Canadian national electrophysiology ablation registry report 2011-2016.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Interventional cardiac electrophysiology (EP) is a rapidly evolving field in Canada; a nationwide registry was established in 2011 to conduct a periodic review of resource allocation. METHODS: The registry collects annual data on EP lab infrastructure, imaging, tools, human resources, procedural volumes, success rates, and wait times. Leading physicians from each EP lab were contacted electronically; participation was voluntary. RESULTS: All Canadian EP centres were identified (n = 30); 50 and 45 % of active centres participated in the last 2 instalments of the registry. A mean of 508 ± 270 standard and complex catheter ablation procedures were reported annually for 2015-2016 by all responding centres. The most frequently performed ablation targets atrial fibrillation (PVI) arrhythmia accounting for 36 % of all procedures (mean = 164 ± 85). The number of full time physicians ranges between 1 and 7 per centre, (mean = 4). The mean wait time to see an electrophysiologist for an initial non-urgent consult is 23 weeks. The wait time between an EP consult and ablation date is 17.8 weeks for simple ablation, and 30.1 weeks for AF ablation. On average centres have 2 (range: 1-4) rooms equipped for ablations; each centre uses the EP lab an average of 7 shifts per week. While diagnostic studies and radiofrequency ablations are performed in all centres, point-by-point cryoablation is available in 85 % centres; 38 % of the respondents use circular ablation techniques. CONCLUSIONS: This initiative provides contemporary data on invasive electrophysiology lab practices. The EP registry provides activity benchmarks on national trends and practices.

Reduction in unnecessary ventricular pacing fails to affect hard clinical outcomes in patients with preserved left ventricular function: a meta-analysis.

Aims: Several pacing modalities across multiple manufacturers have been introduced to minimize unnecessary right ventricular pacing. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess whether ventricular pacing reduction modalities (VPRM) influence hard clinical outcomes in comparison to standard dual-chamber pacing (DDD). Methods and Results: An electronic search was performed using Cochrane Central Register, PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. Only randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included in this analysis. Outcomes of interest included: frequency of ventricular pacing (VP), incident persistent/permanent atrial fibrillation (PerAF), all-cause hospitalization and all-cause mortality. Odds ratios (OR) were reported for dichotomous variables. Seven RCTs involving 4119 adult patients were identified. Ventricular pacing reduction modalities were employed in 2069 patients: (MVP, Medtronic Inc.) in 1423 and (SafeR, Sorin CRM, Clamart) in 646 patients. Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics were similar between VPRM and DDD groups. The mean follow-up period was 2.5 ± 0.9 years. Ventricular pacing reduction modalities showed uniform reduction in VP in comparison to DDD groups among all individual studies. The incidence of PerAF was similar between both groups {8 vs. 10%, OR 0.84 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57; 1.24], P = 0.38}. Ventricular pacing reduction modalities showed no significant differences in comparison to DDD for all-cause hospitalization or all-cause mortality [9 vs. 11%, OR 0.82 (95% CI 0.65; 1.03), P= 0.09; 6 vs. 6%, OR 0.97 (95% CI 0.74; 1.28), P = 0.84, respectively]. Conclusion: Novel VPRM measures effectively reduce VP in comparison to standard DDD. When actively programmed, VPRM did not improve clinical outcomes and were not superior to standard DDD programming in reducing incidence of PerAF, all-cause hospitalization, or all-cause mortality.

Association of Cardiology Billing Amounts With Health Care Utilization and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

Background The relationship between health care utilization and outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate whether cardiologists' billing amounts in a fee-for-service environment are associated with better patient-level clinical outcomes. Methods and Results A retrospective cohort study was conducted using administrative claims data of cardiologists in Ontario, Canada between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2016. The cardiologists were stratified into quintiles based on their median billing patterns per patient over the observation period. The primary outcomes were patient-level receipt of repeat visits, cardiac diagnostic tests, and medications ≤1 year of index date. The secondary clinical outcomes were death, emergency department visits, and all-cause hospitalization 1-year post-index visit. The patient cohort comprised 182 572 patients with atrial fibrillation (median age 74 years, 58% male) from 467 cardiologists. Patients with atrial fibrillation seen by higher-billing cardiologists were 26% more likely to have an echocardiogram (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.26 [95% CI, 1.10-1.43] for quintile 5 versus 2), 28% a stress test (aOR, 1.28 [1.12-1.46] for quintile 5 versus 2), 25% continuous electrocardiographic monitoring (aOR, 1.25 [1.08-1.46] for quintile 4 versus 2), and 79% more likely to get a stress echocardiogram (aOR, 1.79 [1.32-2.42] for quintile 5 versus 2). They also had a higher rate of all-cause hospitalization (aOR, 1.13 [1.07-1.20]). Mortality rates were similar across cardiologists billing quintiles (eg, aOR, 0.98 [0.87-1.11] for quintile 4 versus 2). Conclusions Higher-billing cardiologists ordered more diagnostic tests per patient with atrial fibrillation but these are not associated with improvements in outcomes.

Dual-Antithrombotic Therapy With DOACs After Acute Coronary Syndrome or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Atrial Fibrillation: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: The choice of antithrombotic therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who have an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is challenging. We aimed to assess outcomes between dual-antithrombotic therapy with the use of direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) plus an antiplatelet agent (dual therapy) compared with warfarin plus 2 antiplatelet agents (triple therapy) for AF patients after PCI or with ACS. METHODS: Systematic searches of multiple major databases were performed from their inception through September 2019. We included only randomized controlled trials. Odds ratios (ORs) were pooled with the use of a random-effects model. RESULTS: We identified 4 randomized controlled trials, which included 7168 patients. Compared with triple-antithrombotic therapy with warfarin, dual-antithrombotic therapy with DOACs was associated with a significant reduction in major bleeding (OR 0.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38-0.82; P = 0.003) as well as major bleeding or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.38-0.75; P < 0.001). The rate of composite of death and ischemic events (stroke and myocardial infarction) was not statistically different between groups (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.99-1.49; P = 0.06). There was no significant difference between groups in the rate of death (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.95-1.53; P = 0.13). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AF and recent ACS or PCI, the use of dual-antithrombotic therapy with DOACs was associated with less major bleeding and less major bleeding or clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding compared with triple therapy. The use of dual therapy also showed nonsignificantly higher composite of death and ischemic events but no difference in mortality.

Outcomes of ICDs and CRTs in patients with chronic kidney disease: a meta-analysis of 21,000 patients.

PURPOSE: The efficacy of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear. The aim of this meta-analysis is to explore the association between ICD/CRT and mortality in CKD patients. METHODS: An electronic search was conducted using MEDLINE. We included studies that reported outcomes of interest in CKD patients stratified by the presence of ICD, CRT, or none. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Outcomes were pooled using random effects model. Odds ratios (OR) were reported for dichotomous variables. RESULTS: The literature search resulted in 11 studies (observational studies) including 21,136 adult patients: seven studies compared ICD vs. no ICD and four studies compared CRT vs. ICD. All-cause mortality was significantly lower in the ICD group in comparison to that in the no ICD group (OR 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.45; 0.98), P = 0.04). Among dialysis-only patients, all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the ICD group (OR 0.49 (95% CI 0.38; 0.64), P < 0.001). All-cause mortality was significantly lower in the CRT group in comparison to that in the ICD group (OR 0.73 (95% CI 0.57; 0.92), P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The use of ICDs is associated with lower all-cause mortality in observational studies of CKD patients. CRT use was also associated with lower all-cause mortality in CKD patients in comparison to ICDs. A randomized controlled trial is required to definitively define the role of ICDs/CRTs in CKD patients.

Impact of Contact Force Technology on Atrial Fibrillation Ablation: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Catheter-tissue contact is essential for effective lesion formation, thus there is growing usage of contact force (CF) technology in atrial fibrillation ablation. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess the impact of CF on clinical outcomes and procedural parameters in comparison to conventional catheter for atrial fibrillation ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS: An electronic search was performed using major databases. Outcomes of interest were recurrence rate, major complications, total procedure, and fluoroscopic times. Continuous variables were reported as standardized mean difference; odds ratios were reported for dichotomous variables. Eleven studies (2 randomized controlled studies and 9 cohorts) involving 1428 adult patients were identified. CF was deployed in 552 patients. The range of CF used was between 2 to 60 gram-force. The follow-up period ranged between 10 and 53 weeks. In comparing CF and conventional catheter groups, the recurrence rate was lower with CF (35.1% versus 45.5%, odds ratio 0.62 [95% CI 0.45-0.86], P=0.004). Shorter procedure and fluoroscopic times were achieved with CF (procedure time: 156 versus 173 minutes, standardized mean difference -0.85 [95% CI -1.48 to -0.21], P=0.009; fluoroscopic time: 28 versus 36 minutes, standardized mean difference -0.94 [95% CI -1.66; -0.21], P=0.01). Major complication rate was lower numerically in the CF group but not statistically significant (1.3% versus 1.9%, odds ratio 0.71 [95% CI 0.29-1.73], P=0.45). CONCLUSIONS: The use of CF technology results in significant reduction of the atrial fibrillation recurrence rate after atrial fibrillation ablation in comparison to the conventional catheter group. CF technology is able to significantly reduce procedure and fluoroscopic times without compromising complication rate.

VDD vs DDD pacemakers: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Dual-chamber (DDD) and VDD pacing are recognized alternatives for patients with advanced atrioventricular (AV) conduction abnormalities and spared sinus node function. The comparative data between these 2 modes are limited. METHODS: A literature search was performed using multiple major databases. Outcomes of interest were (1) adverse events including incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and (2) procedural parameters. Odds ratio (OR) was reported for dichotomous variables and standardized mean difference (SMD) for continuous variables. RESULTS: Eight controlled studies (7 cohorts and 1 randomized controlled trial: total 1942 patients) were included. VDD mode was used in 922 patients. Mean follow-up period for the VDD group was 51 ± 24 months. There was a trend toward lower overall adverse events in the VDD group (9.6% vs 11.6%; OR, 0.74 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.51-1.05; P = 0.09]). Shorter implantation and fluoroscopy times were noted with VDD pacing (46.2 ± 12 vs 65.9 ± 20 minutes; SMD, -0.96 [95% CI, -1.26 to -0.66; P < 0.0001] and 4.6 ± 1 vs 9.3 ± 0.4 minutes; SMD, -0.83 [95% CI, -1.38 to -0.29; P = 0.003], respectively). Mean P-wave amplitude was significantly lower in VDD (1.5 ± 0.8 mV vs 3.1 ± 0.9 mV; P = 0.02). The incidence of AF was lower in the VDD group but it did not reach statistical significance (7.5% vs 13.0%; OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.39-1.27; P = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that VDD is a reasonable alternative to DDD pacemakers with lower pneumothorax risk and shorter implantation and fluoroscopy times. More high-quality data are required to definitively compare the 2 strategies.

Snapshot of adult invasive cardiac electrophysiology in Canada: results of the web-based registry.

PURPOSE: Interventional cardiac electrophysiology (EP) has experienced a significant growth in Canada. Our aim is to establish a periodic registry as a nationwide initiative. METHODS: The registry is designed to collect information regarding EP laboratory infrastructure, human resources, and the spectrum and volumes of EP procedures. Respective administrative staff were contacted electronically. RESULTS: Out of 25 identified Canadian EP centers, 19 centers (76%) have participated in the registry. Responding centers have access on average to 5.3 lab days per week to perform EP studies/ablations; average lab time per full- and part-time (prorated to 0.5) EP physician is 0.8 day per week. Diagnostic EP studies and radio-frequency ablations are performed in all (19) centers; cryoablation is available in 83% of centers. Two centers have remote magnetic navigation systems. EnSite NavX is the most widely available 3D mapping system utilized in 15 (83%) centers, followed by CARTO and intracardiac echo which are each available in 14 (78%) centers; LocaLisa is actively used in one center. The number of full-time physicians ranges between 0 and 7, with a mean of 3.5 full-time physicians per center. The ratio of staff to trainees is 1.6:1. A total of 8,041 EP procedures are performed in the 19 centers per annum. On an annual average, 104 procedures per one operator and 159 procedures per trainee are performed. CONCLUSIONS: This registry provides contemporary information on invasive EP lab resources and procedures in Canada. It also demonstrates that Canadian EP procedural intensities of practice and training are comparable to international standards.