Cardiology Letters, 2026 (vol. 35), issue 3

Komentár k odporúčaniam ESC/EACTS pre manažment chlopňových ochorení z roku 2025 Čo je nové oproti odporúčaniam z roku 2021?

Martin Hudec, Gabriel Valočik

Cardiology Letters 2026, 35(3):133-137  

Infective endocarditis - The 16-year experience of one centre

Peter Snopek, Jozef Hasilla, Jakub Benko

Cardiology Letters 2026, 35(3):138-145  

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious disease, the incidence and mortality of which remain high despite advances in medicine. We decided to investigate its etiology, echocardiographic findings, comorbidities, complications, and their impact on mortality in a group of patients hospitalized for infective endocarditis (IE) at the Cardiology Department of the University Hospital Nitra from 1. 1. 2008 to 31. 12. 2023. Methodology: Retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized for IE at the Cardiology Department of the University Hospital Nitra from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2023. Results: During the 16-year follow-up, 170 patients...

Corrected QT interval assessment: artificial intelligence versus physician

Ján Šuba ml., Martin Dúbrava

Cardiology Letters 2026, 35(3):146-154  

Background: Quantification of the corrected QT interval (QTc) is of major importance for risk stratification of torsades de pointes and arrhythmogenic sudden cardiac death, particularly when QTc exceeds 500 ms. Aim: The aim of the study was to compare QTc interval assessment between the widely available multimodal AI assistant ChatGPT version 5.2 "Thinking", the specialized AI application PMcardio, automated ECG device measurement, and physician measurement. Patients and Methods: The analysis included 115 anonymized 12-lead electrocardiograms from hospitalized patients. The mean age was 80.8 years, and 58.3% were women. Using a standardized methodology,...

Prevalence and symptom characteristics of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) in patients with orthostatic intolerance

Monika Lukáčová, Peter Mitro, Kristína Valová

Cardiology Letters 2026, 35(3):155-163  

Introduction: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a form of orthostatic intolerance characterized by an excessive increase in heart rate upon standing in the absence of orthostatic hypotension. Aim: To assess the prevalence of POTS among patients evaluated for orthostatic intolerance and to analyze symptom characteristics across different POTS phenotypes. Methods: Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 816 head-up tilt (HUT) tests were performed at our institution for the evaluation of orthostatic intolerance. POTS was diagnosed in 27 patients (3.5%), of whom 17 underwent comprehensive autonomic testing, including the active standing test...

Acute propafenone toxicity

Michal Kerekanič, Alžbeta Kollárova

Cardiology Letters 2026, 35(3):164-168  

Propafenone is an antiarrhythmic drug commonly used in the treatment of cardiac rhythm disorders. Although it is considered a relatively safe medication, certain circumstances may lead to its toxicity, resulting in various serious cardiac and extracardiac symptoms. In the presented case report, we describe a patient long-term treated with propafenone for atrial fibrillation who was admitted to the arrhythmology department acutely with severe bradycardia, cardiogenic shock, and ECG changes suggestive of propafenone toxicity. Early management, including vasopressor therapy, temporary cardiac pacing, and administration of sodium bicarbonate, prevented...