Big disparities in the treatment of arrhythmias across Europe

The latest statistics regarding the use of pacemakers and implantable cardiac devices in Europe was presented on Sunday 21 June, at EUROPACE 2009, the meeting of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) which takes place in Berlin, Germany from 21 to 24 June.

These facts and figures, including the current status of healthcare systems across the continent, were included in the EHRA White Book.

"This document is intended to be the starting point in a move towards a homogeneous way of looking at data, resources, physicians, etc., across Europe. Comparison among the countries belonging to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)3, should help to standardise health resources by promoting knowledge of the status and bringing it to the attention of all public authorities" explained Christian Wolpert, Chairman of the National Societies who contributed the information gathered in the White Book.

"One of the roles of a European Association like the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), a registered branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), is to promote equal access to therapy for all patients across Europe. To do so, the first step is to compile data on the current situation in various ESC membership countries, compare them, and propose actions to move towards harmonization. The current leadership of EHRA agreed on the importance of obtaining as much current information as possible concerning the situation of the practice of electrophysiology in Europe" stressed Wolpert.

Under the leadership of Professors Christian Wolpert from Germany, Panos Vardas from Greece and Josep Brugada from Spain, a group worked to collect the most recent figures. To ensure up to date data, Presidents of the different Working Groups and National Societies were contacted and asked not only to provide data, but also to verify and authorize all the information that became available through various sources.

Wolpert declared that this data is also the point of comparison for the future: " By knowing where we are today, we will be able to benchmark in the future and see how diverse countries evolve. This means that this book must be an ongoing process, with updated information, new and additional data, and the inclusion of information from those countries that have not yet been able to collect and transmit their records."

Explaining the data, Prof Wolpert highlighted certain trends, such as the fact that "more and more, cardiologists represent the majority of implanters while surgeons are decreasingly active in these procedures."

There is a disparate coverage of diseases and treatments within the European Union and the European Society of Cardiology member countries outside of the EU. Some of the countries have no reimbursement e.g. for ICD or pacemaker therapy and the penetration of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation is very different. Data shows big differences across ESC member countries in: