Data standards for transcatheter aortic valve implantation: the European Unified Registries for Heart Care Evaluation and Randomised Trials (EuroHeart)

Funding: European Society of Cardiology.publishersversionepub_ahead_of_prin

European Society of Cardiology Quality Indicators for the care and outcomes of cardiac pacing:developed by the Working Group for Cardiac Pacing Quality Indicators in collaboration with the European Heart Rhythm Association of the European Society of Cardiology

Aims: To develop a suite of quality indicators (QIs) for the evaluation of the care and outcomes for adults undergoing cardiac pacing. Methods and results: Under the auspice of the Clinical Practice Guideline Quality Indicator Committee of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the Working Group for cardiac pacing QIs was formed. The Group comprised Task Force members of the 2021 ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines on Cardiac Pacing and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy, members of the European Heart Rhythm Association, international cardiac device experts, and patient representatives. We followed the ESC methodology for QI development, which involved (i) the identification of the key domains of care by constructing a conceptual framework of the management of patients receiving cardiac pacing, (ii) the development of candidate QIs by conducting a systematic review of the literature, (iii) the selection of the final set of QIs using a modified-Delphi method, and (iv) the evaluation of the feasibility of the developed QIs. Four domains of care were identified: (i) structural framework, (ii) patient assessment, (iii) pacing strategy, and (iv) clinical outcomes. In total, seven main and four secondary QIs were selected across these domains and were embedded within the 2021 ESC Guidelines on Cardiac Pacing and Cardiac Resynchronization therapy. Conclusion: By way of a standardized process, 11 QIs for cardiac pacing were developed. These indicators may be used to quantify adherence to guideline-recommended clinical practice and have the potential to improve the care and outcomes of patients receiving cardiac pacemakers

The ‘myrhythmdevice.org’ educational website for patients with implanted cardiac devices from the European Heart Rhythm Association

International audienc

Risk factors for cardiac implantable electronic device infections:a nationwide Danish study

AIMS: Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection is a severe complication to modern management of cardiac arrhythmias. The CIED type and the type of surgery are recognized as risk factors for CIED infections, but knowledge of patient-related risk factors is scarce. This study aimed to identify lifelong patient-related risk factors for CIED infections. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive Danish patients undergoing a CIED implantation or reoperation between January 1996 and April 2018 were included. The cohort consisted of 84 429 patients undergoing 108 494 CIED surgeries with a combined follow-up of 458 257 CIED-years. A total of 1556 CIED explantations were classified as either pocket (n = 1022) or systemic CIED infection (n = 534). Data were cross-linked with records from the Danish National Patient Registry and the Danish National Prescription Registry. Using multiple-record and multiple-event per subject proportional hazard analysis, specific patient-related risk factors were identified but with several variations amongst the subtypes of CIED infection. CIED reoperations were associated with the highest risk of pocket CIED infection but also CIED type, young age, and prior valvular surgery [hazard ratio (HR): 1.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29–2.04]. Severe renal insufficiency/dialysis (HR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.65–3.49), dermatitis (HR: 2.80, 95% CI: 1.92–4.05), and prior valvular surgery (HR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.59–2.75) were associated with the highest risk of systemic CIED infections. Congestive heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, malignancy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and temporary pacing were not significant at multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Specific comorbidities and surgical procedures were associated with a higher risk of CIED infections but with variations amongst pocket and systemic CIED infection. Pocket CIED infections were associated with CIED reoperations, young age and more complex type of CIED, whereas systemic CIED infections were associated with risk factors predisposing to bacteraemia

2021 ESC Guidelines on cardiac pacing and cardiac resynchronization therapy

Pacing is an important part of electrophysiology and of cardiology in general. Whereas some of the situations requiring pacing are clear and have not changed over the years, many others have evolved and have been the subject of extensive recent research, such as pacing after syncope (section 5), pacing following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI; section 8), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for heart failure (HF) and for prevention of pacing-induced cardiomyopathy (section 6), and pacing in various infiltrative and inflammatory diseases of the heart, as well as in different cardiomyopathies (section 8). Other novel topics include new diagnostic tools for decision-making on pacing (section 4), as well as a whole new area of pacing the His bundle and the left bundle branch (section 7). In addition, attention has increased in other areas, such as how to systematically minimize procedural risk and avoid complications of cardiac pacing (section 9), how to manage patients with pacemakers in special situations, such as when magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or irradiation are needed (section 11), how to follow patients with a pacemaker with emphasis on the use of remote monitoring, and how to include shared decision-making in caring for this patient population (section 12). The last pacing guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) were published in 2013; therefore, a new set of guidelines was felt to be timely and necessary