in senior clubs participated in the study, including 21 from the Polish and 22 from the Cz...

Proper nutrition during the first period of life is primarily related to meeting energy needs and providing essential nutrients that ensure the infant’s normal physical and psychomotor development. Improper nutrition during this period, inadequate amounts of nutrients, inappropriate timing and manner of introduction of individual foods, can permane...

Active fixation systems for leads in the coronary system minimize the risk of micro and macro dislodgement. However, extracting these leads is riskier than in the case of leads of passive fixation. This was confirmed by the results of the extraction of Medtronic StarFix lead. The new Medtronic 20066 Attain Stability lead was designed to combine the...

Background: The benefit derived from implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) in subjects with non-ischemic systolic HF (NICM) is less well-established. Aim: The study aimed to determine the incidence, predictors, and prognostic impact of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with ICD and NICM. Methods: The study sample included 377 consecu...

Food neophobia is standard behaviour in child development. It is a complex process and occurs to varying degrees. The symptoms of neophobia can be variable depending on the individual. Food neophobia is a fear of new foods, whereby difficulties in eating and trying unfamiliar foods follow. It is one of the more vital determinants of the number of m...

Introduction Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours that may contribute to the development of disorders leading to MI include consuming foods with a high glycaemic load and excessive supply of saturated fats, especially trans fats. Limiting the consumption of simple and refined carbohydrates, such as sweets, sweet drinks, white bread, or white pasta, has a...

Background: Dietary modifications are recommended alongside pharmacotherapy in treating both diabetes mellitus (DM) and coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. Aims: The primary aim of our study was to assess the diet in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and myocardial infarction (MI) and to identify dietary differences between patien...

Flecainide, similar to encainide and propafenone, is IC class antiarrhythmic, inhibiting Nav1.5 sodium channels in heart muscle cells and modulates cardiac conduction. Despite its over 40-year presence in clinical practice, strong evidence and well-known safety profile, flecainide distribution in Europe has not always been equal. In Poland, the dru...

In early 2020 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Micra AV - a new type of leadless pacemaker with atrioventricular synchrony, to treat patients with atrio-ventricular (AV) blocks. We describe one of the first in Poland case of a patient who was implanted with Micra AV pacemaker. Case report: A 38-year-old female patient was admitted to th...

Background: The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and subcutaneous cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) are well-accepted life-saving devices for potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmia but little is known about quality of life (QoL) in patients with S-ICD and ICD. Aims: The aim of our study was to compare QoL of patients with S-ICD a...

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disorganised healthcare systems and has caused a reduction in the number of hospitalizations and procedures. Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) procedure rates and clinical characteristics of their recipients were compared in corresponding weeks of 2019 and 2020 were analyzed. METHO...

Aims To assess and compare long-term mortality and predictors thereof in de novo cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-D) vs. upgrade from an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to CRT-D. Methods and results Study population consisted of 595 consecutive patients with CRT-D implanted between 2002 and 2015 in a tertiary ca...

Background: The published data suggest the important role of left atrial posterior wall and epicardial myocardial layers ablation in rhythm control therapy in patients with persistent, medical refractory atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the endocardial ablation is not always effective in transmural substrate modification. The alternative treatme...

Background A leadless pacemaker is a new concept in which a miniaturized pacing device is self-contained within the heart. Recently published data show that leadless pacemakers are associated with a decreased risk of major complications when compared with transvenous cardiac pacemakers. This seems to be of particular importance in children and youn...

Background: Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) are associated with tachycardiomyopathy (TCM) and high mortality rate. The treatment depends on the engaged chamber. PVC originating from the right outflow is recommended for radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) (class IB-R) in preference to pharmacotherapy, in the left ventricle, ablation is a...

Both heart failure and atrial fibrillation are significant health problems affecting approximately 1-2% of the adult population. Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the incidence of thromboembolic complications, increases the frequency of hospitalization, morbidity due to heart failure, and is an independent risk factor for death. AF is the most com...

Older age and high morbidity of the society contribute to a growing number of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) requiring effective cancer treatment, including radiotherapy (RT). The influence of RT on a CIED may vary depending on the type and physical parameters of radiation, location of the treated lesion, indications f...

Background Over a quarter of all cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implants are upgrades from previous devices, mainly from implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). In comparison to CRT with defibrillator (CRT-D) de novo implantation, upgrade from ICD to CRT-D carries higher risk of complications. Limited number of studies evaluated pred...

We describe a case of Vasospastic angina and early repolarisation syndrome, which induced polymorphic Ven-tricular tachycardia episodes. Surprisingly, the angina episodes dissapeared only after atrial arrhythmias treatment and percutaneous atrial fibrillation ablation. Streszczenie Zespół wczesnej repolaryzacji wraz z towarzyszącą dławicą Prinzmeta...

Introduction: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) have a strong position in the prevention of sudden death. Nowadays, the most commonly used high-energy cardiac devices are transvenous ICDs. A new technology of totally subcutaneous ICDs (S-ICD) was invented and recently introduced into clinical practice in order to reduce lead-related co...

Catheter ablation of AF has transformed from a specialized, experimental procedure into a common treatment to prevent recurrent AF. AF ablation appears to be more effective than AAD in maintaining sinus rhythm, and the complication rate is comparable to the complication rate of AAD. According to the European Society of Cardiology catheter ablation...

Introduction The aim of the study was to analyse microbiological charac�teristics and clinical manifestations of cardiac device-related infective endo�carditis (CDRIE) in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) recipients, and to compare the diagnostic value of modified Duke (MDC) versus modified Duke lead criteria (MDLC; including to MDC local inf...

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is an indicated therapy for Long QT (LQT) patients after syncope or cardiac arrest survival. Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) triggers ablation is also a known, yet, still rare, method aiming at ventricular tachycardia or torsade de pointes treatment in LQT syndrome. We present a 21-year-old fem...

Background: Pulmonary vein isolation with cryobaloon catheter ablation (CCB) is an effective method oftreatment in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) but in patients with heart failure (HF) therole of CCB remains unknown. Aims: To assess feasibility, effectiveness and safety of CCB in patients with HF and cardiac electronic devices (CIED), t...

In case of the need of pacemaker implantation, patients with artificial tricuspid valve are a special group of subjects, because of high risk of dysfunction of the prosthesis. In case of mechanical prosthesis of tricuspid valve the leads of pacemaker are usually located in coronary sinus. In case of biological prosthesis of tricuspid valve despite...

Background: Complex mechanisms of responsible for originating and maintaining of atrial fibrillation (AF) are involved in pathophysiology of this arrhythmia. Inflammation substantially contribute to arrhythmic remodelling of atrial tissue.The aim of the present study is to assess an applicability of ferritin and high sensitive C-reactive protein (...

In the past years, cardiovascular mortality has decreased but despite these cardiovascular diseases are responsible for millions of deaths every year in the world and approximately 25% of which are sudden cardiac death (SCD). Implantable defibrillators (ICD) is proven therapy used in primary and secondary SCD prevention. Currently majority of devic...

Objectives: Chronic heart failure (HF) is associated with significantly increased prevalence of depression. The aim of the study was to assess the incidence and clinical impact of depression as well as the effectiveness of depression treatment in HF patients. Methods: A prospective interventional trial included 285 consecutive cardiac resynchron...

The hybrid ablation (HABL) of atrial fibrillation which combines endoscopic, minimally invasive, closed chest epicardial ablation with endocardial CARTO-guided accuracy was introduced to overcome limitations of current therapeutic options for patients with persistent (PSAF) and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF). The purpose of th...

Septal pacing in patients with dual chamber pacemakers and atrio-ventricular (AV) conduction malfunction, but without structural heart muscle impairment, is not worse than own AV conduction. Optimized AV delay in patients with first degree AV block and PQ interval > 220 ms may be better than preserving own contraction with pathologic atrio-ventricu...

Background: Electrical storm (ES) is a life-threatening condition, and catheter ablation can be curative in this syndrome. Rhythmia Mapping System (RMS, Boston Scientific) is a novel system that allows for ultra-fast, high density 3D mapping. The aim of this study was to assess feasibility, safety and short-term effectiveness of catheter ablations...

Streszczenie Pacjenci z protezami zastawki trójdzielnej w razie konieczności implantacji rozrusznika stanowią szczególną grupę chorych-ze względu na ryzyko dysfunkcji protezy. W przypadku mechanicznej zastawki trójdzielnej elektrody rozrusznika zwykle umieszcza się w zatoce wieńcowej, natomiast przy obecności biologicznej za-stawki trójdzielnej naj...

A 39-year old woman with a symptomatic, idiopathic left ventricular extra beats has been scheduled for a redo ablation. During procedure the arrhythmia appeared to be very infrequent (1 extra beat/min), making it practically “unmappable” for the conventional mapping systems. An ultra-fast, high density 3D mapping system (Rhythmia, Boston Scientific...

Aim: To assess incidence, predisposing factors and outcomes of cardiac device-related infective endocarditis (CDRIE) in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Methods and results: High-volume, single-center cardiology database was screened to identify all CDRIE cases, based on modified Duke criteria, amongst 765 consecutive...

Aim: To assess incidence, predisposing factors and outcomes of cardiac device-related infective endocarditis (CDRIE) in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Methods: High-volume, single-center cardiology database was screened to identify all CDRIE cases, based on modified Duke criteria, amongst 765 consecutive CRT implantati...

Background: Substantial proportion of patients do not respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Various echocardiographic and biochemical markers including collagen turnover biomarkers were suggested to predict CRT results. However, its pathological significance remains controversial. Objective: The aim of present study was to evaluate...

Introduction: The hybrid ablation (HABL) of atrial fibrillation combines endoscopic, minimally invasive, closed chest epicardial ablation with endocardial CARTO-guided accuracy was introduced to overcome limitations of current therapeutic options for patients with persistent (PSAF) and longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF). The purpos...

For several decades we have observed the development of data transmission technology on an unprecedented scale. With the development of such technology there has also appeared concepts on the use of these solutions in health care systems. Over the last decade telemedicine has been joined by the concept of mHealth, which is based on mobile devices m...

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to assess long-term incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in cardiac resynchronization (CRT) recipients with and without prior arrhythmic history, factors predisposing to arrhythmia, as well as to evaluate the prognostic power of cumulative arrhythmia burden, duration of the longest episode and the number of epi...

The aim of the study was to verify in what proportion of patients, device-detected atrial high rate (AHR) episodes are indeed atrial arrhythmias (AAs). We investigated also the reasons for inappropriate arrhythmia classification and assessed if patients with misdiagnosed arrhythmias have distinct characteristics that would help to identify them. Th...

Background: Due to the recent rapid increase in the number of patients implanted with pacemakers, cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), and cardiac resynchronisation therapy devices (CRT), conventional monitoring at specialist clinics is becoming increasingly difficult. The development of technology has enabled remote device monitoring with the use o...

Background The prognostic impact of improvement in health-related quality of life (QoL) and its relation to response in cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) recipients remains unknown. AimTo assess the correspondence between response to CRT and improvements in QoL and to verify if a change in QoL after pacing influences outcome in CRT patients....

In December 2010 St. Jude Medical informed about higher incidence of silicone insulation abrasion in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator leads Riata/Riata ST. The manifestation of this phenomenon is the externalisation of conductors outside the body of the lead, which is visible in a fluoroscopy. The abrasion could also involve an insulation und...

Ventricular assist devices (VADs) have become an established therapeutic option for patients with end-stage heart failure. Achieving the potential for recovery of native heart function using VADs is an established form of treatment in a selected group of patients with HF. We report two cases of VAD patients with different types of pump used for mec...

Background and aim: Currently, cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) is recommended only for New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV ambulatory patients. However, some recent reports have suggested that CRT could also be beneficial for end-stage inotrope-dependent heart failure (HF) NYHA class IV patients. In this report, we summarise the res...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of device-based diagnostic parameters in predicting ventricular arrhythmias in cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) recipients. Ninety-six CRT-D patients participating in TRUST CRT Trial were analysed. Inclusion criteria were heart failure in NYHA≥3 class, QRS≥120msec, left ventricular ejection fra...

INTRODUCTION: Because data on contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-D) are scarce, we aimed to assess the incidence, natural course and prognostic importance of this syndrome in CRT recipients. METHODS: Study population consisted of 100 consecutive patients enrolled into the Trip...

Background: Cardiac device-related infective endocarditis (CDRIE) is one of the most serious complications of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Aim: The aim of the study was to assess clinical outcomes and their determinants in CRT patients with CDRIE. Methods: Tertiary cardiology centre database was screened to identify all CDRIE cases...

We present a case of 33-year-old woman suffered from palpitations and syncope. ECG was normal at the rest and showed irregular tachycardia with wide QRS complex (HR > 300/min) during the effort. The patient was admitted to our department in order to perform detailed diagnostics and therapy. Based on electrophysiological study we found and ablated n...

To assess the impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) with and without the need for atrioventricular junction (AVJ) ablation on outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). A single center cohort of 200 consecutive CRT patients was divided into three groups: 1)AF with CRT pacing<95% in which AVJ ablation was performed (AF-ABL...

The objective of this collaborative, multicenter, European effort was to evaluate the outcomes of the convergent procedure for the treatment of persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in consecutive patients at 4 European centers. Outcomes of consecutive patients, undergoing the convergent procedure at 4 European centers, w...

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy is highly effective in improving many objective and subjective indices in a subgroup of Heart Failure (HF) patients. The prognostic impact of improvement in Quality of Life (QoL) due to CRT has never been evaluated. Aim of the study: We aimed at assessing if range of QoL improvement after pacing influen...

In recent era growing number of devices is being implanted. As the heart disease advances, some patients (pts) with ICD acquire indications for CRT-D. Thus, question arises, in which patients should we consider progression of heart failure. Methods: Study population consisted of 193 consecutives pts. with ICD indications underwent implantation proc...

Aim: To assess the value of everyday monitoring of the percentage of cardiac resynchronization (CRT-D) with the use of remote monitoring. Methods: Prospective, single-center registry encompassed 305 consecutive heart failure (HF) patients who were implanted with CRT-D devices and subsequently monitored on a daily basis via remote monitoring for the...

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the incidence, clinical significance of depression and the impact of a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy–defibrillator (CRT-D) implantation on the psychiatric status in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods: Prospective, single-center registry encompassed 216 consec...

76 years old patient after the ICD implantation as a primary prevention of sudden cardiac death was admitted to the hospital because of the electrical storm which presented in ECG as a variety ventricular arrhythmia. Because of patients’ resistance for pharmacological treatment and antiarrhythmic therapies delivered from ICD, we performed an ablati...

AIMS: The aim of the study was to assess the predictive value for outcomes of various response criteria currently used in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).METHODS AND RESULTS: Data from TRUST CRT randomized trial in patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) III-IV class, QRS ≥ 120 ms, ejection fraction ≤35%, and mec...

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the predictive value for outcomes of various response criteria currently used in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Methods and results: Data from TRUST CRT randomized trial in patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) III-IV class, QRS ≥ 120 ms, ejection fraction ≤ 35%, an...

The concept of a hybrid approach, combining the most effective techniques of surgical and endocardial catheter ablation has resulted in the creation of the convergent ablation procedure. This novel, pericardioscopic, hybrid approach can be an effective option for highly symptomatic patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (PSAF) and longstandin...