Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the volume, cost, and outcomes of cardiac electrophysiology procedures in the United States.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, professional societies recommended deferral of elective procedures for optimal resource utilization. OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess changes in procedural trends and outcomes of electrophysiology (EP) procedures during the pandemic. METHODS: National Inpatient Sample databases were used to identify all EP procedures performed in the United States (2016-2020) by International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes. We evaluated trends in utilization, cost/revenue, and outcomes from EP procedures performed. RESULTS: An estimated 1.35 million EP procedures (82% devices and 18% catheter ablations) were performed (2016-2020) with significant yearly uptrend. During the pandemic, there was a substantial decline in EP procedure utilization from a 5-year peak of 298 cases/million population in the second quarter of 2019 to a nadir of 220 cases in the second quarter of 2020. In 2020, the pandemic was associated with the loss of 50,233 projected EP procedures (39,337 devices and 10,896 ablations) with subsequent revenue loss of $7.06 billion. This deficit was driven by revenue deficit from dual-chamber permanent pacemaker (PPM) utilization ($2.88 billion, 49.3% of lost cases), ablation procedures ($1.84 billion, 21.7% of lost cases), and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation ($1.36 billion, 12.0% of lost cases). To the contrary, there was a 9.4% increase in the utilization of leadless PPM. EP device implantation during the pandemic was associated with higher adverse in-hospital events (9.4% vs 8.0%; P < .001). CONCLUSION: In the United States, the significant decline in EP procedures during the pandemic was primarily driven by the reduction in dual-chamber PPM utilization, followed by arrhythmia ablation and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation. There was a substantial increase in leadless PPM utilization during the pandemic.

2023 HRS/APHRS/LAHRS guideline on cardiac physiologic pacing for the avoidance and mitigation of heart failure.

Cardiac physiologic pacing (CPP), encompassing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and conduction system pacing (CSP), has emerged as a pacing therapy strategy that may mitigate or prevent the development of heart failure (HF) in patients with ventricular dyssynchrony or pacing-induced cardiomyopathy. This clinical practice guideline is intended to provide guidance on indications for CRT for HF therapy and CPP in patients with pacemaker indications or HF, patient selection, pre-procedure evaluation and preparation, implant procedure management, follow-up evaluation and optimization of CPP response, and use in pediatric populations. Gaps in knowledge, pointing to new directions for future research, are also identified.

2023 HRS/APHRS/LAHRS guideline on cardiac physiologic pacing for the avoidance and mitigation of heart failure.

Cardiac physiologic pacing (CPP), encompassing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and conduction system pacing (CSP), has emerged as a pacing therapy strategy that may mitigate or prevent the development of heart failure (HF) in patients with ventricular dyssynchrony or pacing-induced cardiomyopathy. This clinical practice guideline is intended to provide guidance on indications for CRT for HF therapy and CPP in patients with pacemaker indications or HF, patient selection, pre-procedure evaluation and preparation, implant procedure management, follow-up evaluation and optimization of CPP response, and use in pediatric populations. Gaps in knowledge, pointing to new directions for future research, are also identified.

Sudden Cardiac Death in Patients With Type 1 Versus Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) with risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). METHODS: In a prospective community-based study of SCA from February 1, 2002, through November 30, 2019, we ascertained 2771 cases age 18 years of age or older and matched them to 8313 controls based on geography, age, sex, and race/ethnicity. We used logistic regression to evaluate the independent association between diabetes, T1D, T2D, and SCA. RESULTS: Patients had a mean age of 64.5±15.9 years, were 33.3% female and 23.9% non-White race. Overall, 36.7% (n=1016) of cases and 23.8% (n=1981) of controls had diabetes. Among individuals with diabetes, the proportion of T1D was 6.5% (n=66) among cases and 2.0% among controls (n=40). Diabetes was associated with 1.5-times higher odds of SCA. Compared with those without diabetes, the odds ratio and 95% CI for SCA was 4.36 (95% CI, 2.81 to 6.75; P<.001) in T1D and 1.45 (95% CI, 1.30 to 1.63; P<.001) in T2D after multivariable adjustment. Among those with diabetes, the odds of having SCA were 2.41 times higher in T1D than in T2D (95% CI, 1.53 to 3.80; P<.001). Cases of SCA with T1D were more likely to have an unwitnessed arrest, less likely to receive resuscitation, and less likely to survive compared with those with T2D. CONCLUSION: Type 1 diabetes was more strongly associated with SCA compared with T2D and had less favorable outcomes following resuscitation. Diabetes type could influence the approach to risk stratification and prevention of SCA.

Sudden cardiac arrest in patients with schizophrenia: A population-based study of resuscitation outcomes and pre-existing cardiovascular disease.

Objective: Individuals with schizophrenia carry a high burden of cardiovascular disease and elevated rates of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), but little published data is available regarding survival from SCA in this population. The authors compared cardiovascular disease burden and resuscitation outcomes following SCA in individuals with and without schizophrenia. Methods: Case-control analysis drawn from a prospective community-based study of SCA in a large community. The authors defined cases as having a pre-SCA history of schizophrenia, and controls as individuals with SCA without a history of schizophrenia. SCA cases with schizophrenia were compared to a 1:5 age- and sex-frequency-matched sample of SCA cases without schizophrenia. Results: The 103 SCA schizophrenia cases were as likely as the 515 cases without schizophrenia to have resuscitation attempted (75% vs. 80%; p = 0.24) and had a shorter 911 call mean response time (5.8 min vs. 6.9 min, p < 0.001). However, they were significantly less likely to present with a shockable rhythm (ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia 16% vs. 43%, p < 0.001), and less likely to survive to hospital discharge (3% vs. 14%, p = 0.008). Pre-arrest cardiovascular disease burden was similar in patients with and without schizophrenia. Conclusions: Despite comparable resuscitation characteristics and cardiovascular disease burden, patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower rates of SCA survival. The paucity of previous research into this phenomenon warrants further investigation to identify factors that may improve survival.

Sudden cardiac death during nighttime hours.

BACKGROUND: In the absence of apparent triggers, sudden cardiac death (SCD) during nighttime hours is a perplexing and devastating phenomenon. There are few published reports in the general population, with insufficient numbers to perform sex-specific analyses. Smaller studies of rare nocturnal SCD syndromes suggest a male predominance and implicate sleep-disordered breathing. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify mechanisms of nighttime SCD in the general population. METHODS: From the population-based Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study, we evaluated SCD cases that occurred in the community between 10 PM and 6 AM (nighttime) and compared them with daytime cases. Univariate comparisons were evaluated using Pearson χ2 tests and independent samples t tests. Logistic regression was used to further assess independent SCD risk. RESULTS: A total of 4126 SCD cases (66.2% male, 33.8% female) met criteria for analysis and 22.3% (n = 918) occurred during nighttime hours. Women were more likely to present with nighttime SCD than men (25.4% vs 20.6%; P < .001). In a multivariate regression model, female sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.3 [confidence interval (CI) 1.1-1.5]; P = .001), medications associated with somnolence/respiratory depression (OR 1.2 [CI 1.1-1.4]; P = .008) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma (OR 1.4 [CI 1.1-1.6]; P < .001) were independently associated with nighttime SCD. Women were taking more central nervous system-affecting medications than men (1.9 ± 1.7 vs 1.4 ± 1.4; P = .001). CONCLUSION: In the general population, women were more likely than men to suffer SCD during nighttime hours and female sex was an independent predictor of nighttime events. Respiratory suppression is a concern, and caution is advisable when prescribing central nervous system-affecting medications to patients at an increased risk of SCD, especially women.

Cost-Effectiveness of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Children with Cardiac Conditions Associated with Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death.

Children at high risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) receive implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) for prevention, but the cost effectiveness of ICDs in children at intermediate risk is unclear. Our objective was to create a cost-effectiveness model to compare costs and outcomes in children at risk of SCD, with and without ICD. Utilizing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as the proxy disease, a theoretical cohort of 8150 children was followed for 69 years. Model inputs were derived from the literature, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) used to delineate cost effectiveness. Outcomes included prevalence of severe neurological morbidity (SNM), SCD, cost, and QALYs. In children at intermediate risk of SCD (4-6% over 5 years), ICD resulted in 56 fewer cases of SNM, 2686 fewer deaths. In children at high risk (> 6% over 5 years), ICD placement resulted in 74 fewer cases of SNM and 3663 fewer deaths from cardiac causes. The costs of ICD were higher, but placement was cost effective with an ICER of $3009 per QALY in intermediate risk children, but ICD therapy was a dominant strategy in high-risk children. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated ICD placement was cost-effective until the annual probability of SCD was < 0.22%. The model was robust over a wide range of values. For children at risk of SCD, prophylactic ICD implantation is cost effective, resulting in improved outcomes and increased QALYs, despite increased costs. These findings highlight the economic benefits of ICD utilization in this population.

Sudden cardiac arrest with shockable rhythm in patients with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Patients with shockable sudden cardiac arrest (SCA; ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia) have significantly better resuscitation outcomes than do those with nonshockable rhythm (pulseless electrical activity/asystole). Heart failure (HF) increases the risk of SCA, but presenting rhythms have not been previously evaluated. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that based on unique characteristics, HFpEF (HF with preserved ejection fraction; left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] ≥50%), bHFpEF (HF with borderline preserved ejection fraction; LVEF >40% and <50%), and HFrEF (HF with reduced ejection fraction; LVEF ≤40%) manifest differences in presenting rhythm during SCA. METHODS: Consecutive cases of SCA with HF (age ≥18 years) were ascertained in the Oregon Sudden Unexpected Death Study (2002-2019). LVEF was obtained from echocardiograms performed before and unrelated to the SCA event. Presenting rhythms were identified from first responder reports. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the independent association of presenting rhythm with HF subtype. RESULTS: Of 648 subjects with HF and SCA (median age 72 years; interquartile range 62-81 years), 274 had HFrEF (23.4% female), 92 had bHFpEF (35.9% female), and 282 had HFpEF (42.5% female). The rates of shockable rhythms were 44.5% (n = 122), 48.9% (n = 45), and 27.0% (n = 76) for HFrEF, bHFpEF, and HFpEF, respectively (P < .001). Compared with HFpEF, the adjusted odds ratios for shockable rhythm were 1.86 (95% confidence interval 1.27-2.74; P = .002) in HFrEF and 2.26 (95% CI 1.35-3.77; P = .002) in bHFpEF. The rates of survival to hospital discharge were 10.6% (n = 29) in HFrEF, 22.8% (n = 21) in bHFpEF, and 9.9% (n = 28) in HFpEF (P = .003). CONCLUSION: The rates of shockable rhythm during SCA depend on the HF clinical subtype. Patients with bHFpEF had the highest likelihood of shockable rhythm, correlating with the highest rates of survival.

Cost-effectiveness of in-home automated external defibrillators for children with cardiac conditions associated with risk of sudden cardiac death.

BACKGROUND: Children at high risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) (>6% over 5 years) receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), but no guidelines are available for those at lower risk. For children at intermediate risk for SCD (4%-6% over 5 years), the utility and cost-effectiveness of in-home automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are unclear. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of in-home AED for children at intermediate risk for SCD. METHODS: Using hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) as the proxy disease, a theoretical cohort of 1550 ten-year-old children with HCM was followed for 69 years. Baseline annual risk of SCD was 0.8%. Outcomes were SCD, severe neurologic morbidity (SNM), cost, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Model inputs were derived from the literature, with a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY. RESULTS: Among children at intermediate risk for SCD, in-home AED resulted in 31 fewer cases of SCD but 3 more cases of SNM. There were 319 QALYs gained. Although costs were higher by $28 million, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $86,458, which is below the willingness-to-pay threshold. CONCLUSION: For children at intermediate risk for SCD and HCM, in-home AED is cost-effective, resulting in fewer deaths and increased QALYS for a cost below the willingness-to-pay threshold. These findings highlight the economic benefits of in-home AED use in this population.