Esports and arrhythmia risk; sleep apnea in patients with heart failure

In a recent study, video games were found to be a trigger for arrhythmic conditions in children with a proarrhythmic cardiac diagnosis.

According to researchers, gaming “can pose a significant arrhythmic risk; it can be lethal in children with predisposing (but often previously unrecognized) arrhythmic conditions.” It was the top story in cardiology last week.

The second top story was about the prevalence of sleep apnea in patients with heart failure. Factors that predicted sleep-disordered breathing include male sex, high BMI and high heart rate, among other comorbidities.

Read these and more top stories in cardiology below:

Esports may raise risk for cardiac arrythmias, sudden death in susceptible children

Electronic gaming can precipitate lethal cardiac arrhythmias in children with proarrhythmic conditions, though worldwide incidence appears to be low overall, researchers reported. Read more.

More than half of hospitalized patients with heart failure have sleep apnea

More than half of hospitalized adults with heart failure have obstructive sleep apnea or central sleep apnea, with male sex, higher BMI, higher heart rate and more comorbidities predicting sleep-disordered breathing, researchers reported. Read more.

Hearts from SARS-CoV-2-positive donors safe for transplant

Adults who received heart transplants from SARS-CoV-2-positive donors experienced similar 30-day and 1-year outcomes compared with recipients of SARS-CoV-2-negative hearts, according to a registry analysis. Read more.

SPRINT: Benefits of intensive BP lowering may be lost quickly if treatment not sustained

The benefits of intensive BP treatment on cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality observed in the SPRINT trial did not persist beyond the conclusion of the trial intervention, researchers reported. Read more.

Contraindications exist between ritonavir/nirmatrelvir and some CV medications

There are drug-drug interactions between the COVID-19 treatment ritonavir/nirmatrelvir and various classes of commonly used cardiovascular medications, according to a review paper. Read more.