Eivind Westrum Aabel

  • Resident cardiologist and Senior researcher; MD, PhD

Eivind Westrum Aabel successfully defended his PhD thesis "Prediction of arrhythmic risk in patients with mitral annular disjunction" in May 2023. His supervisors were Professor Kristina Hermann Haugaa, MD, PhD, and Dr. Øyvind Haugen Lie, MD, PhD. In his doctoral thesis, Dr. Eivind Westrum Aabel and colleagues assessed the incidence and explored possible risk markers of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with mitral annular disjunction. The three studies of the thesis described the incidence rate of ventricular arrhythmias and described possible predictors of increased arrhythmic risk in patients with mitral annular disjunction. These observations improved our knowledge of risk stratification and provided clinicians caring for patients with mitral annular disjunction valuable information when evaluating the need for different follow-up strategies.

During his fellowship, Dr. Aabel was awarded with "Best Poster Prize" at the Annual Symposium on Heart Research two years in a row. He was also awarded with "Best Research Presentation" at the Norweigan Society of Cardiology Autumn meeting in 2021.

His research has mostly involved ventricular arrhythmias, with a focus on arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse and mitral annular disjunction, but also non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. He is the principal investigator of the first clinical trial on patients with arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse (FLECAPRO), investigating the effect of flecainide and metoprolol to suppress ventricular tachyarrhythmias.

 

Publications 2025

Chakrabarti A, Giudicessi JR, Ezzeddine FM, Delling FN, Dixit S, Lee YJ, Muser D, Magnani S, Van Wijngaarden A, Ajmone Marsan N, Miller MA, Gandhi J, Trivieri MG, Font J, Martins R, McCaffrey JA, Santangeli P, Marchlinski FE, Chapagain H, Mathew D, Kancharla K, Syed FF, Abid A, Cerbin L, Tzou WS et al. (2025)
Characteristics of Patients With the Arrhythmogenic Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome and Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Sustained Ventricular Arrhythmias
Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol, 18 (3), e013099
DOI 10.1161/CIRCEP.124.013099, PubMed 39973752

Monopoli G, Haas D, Singh A, Aabel EW, Ribe M, Castrini AI, Hasselberg NE, Bugge C, Five C, Haugaa K, Forsch N, Thambawita V, Balaban G, Maleckar MM (2025)
DeepValve: The first automatic detection pipeline for the mitral valve in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance imaging
Comput Biol Med, 192 (Pt A), 110211 (in press)
DOI 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110211, PubMed 40311468

Savelev AA, Aabel EW, Svensson A, Dahlberg P, Christensen AH, Madsen T, Bundgaard H, Heliö T, Ulfarsson A, Edvardsen T, Svendsen JH, Jensen HK, Haugaa KH, Platonov PG (2025)
Signal-Averaged ECG in the Diagnostic Workup for Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy: Insights From the Nordic ARVC Registry
J Am Heart Assoc, 14 (6), e037544
DOI 10.1161/JAHA.124.037544, PubMed 40055861

Publications 2024

Five CK, Hasselberg NE, Chivulescu M, Rootwelt-Norberg C, Ribe MP, Dejgaard LA, Castrini AI, Aabel EW, Haugaa KH (2024)
Prediction of severe ventricular arrhythmias in patients with mitral valve prolapse by exercise ECG
Heart Rhythm, 21 (11), 2339-2340
DOI 10.1016/j.hrthm.2024.04.076, PubMed 38663787

Haugaa KH, Aabel EW (2024)
Cardiac arrest, mitral annular disjunction, and mitral valve prolapse: where there is smoke, there is a fire
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging, 25 (6), 771-773
DOI 10.1093/ehjci/jeae079, PubMed 38546703

Myklebust L, Monopoli G, Balaban G, Aabel EW, Ribe M, Castrini AI, Hasselberg NE, Bugge C, Five C, Haugaa K, Maleckar MM, Arevalo H (2024)
Stretch of the papillary insertion triggers reentrant arrhythmia: an in silico patient study
Front Physiol, 15, 1447938
DOI 10.3389/fphys.2024.1447938, PubMed 39224207

Sabbag A, Aabel EW, Castrini AI, Siontis KC, Laredo M, Nizard J, Duthoit G, Asirvatham S, Sehrawat O, Kirkels FP, van Rosendael PJ, Beinart R, Acha MR, Peichl P, Lim HS, Sohns C, Martins R, Font J, Truong NNK, Estensen M, Haugaa KH (2024)
Mitral valve prolapse: arrhythmic risk during pregnancy and postpartum
Eur Heart J, 45 (20), 1831-1839
DOI 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae224, PubMed 38740526

Aaserud LT, Rootwelt-Norberg C, Five CK, Aabel EW, Hasselberg NE, Lyseggen E, Haugaa KH, Lie ØH (2024)
Progression of myocardial dysfunction and prediction of arrhythmic events in patients with exercise-induced arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
Heart Rhythm O2, 5 (10), 705-712
DOI 10.1016/j.hroo.2024.08.003, PubMed 39524050

Publications 2023

Five CK, Hasselberg NE, Aaserud LT, Castrini AI, Vlaisavljevic K, Lie Ø, Rootwelt-Norberg C, Aabel EW, Haugaa KH (2023)
Lifetime exercise dose and ventricular arrhythmias in patients with mitral valve prolapse
Europace, 25 (10)
DOI 10.1093/europace/euad309, PubMed 37851515

Kirkels FP, Rootwelt-Norberg C, Bosman LP, Aabel EW, Muller SA, Castrini AI, Taha K, van Osta N, Lie ØH, Asselbergs FW, Lumens J, Te Riele ASJM, Hasselberg NE, Cramer MJ, Haugaa KH, Teske AJ (2023)
The added value of abnormal regional myocardial function for risk prediction in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging, 24 (12), 1710-1718
DOI 10.1093/ehjci/jead174, PubMed 37474315

Kirkels FP, van Osta N, Rootwelt-Norberg C, Chivulescu M, van Loon T, Aabel EW, Castrini AI, Lie ØH, Asselbergs FW, Delhaas T, Cramer MJ, Teske AJ, Haugaa KH, Lumens J (2023)
Monitoring of Myocardial Involvement in Early Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy Across the Age Spectrum
J Am Coll Cardiol, 82 (9), 785-797
DOI 10.1016/j.jacc.2023.05.065, PubMed 37612010

Nguyen TM, Melichova D, Aabel EW, Lie ØH, Klæboe LG, Grenne B, Sjøli B, Brunvand H, Haugaa K, Edvardsen T (2023)
Mortality in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome-A Prospective 5-Year Follow-Up Study
J Clin Med, 12 (20)
DOI 10.3390/jcm12206598, PubMed 37892735

Rootwelt-Norberg C, Skjølsvik ET, Chivulescu M, Bogsrud MP, Ribe MP, Aabel EW, Beitnes JO, Brekke PH, Håland TF, Hasselberg NE, Lie ØH, Haugaa KH (2023)
Disease progression rate is a strong predictor of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with cardiac laminopathies: a primary prevention cohort study
Europace, 25 (2), 634-642
DOI 10.1093/europace/euac192, PubMed 36352512

Aabel EW, Chivulescu M, Lie ØH, Hopp E, Gjertsen E, Ribe M, Helle-Valle TM, Edvardsen T, Hegbom F, Dejgaard LA, Haugaa KH (2023)
Ventricular arrhythmias in arrhythmic mitral valve syndrome-a prospective continuous long-term cardiac monitoring study
Europace, 25 (2), 506-516
DOI 10.1093/europace/euac182, PubMed 36256597

Publications 2022

Chivulescu M, Aabel EW, Gjertsen E, Hopp E, Scheirlynck E, Cosyns B, Lyseggen E, Edvardsen T, Lie ØH, Dejgaard LA, Haugaa KH (2022)
Electrical markers and arrhythmic risk associated with myocardial fibrosis in mitral valve prolapse
Europace, 24 (7), 1156-1163
DOI 10.1093/europace/euac017, PubMed 35226070

Haugaa KH, Aabel EW (2022)
Mitral Annular Disjunction: Normal or Abnormal: It Is All About Location
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging, 15 (11), 1867-1869
DOI 10.1016/j.jcmg.2022.08.002, PubMed 36357129

Rootwelt-Norberg C, Christensen AH, Skjølsvik ET, Chivulescu M, Vissing CR, Bundgaard H, Aabel EW, Bogsrud MP, Hasselberg NE, Lie ØH, Haugaa KH (2022)
Timing of cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in patients with cardiac laminopathies-External validation of the LMNA-risk ventricular tachyarrhythmia calculator
Heart Rhythm, 20 (3), 423-429
DOI 10.1016/j.hrthm.2022.11.024, PubMed 36494026

Smedsrud MK, Chivulescu M, Forså MI, Castrini I, Aabel EW, Rootwelt-Norberg C, Bogsrud MP, Edvardsen T, Hasselberg NE, Früh A, Haugaa KH (2022)
Highly malignant disease in childhood-onset arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
Eur Heart J, 43 (45), 4694-4703
DOI 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac485, PubMed 36036653

Aabel EW, Dejgaard LA, Chivulescu M, Helle-Valle TM, Edvardsen T, Hasselberg NE, Hegbom F, Lie ØH, Haugaa KH (2022)
Flecainide in patients with arrhythmic mitral valve syndrome: A case series
Heart Rhythm, 20 (4), 635-636
DOI 10.1016/j.hrthm.2022.12.024, PubMed 36566890

Publications 2021

Chivulescu M, Aabel E, Dejgaard L, Steen T, Dunlop O, Haugaa KH (2021)
Cardiac Arrest in a Patient With Arrhythmic Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome: Multiple Possible Etiologies
JACC Case Rep, 3 (16), 1769-1773
DOI 10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.08.019, PubMed 34825207

Haugaa KH, Aabel EW (2021)
Mitral Annulus Disjunction: Arrhythmic But Not Deadly?
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging, 14 (11), 2088-2090
DOI 10.1016/j.jcmg.2021.05.014, PubMed 34147448

Aabel EW, Chivulescu M, Dejgaard LA, Ribe M, Gjertsen E, Hopp E, Hunt TE, Lie ØH, Haugaa KH (2021)
Tricuspid Annulus Disjunction: Novel Findings by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance in Patients With Mitral Annulus Disjunction
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging, 14 (8), 1535-1543
DOI 10.1016/j.jcmg.2021.01.028, PubMed 33744128

Aabel EW, Haugaa KH (2021)
The Authors' Reply
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging, 14 (8), 1684-1685
DOI 10.1016/j.jcmg.2021.06.006, PubMed 34353547

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