EP Edge Journal Watch Issue 24 June 2026: AF Ablation in Heart Failure, VT Pulsed Field Ablation, Subcutaneous-ICD Shocks, Wearable Expansion, CABG AF, Genetics and GLP-1 Agonists

In this episode of EP Edge Journal Watch, Dr. Sharma reviews major electrophysiology and cardiology studies from Issue 24: Substrate, Sensing, Wearables, Surgery, and the Precision Turn. The central theme is precision EP: selecting the right patient, targeting the right substrate, interpreting the right signal, choosing the right antithrombotic strategy, and designing the right follow-up plan. This episode begins with a randomized trial of persistent atrial fibrillation ablation in patients with heart failure, comparing anatomic-guided ablation, electrogram-guided ablation, and an extensive electrogram-anatomic strategy. The discussion focuses on why pulmonary vein isolation alone may be insufficient in selected patients with persistent AF, atrial myopathy, and heart failure, and how meaningful AF burden reduction may translate into fewer heart-failure hospitalizations and better functional outcomes.Next, Dr. Sharma reviews early experience with high-voltage pulsed field ablation for redo ventricular tachycardia in nonischemic cardiomyopathy. This paper highlights the promise of deeper lesion formation for intramural VT substrate, while also emphasizing major operational challenges, including electromagnetic interference with ICDs, CRT-Ds, and electroanatomic mapping systems.The device EP section covers quantitative vector screening for subcutaneous ICD implantation. Instead of asking only whether an S-ICD vector “passes,” this study asks whether the patient has enough sensing reserve to reduce inappropriate shocks over time. The episode explains how stronger pre-implant vector selection may reduce inappropriate shocks, but also exclude some patients from S-ICD candidacy.The wearable technology discussion reviews a European Heart Journal state-of-the-art paper on smartwatch ECGs, PPG alerts, step counts, heart-failure monitoring, cuffless blood pressure, and AI-enabled cardiovascular data interpretation. Dr. Sharma separates actionable wearable ECG data from screening alerts that require confirmation, longitudinal trends that need context, and consumer metrics that should not drive major treatment decisions without clinical validation.The surgical EP section reviews the OPINION trial, which tested prophylactic surgical left atrial appendage occlusion in patients undergoing valvular surgery without known atrial fibrillation. The episode explains why routine appendage closure in non-AF surgical patients did not significantly reduce ischemic stroke, TIA, or cardiovascular death at one year, and why future AF risk should not be confused with established appendage-mediated thromboembolism.The antithrombotic section focuses on the ESC/EACTS clinical consensus statement on antithrombotic therapy after CABG, with special attention to postoperative AF, established AF, oral anticoagulation timing, DOACs versus VKAs, aspirin, DAPT, graft patency, bleeding risk, and avoidance of routine triple therapy. The key practical message: postoperative AF should not be ignored, but every brief episode should not automatically become lifelong anticoagulation.Finally, the EP Edge Off-track segment examines genetic predictors of GLP-1 receptor agonist weight loss and gastrointestinal side effects, including tirzepatide. Although not an EP trial, this topic matters because obesity, diabetes, sleep apnea, HFpEF, atrial remodeling, AF progression, and ablation durability are all part of the same cardiometabolic substrate.This episode is designed for electrophysiologists, cardiologists, fellows, advanced practice clinicians, researchers, and anyone following modern arrhythmia care, AF ablation, VT ablation, device therapy, wearable monitoring, cardiac surgery, anticoagulation, and cardiometabolic risk modification.Keywords: electrophysiology, atrial fibrillation, AF ablation, persistent AF, heart failure, VT ablation, pulsed field ablation, nonischemic cardiomyopathy, subcutaneous ICD, inappropriate shocks, wearable ECG, smartwatch AF detection, left atrial appendage occlusion, OPINION trial, CABG, postoperative AF, anticoagulation, DOAC, antiplatelet therapy, GLP-1, tirzepatide, EP Edge Journal Watch.