Syncope

This prospective, multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled study aims to evaluate the accuracy of an investigational artificial intelligence (AI) Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) designed to compute ejection fraction (EF) severity categories based on the American Society of Echocardiography's (ASE) 4-category scale. The software analyzes continuous ECG waveform data acquired by the FDA-cleared Peerbridge COR® ECG Wearable Monitor, an ambulatory patch device designed for use during daily activities. The AI software assists clinicians in cardiac evaluations by estimating EF severity, which reflects how well the heart pumps blood. In this study, EF severity determination will be made using 5-minute ECG recordings collected during a 15-minute resting period with participants seated upright. The results will be compared to EF severity obtained from an FDA-cleared, non-contrast transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) predicate device. This comparison aims to validate the accuracy of the AI software.

The primary purpose of this investigation is to determine whether water carbonation can improve orthostatic tolerance in healthy control volunteers. Orthostatic tolerance refers to the ability to maintain an adequate blood pressure when standing. In some individuals blood pressure can fall when standing, predisposing to dizzy spells or fainting episodes. Drinking water can boost blood pressure and making fainting episodes less likely. However, it is not clear whether the carbonation of the water has any further impact on the blood pressure response. This is important because it may be that carbonated water expands the stomach (gastric distension), provoking an increase in sympathetic activity. The increase in sympathetic nervous system activity boosts blood pressure. Resolving this question would have important implications for patients with syncope. This study will test whether carbonated water will have any further impact on blood pressure than the already known effect of non-carbonated water.

Syncope is very common and has a broad differential diagnosis. Guidelines on syncope recommend to apply guideline based syncope algorithm (SA) to identify low- / intermediate risk syncope patients and recommend to discharge these patients. The time window when to discharge these patients is not defined in the guidelines. In current medical practice low- / intermediate risk syncope patients are either immediately discharged or discharged after 24-hour observation with telemetry (TM). There seems to be an equipoise for both treatment strategies in current medical practice for these low risk syncope patients. A randomized controlled trial to compare discharge after 24 hour observation including TM with immediate discharge has never been done on the Cardiac Emergency Room (CER).

There are 28 non-cardiology medications from multiple families costing more than $13 billion annually in Canada, categorized as 'Known' QT-prolonging medications (QTPmeds) based on very low levels of evidence. The association between many commonly used medications listed as known QTPmeds and actual major adverse cardiac events (MACE) is weak. Meanwhile, QTPmeds-related warnings are ubiquitous in every healthcare setting, triggering 'hard stop' disruption millions of times per day to front line clinicians. Poor quality medication safety alerts are increasingly recognized as a source of inferior patient care and provider burnout which detracts from healthcare sustainability. In this study, anonymized hospital electronic medical record data from more than 990,000 adult patients across Ontario will be used to compare patients who experience MACE with those who do not, measuring their real-time exposure to QT-prolonging drugs. Additionally, machine-learning techniques will also be used to find which patient or treatment factors best predict risk. The objectives of this study are to 1) Investigate whether exposure to one or more 'Known' QTPmed is associated with an increased risk of MACE after adjusting for confounders; and 2) Identify predictors and their relative importance for QTPmeds-associated MACE. In summary, QT-prolonging medications have the potential to cause very serious adverse events, including death. However, it is not sufficiently clear which patients under which circumstances suffer events, or when is QT prolongation a useful surrogate marker for harm. Meanwhile, ubiquitous medication alerts related to QT-prolonging medications are at best imprecise and at worst, misleading, costly and potentially dangerous. Now that data resources are available with the data elements, structure and sample size required to rigorously assess this association, this study will address this question to improve patient safety, provider satisfaction and the cost-effectiveness of care.

Syncope (fainting) is a common reason for emergency department (ED) presentation. Fainting can be caused by heart conditions such as irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that can be life-threatening, structural heart problems, or serious conditions not related to the heart. The standard or usual treatment for the majority of patients at-risk for irregular heart rhythm is getting discharged home with no heart rhythm monitoring. If patients receive any monitoring, only Holter monitoring device that records all heart beats for 24 hours to 72 hours will be used. One-third to half of irregular heart rhythm will be identified only after patients are either discharged from the ED or hospitalized in an inpatient unit. One-third to half of irregular heart rhythm will be identified only after patients are either discharged from the ED or hospitalized in an inpatient unit. The study hypothesize that prolonged live cardiac rhythm monitoring (15 days) of at-risk syncope patients, discharged from the ED, will lead to identification of irregular heart rhythm, which can lead to improved patient safety and lower healthcare costs.

This registry is performed for the long-term assessment of outcome, performance and residual safety aspects of the BIOMONITOR III and possible successors in a real-life clinical set-up. In addition, this registry is set up in a way that it may also be used as a platform for submodules to investigate additional scientific and regulatory aspects while minimizing the additional effort for the investigational sites and patients.

Epilepsy is a common condition which affects over 3 million people in the US. Patients with uncontrolled epilepsy have a lifetime risk of sudden unexpected death (SUDEP) of 35%, which is greatest in those under 40 years of age. The exact mechanisms and causes are not understood but can be due to underlying conditions which affect the heart and brain, which may lead to dangerous heart rhythms and death. Some of these conditions which affect heart and brain have an identifiable genetic cause. This study aims to identify known genetic causes of heart rhythm and sudden death related disorders in patients with epilepsy.

Background: Syncope is defined as a sudden, brief loss of consciousness (LOC) followed by a rapid complete recovery. It accounts for 160,000 emergency department (ED) visits each year in Canada. Despite this, few people are hospitalized (\~15%) and even fewer will die (\~1%). Two-thirds of patients with syncope arrive at the ED by calling 911. There are many causes of syncope. Identifying patients at low risk for bad outcomes would allow paramedics to safely determine which patients need care in the ED from those who can remain home. The research team recently developed the Canadian Prehospital Syncope Risk Score (CPSRS) which accurately identified patients at low risk for 30-day serious outcomes. Objective: The goal of this study is to validate the accuracy of the CPSRS in the prehospital setting or refine if needed to predict the risk of 30-day serious outcomes for patients with syncope. Methods: The research team will enroll patients with syncope from five paramedic services across Canada (British Columbia - Vancouver and Kelowna areas only, London-Middlesex, York Region, Frontenac, and Ottawa). The research team will exclude patients \<18 years old, LOC \>5 minutes, changes in mental status from baseline, alcohol or drug intoxication, or language barrier. Paramedics will fill out a study data collection form with the CPSRS items and additional data should the tool need refinement. The data will be entered into a secure database and will assess patient outcomes (death and potentially life-threatening medical conditions) at 30 days. The research team will examine model accuracy using standard prediction measures and look to improve model accuracy if needed. The research team expects to enroll 4875 patients over a 1-year recruitment period based on annual call volumes. Expected Outcomes: Once validated, the tool could reduce the number of patients transported to the hospital by identifying those at low risk. This would improve patient-oriented care, while at the same time saving valuable paramedic and ED resources.

This observational study will follow patients requiring implantation of leadless pacemaker for 5 years after implantation. The main goal is to evaluate the long term safety and efficacy of AVEIR™ leadless pacemaker device in the usual clinical settings within the UK National Health Service. In addition, the study will collect data to understand patient characteristics receiving this type of pacemaker.

The third study on CardNM (CardNMH3 study) is a multicenter, double-blind, randomized trial with a sham control group investigating the efficacy and safety of a computed tomography (CT)-guided, right-sided ablation of the anterior ganglionated plexus to prevent recurrence of syncope in patients with neurally mediated syncope (NMS). The primary goal of the study is to determine whether a CT-guided, right-sided ablation of the anterior ganglionated plexus safely reduces the risk of recurrent episodes of syncope in patients with a history of recurrent NMS. Two-third of the patients will be randomized to the active arm and one-third to the control arm (sham). The study procedure is described in the 'detailed description' and 'intervention description'. Syncope burden, syncope occurrence and quality of life will be assessed by questionnaires at baseline and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. A 24-h rhythm registration will be performed at baseline and at 1-, 3- and 6-month follow-up to investigate the influence of the intervention on heart rate. The effect of CardNM on blood pressure and on chronotropic sinus node function will be evaluated in 2 additional substudies. Patients enrolled in the blood-pressure substudy will undergo a 24-h blood pressure monitoring at baseline and at 1, 3 and 6 months. Participants in the sinus node competence substudy will undergo a bicycle exercise test at baseline and at 1, 3 and 6 months. Investigators aim to achieve complete follow-up for 110 patients who meet the study enrollment criteria. If syncope-free survival (primary endpoint) is significantly different between the 2 arms after the enrollment of fewer than 110 patients (minimum 55 patients), enrollment into the trial will be prematurely stopped. The study may also be terminated prematurely if safety concerns occur.

Syncope is a common reason for emergency department (ED) presentation. While often benign, some patients have serious and life-threatening underlying causes, both cardiac and non-cardiac, which may or may not be apparent at the time of the initial ED assessment. Identifying which patients will benefit from further investigation, ongoing monitoring and/or hospital admission is essential to reduce both adverse outcomes and high costs. The research team has spent over a decade developing the evidence base for a risk stratification tool directed at optimizing the accuracy of ED decisions: the Canadian Syncope Risk Score (CSRS). This tool is now ready for the final phase of its introduction into clinical practice, namely a robust, multicentre implementation trial of the CSRS-based practice recommendations to demonstrate its real-world effectiveness. These recommendations, if applied, could lead to reduction in hospitalization with only 6% of high-risk patients requiring hospitalization, shorter ED lengths of stay for the 76% of ED syncope patients who are at low risk for 30-day serious outcomes, and more standardized disposition decisions, specifically discharge of 18% of medium-risk patients after appropriate discussion. Hence, the investigators hypothesize that an important reduction in hospitalization and ED disposition time can be achieved by implementing the CSRS-based recommendations with potential improvements in patient safety. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the knowledge translation (KT) of the CSRS-based practice recommendations in multiple Canadian EDs using a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial (SW-CRT) on health care efficiency and patient safety.

The Study To Understand Tilt Tests versus Extended Recordings (STUTTER, POST 10) will test the hypothesis that first performing a diagnostic HUT in older patients with syncope of unknown cause will provide earlier and more diagnoses than inserting an ICM.

TASS-2 (Tyrolean Aortic Stenosis Study-2) aims to characterize the clinical value of minimally elevated troponin T plasma levels both in patients with asymptomatic and symtomatic aortic stenosis.

Research in acute care faces many challenges, including enrollment challenges, legal limitations in data sharing, limited funding, and lack of singular ownership of the domain of acute care. To overcome some of these challenges, the Center of Acute Care of the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands, has established a de novo data-, image- and biobank named "Acutelines". Acutelines is initiated to improve recognition and treatment of acute diseases and obtain insight in the consequences of acute diseases, including factors predicting its outcome. Thereby, Acutelines contributes to development of personalized treatment and improves prediction of patient outcomes after an acute admission.

About 20% of adults faint recurrently. These patients are often highly symptomatic, have problems with employment and driving, can be injured, and have poor quality of life. There are few therapies that have withstood the test of randomized clinical trials. the investigators will conduct a prospective, randomized, parallel, double-blind, proof-of-concept study that tests the hypothesis that serotonin 5HT3 receptor inhibition with ondansetron prevents tilt-induced vasovagal syncope (VVS) and pre-syncope in patients with clinical VVS. A total of 70 patients with quantitative clinical diagnostic criteria for VVS and at least 1 syncopal spell in the preceding year will be randomized in a double-blind acute phase 2 study to ondansetron 8 mg PO BID x 2 doses or matching placebo. The endpoint will be presyncope or syncope associated with diagnostic hemodynamic changes. These data should provide useful preliminary data as a foundation on which to conduct a subsequent randomized clinical trial.

Syncope is a common presenting condition. Pacemaker implantation can significantly reduce syncope recurrences in reflex syncope. However, despite careful selection, a substantial proportion of patients treated with pacemakers suffer recurrences of syncope. It is thought that a pronounced vasodepressor component may hinder the efficacy of pacing in patients, preventing adequate cerebral perfusion during the reflex, thus relativizing the anti-bradycardia function of the pacemaker to prevent syncope. It is hypothesised that the time elapsed from the actual loss of consciousness to the asystole recorded on the ECG during Tilt Table Test may be predictive in terms of response to pacemaker therapy, so this parameter becomes the subject of the present study.

This is a multicenter prospective randomized blind controlled trial with a sham procedure group of the efficacy and safety of cardioneuroablation as a method of treating symptomatic bradycardia without a permanent pacemaker implantation

Background Sinus node dysfunction (SND) and atrioventricular block (AVB) are significant diagnostic and therapeutic problems. The primary method of their treatment is cardiac pacemaker implantation (PM). Although PM remains the main therapeutic approach for most patients with SND/AVB, long-term PM therapy can be associated with various limitations, complications, and the need for device and electrode replacement. There is increasing evidence for the effectiveness of an alternative approach to functional bradycardia associated with excessive vagal activation - cardioneuroablation (CNA). The method leads to the alleviation or complete resolution of bradycardia symptoms, as well as reflex syncope, providing an opportunity to discontinue PM therapy. Primary aims 1.Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of CNA as a therapy allowing for discontinuation of PM therapy in patients with SND or AVB. Secondary aims 1. Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of CNA as a therapy allowing for the optimization of PM therapy in patients with SND and AVB. 2. Development of a diagnostic algorithm allowing for the identification of patients with SND and/or AVB suitable for CNA and discontinuation of PM and TLE therapy. 3. In addition, blood samples will be collected for future analysis and biobanking. Methodology Inclusion criteria 1. Patients up to 50 years old who underwent pacemaker implantation due to sinus node and/or atrioventricular node dysfunction 2. Positive response to atropine test 3. Age between 18-65 years 4. Signed informed consent to participate in the study Exclusion criteria 1. Own heart rate \<30/min 2. Fainting after pacemaker therapy initiation 3. Persistent and sustained atrial fibrillation 4. History of myocarditis 5. History of myocardial infarction 6. History of cardiac surgery 7. History of ablation procedures 8. Congenital heart defects 9. Congenital atrioventricular block 10. Neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases 11. Indications for expanding the pacemaker system to ICD/CRT-D 12. Pregnancy 13. Renal insufficiency with GFR \<30 ml/min/1.73m2 14. Age below 18 and above 65 years 15. HAS-BLED score \>/= 3 points Randomization, study scheme Qualified patients will be randomly assigned (1:1:1) to group 1 undergoing first-stage invasive electrophysiology study (EPS), extracardiac vagus nerve stimulation (ECVS) and CNA with continued PM therapy and implantable loop recorder (ILR) implantation, to group 2 undergoing first-stage EPS and ECVS with continued PM therapy, ILR implantation, and no CNA, and to group 3 where patients will undergo observation only for the entire study. The follow-up time will be 18 months. Groups 1 and 2 will be blinded. Two months after the first invasive procedure, the secondary endpoint-stimulation rate in all groups will be assessed. In addition, a non-invasive evaluation of the efficacy of CNA and the incidence of syncope (MAS) and collapse (paraMAS) will take place in group 1, as well as an evaluation of the pacing percentage. After another month during the second hospitalization, the following will be performed: EPS and ECVS, and repeat CNA if ECVS does not show full parasympathetic cardiac denervation. In group 2, after 2 months, non-invasive tests will also be performed to assess and presence of MAS, paraMAS symptoms, and to assess pacing rates. After another month, during the second hospitalization, the following will be performed: EPS, ECVS and CNA. Group 1 and 2 patients will have their pacemaker set to VVI/AAI 30/min. Group 3 patients will then be evaluated for pacing rates and MAS, paraMAS symptoms. At the third visit, one month after the second invasive procedure in group 1 and 2 patients, the pacing percentage will be assessed. Patients with zero pacing percentage PM will be put on ODO/OVO/OAO-pacing off mode. Patients with a pacing percentage greater than zero PM will be set to their optimal mode. A pacing percentage of \<0.1% will be treated as 0%, which will be confirmed in the ILR control. For the next 12 months, patients will be observed. During this period, at the next 4 visits repeated every 3 months, groups 1 and 2 will undergo a non-invasive assessment of CNA efficacy and bradycardia symptoms, while group 3 will be evaluated for MAS, paraMAS and pacing percentage assessment. At the 7th visit, the qualification of patients in groups 1 and 2 for discontinuation of continued pacing treatment will take place, with possible qualification for TLE. Justification Early and late results of a new strategy which is CNA, indicate the possibility of developing an new approach that allows patients with functional bradycardia to decide whether to discontinue or optimize PM therapy. However, standardized approaches based on noninvasive and invasive techniques have not yet been validated and evaluated in a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial with long-term remote follow-up, including ILR.

Syncope is the most frequent cause of transient loss of consciousness. Falls are very common in older people. If the falls are unexplained and not accidental, it is likely that the patient had a syncope event and showed a lack of awareness for loss of consciousness. The management of unexplained falls is the same as that of syncope. There is a gap between the best available scientific evidence provided by the guidelines and the need to disseminate these concepts in clinical practice. The absence of a systematic comprehensive approach to fainting and falls results in higher health and social costs, unnecessary hospitalizations and diagnostic procedures, prolonged hospital stays, lower diagnostic rates, and higher rates of misdiagnosis and symptomatic recurrence. Aim of the study The aim of the study is to assess the efficacy (adherence) of a diagnostic protocol and the costs of a comprehensive guideline-based approach to the management of fainting and falls in a population of consecutive patients referred to a dedicated multidisciplinary outpatient facility. Primary endpoint: 1\. Prevalence rate of patients with unexplained fall undergoing diagnostic investigations for syncope among those initially subjected to a diagnostic evaluation for falls. Secondary endpoints: 1. Comparison between patients initially assigned to syncope and those assigned to unexplained fall in terms of diagnostic tests and final diagnosis. 2. Comparison between patients initially assigned to syncope and those assigned to unexplained fall in terms of adherence to guideline recommendations. 3. Analysis of costs per patient of fall and syncope protocols 4. All previous analyses will be performed according to the following age groups: ≥75, 74-65 and 64-40 years. Inclusion criteria 1. Consecutive patients \>40 years of age, belonging to the Cwithin Fainting and Falls for the evaluation of an episode of syncope or fall. 2. Fragile patients at risk of falling. Exclusion criteria: 1. Patients aged \<40 years 2. Patients with dental falls 3. Patients with a known diagnosis of syncope 4. Patients in whom syncope and fall are secondary symptoms of severe underlying comorbidities

The implantable device therapy for cardiac arrhythmias has been an established therapy, and one of the common standard procedures in cardiac clinical practice. Pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy have been developed since 1960s, and the technologies in this field are still progressively developing. Not only these "traditional" implantable devices, there are multiple new devices for cardiac diseases, such as implantable loop recorder, vagal nerve stimulator and barostimulator. The aim of this registry is to demonstrate the efficacy and the safety of standard device implantation procedures and to evaluate/ identify specific factors, including clinical characteristics, laboratory data and procedural data, which predict the prognosis/complication of the patients. These identification will result in further improvement of patients' care.