Variations in cardiac implantable electronic device surveillance and ancillary testing in the paediatric and congenital heart disease population: an international multi-centre survey from the Paediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society.

BACKGROUND: Expert guidance from scientific societies and regulatory agencies recommend a framework of principles for frequency of in-person evaluations and remote monitoring for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices. However, there are limited data regarding adherence to recommendations among paediatric electrophysiologists, and there are no data regarding cardiac implantable electronic device-related ancillary testing. METHODS: To assess current clinical practices for cardiac implantable electronic device in-person evaluation, remote monitoring, and cardiac implantable electronic device-related ancillary testing, the Paediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society members were surveyed. The main outcome measures were variations in frequency of in person evaluation, frequency of remote monitoring, and cardiac implantable electronic device-related ancillary testing. RESULTS: All respondents performed in-person evaluation at least once a year, but <50% of respondents performed an in-person evaluation within 2 weeks of cardiac implantable electronic device implantation. Remote monitoring was performed every 3 months for pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators by 71 and 75% respondents, respectively. Follow-up echocardiography was performed every 2-3 years by 53% respondents for patients with >50% ventricular pacing. Majority of respondents (75%) did not perform either an exercise stress test or ambulatory Holter monitoring or chest X-ray (65%) after cardiac implantable electronic device implantation. CONCLUSION: This survey identified significant practice variations in cardiac implantable electronic device in- person evaluation, remote monitoring, and ancillary testing practices among paediatric electrophysiologists. Cardiac implantable electronic device management may be optimised by development of a paediatric-specific guidelines for follow-up and ancillary testing.

Implantable cardiac devices: the utility of remote monitoring in a paediatric and CHD population.

Remote monitoring in the modern era has improved outcomes for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices. There are many advantages to remote monitoring, including improved quality of life for patients, decreased need for in-office interrogation, and secondary reduced costs. Patient safety and enhanced survival remain the most significant benefit. With most of the published literature on this topic being focussed on adults, paediatric outcomes continue to be defined. This is a review of the benefits of remote monitoring in paediatrics and in patients with CHD.

Creating a lesion-specific "roadmap" for ambulatory care following surgery for complex congenital cardiac disease.

Over the past 20 years, the successes of neonatal and infant surgery have resulted in dramatically changed demographics in ambulatory cardiology. These school-aged children and young adults have complex and, in some cases, previously unexpected cardiac and non-cardiac consequences of their surgical and/or transcatheter procedures. There is a growing need for additional cardiac and non-cardiac subspecialists, and coordination of care may be quite challenging. In contrast to hospital-based care, where inpatient care protocols are common, and perioperative expectations are more or less predictable for most children, ambulatory cardiologists have evolved strategies of care more or less independently, based on their education, training, experience, and individual styles, resulting in highly variable follow-up strategies. We have proposed a combination proactive-reactive collaborative model with a patient's primary cardiologist, primary-care provider, and subspecialists, along with the patient and their family. The goal is to help standardise data collection in the ambulatory setting, reduce patient and family anxiety, increase health literacy, measure and address the non-cardiac consequences of complex cardiac disease, and aid in the transition to self-care as an adult.

Creation of partial fascicular block: an approach to ablation of idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia in the pediatric population.

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation of idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia in the pediatric population remains challenging. A recent multicenter study reported limited success with 14% not undergoing ablation due to inability to induce ventricular tachycardia (VT) or blood pressure instability during tachycardia. Creating complete or partial fascicular block with radiofrequency catheter ablation is a technique that may eliminate VT. This approach is performed during sinus rhythm, enabling atrioventricular conduction monitoring and maintaining stable hemodynamics. Importantly, induction of VT is not necessary for mapping or assessing efficacy of the procedure. METHODS: A retrospective review of pediatric patients (3-17 years) with recurrent, documented idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia by electrocardiogram who received catheter ablation by creating fascicular block as a therapeutic endpoint was performed. All had ablation at the site of an identified Purkinje potential. RESULTS: There were six patients with idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia, five originating from the posterior fascicle and one from the anterior fascicle. VT was not induced or spontaneous in four patients using programmed stimulation and isoproterenol infusion. All patients had a QRS axis shift following ablation, though none met criteria for fascicular block. At follow up (7-49 months, mean 27 months), all patients had persistence of this shift. There were no recurrences of VT and none of the patients were taking antiarrhythmic medication. CONCLUSION: The technique of creating partial fascicular block appears to be a safe and effective approach to ablation of idiopathic left ventricular tachycardia in children.