Ricerc@Sapienza

Background and purpose: Cardiac involvement is observed in about 80% of subjects with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and is mainly characterized by cardiac conduction and/or rhythm abnormalities (CCRAs), possibly leading to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Our objective was to investigate whether the gender difference may influence the cardiac involvement and SCD in DM1. Methods: We analyzed prevalence and incidence of cardiological abnormalities in males versus females in 151 consecutive DM1 patients over a 35-year follow-up period.

Purpose: Since subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) introduction, the pre-implant screening based on a dedicated manual ECG tool (MST) was required to assure adequate sensing by the S-ICD. A novel automated screening tool (AST) has been recently developed. We assessed and compared the pass rate with AST and MST, and we measured the agreement between screening tools. Methods: Three electrodes were positioned at locations mimicking the placement of the S-ICD, and ECG recordings were collected in the supine and standing postures at rest.