Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Clinical Cardiology, 46(10), 1210–1219. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.24096 Dr. Laura Rottner et al.
Points
- A survey was conducted among EP centers in Germany to assess the management of cardiac tamponade.
- Most EP procedures were performed across all types of centers, but ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation was more concentrated in higher volume centers and centers with onsite cardiac surgery.
- Low-volume centers and centers without onsite cardiac surgery had a lower response rate for epicardial VT ablation.
- Exclusion criteria for ablation procedures, such as body mass index and age, were not reported by any center.
- Higher volume centers and centers with onsite cardiac surgery had better infrastructure, including dedicated EP laboratories and EP-nursing teams. They implemented different periprocedural safety precautions and management approaches for cardiac tamponade.
Summary
The study aimed to assess the management of cardiac tamponade in electrophysiological (EP) centers and evaluate the impact of center volume and onsite cardiac surgery on this management. A physician-based survey was conducted involving all hospitals in Germany performing EP procedures. The survey collected data on the infrastructure of EP centers and analyzed the results based on center volume and the presence of onsite cardiac surgery.
Out of 341 identified centers, data from 189 centers were analyzed. The survey revealed that most types of EP procedures were performed across all types of centers. However, ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation was more concentrated in higher-volume centers with onsite cardiac surgery. Low-volume centers and centers without onsite cardiac surgery had a lower response rate for epicardial VT ablation. Exclusion criteria for ablation procedures, such as body mass index and age, were not reported by any center.
Higher volume centers and centers with onsite cardiac surgery were likelier to have dedicated EP laboratories and EP-nursing teams. Differences were also observed in periprocedural safety precautions and managing cardiac tamponade among low-, mid-, and high-volume centers and centers with and without onsite cardiac surgery.
In conclusion, while patient selection was not influenced by center volume or onsite cardiac surgery, there were variations in the ablation spectrum, infrastructure, periprocedural safety precautions, and treatment of cardiac tamponade. These findings highlight the importance of considering center characteristics when assessing the management of cardiac tamponade in EP centers.
Link to the article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/clc.24096
References Rottner, L., Reubold, S., Schönhofer, S., Reißmann, B., Ouyang, F., Obergassel, J., My, I., Moser, F., Wenzel, J., Lemoine, M., Steven, D., Sommer, P., Kirchhof, P., Rillig, A., & Metzner, A. (2023). The infrastructure of electrophysiology centers impacts the management of cardiac tamponade—Results from a national survey. Clinical Cardiology, 46(10), 1210–1219. https://doi.org/10.1002/clc.24096
