Do cardiologists follow the European guidelines for cardiac pacing and resynchronization therapy? Results of the European Heart Rhythm Association survey

• Published in: Europace (London, England) England), 2015-01, Vol.17 (1), p.148-151
• Main Authors: Sciaraffia, Elena, Dagres, Nikolaus, Hernandez-Madrid, Antonio, Proclemer, Alessandro, Todd, Derick, Blomström-Lundqvist, Carina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cardiac Pacing, Artificial - standards; Cardiac Pacing, Artificial - utilization; Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy - standards; Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy - utilization; Cardiology; Cardiology - standards; Europe - epidemiology; Guideline Adherence - utilization; Health Care Surveys; Heart Failure - epidemiology; Heart Failure - prevention & control; Humans; Kardiologi; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - standards; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data; Prevalence
• ISSN: 1099-5129; 1532-2092; 1532-2092
• DOI: 10.1093/europace/euu395

The purpose of this European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) EP wire survey was to evaluate the implementation of the current guidelines for cardiac pacing and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in Europe. A total of 48 centres replied to the survey, 34 of them (71%) were university hospitals. All responding centres implement CRT in patients with classical indications, i.e. sinus rhythm, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II, III, or ambulatory IV, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 35%, and left bundle-branch block (LBBB) with QRS duration >150 ms, while 31 centres (67%) would implant a CRT device in patients with the same characteristics but with a non-LBBB pattern. Forty-one centres (89%) would also implant CRT in patients with sinus rhythm, NYHA Class II, III, or ambulatory IV, LVEF