Browsing by Author "Hocini, Meleze (7005495090)"

Clinical practice should follow guidelines and recommendations mainly based on the results of controlled trials, which are often conducted in selected populations and special conditions, whereas clinical practice may be influenced by factors different from controlled scientific studies. Hence, the real-world setting is better assessed by the observational registries enrolling patients for longer periods of time. However, this may be difficult, expensive, and time-consuming. In 2009, the Scientific Initiatives Committee of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) has instigated a series of surveys covering the controversial issues in clinical electrophysiology (EP). With this in mind, an EHRA EP research network has been created, which included EP centres in Europe among which the surveys on ‘hot topic’ were circulated. This review summarizes the overall experience conducting EP wires over the past 6 years, categorizing and assessing the topics regarding clinical EP, and evaluating the acceptance and feedback from the responding centres, in order to improve participation in the surveys and better address the research needs and aspirations of the European EP community. & The Author 2015.

Several kinds of electrocardiogram monitoring systems are nowavailable in the clinical practice. The aim of this European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) survey was to assess the use of different monitoring techniques in the evaluation of patients with unexplained syncope, palpitations, and in those with established diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. Forty-five centres in Europe answered the questionnaire and the majority (78%) were university hospitals. The answers showed a discrepancy between the recommended use of implantable loop recorders (ILRs) in patients with unexplained syncope and the use of this device in clinical practice. In most of the cases only a minority of patients (<20%) seemed to actually receive an ILR as a part of the diagnostic process in accordance to the current guidelines. Holter monitoring systems and external loop recorders seemed to be the preferred monitoring techniques both in patients with recurrent palpitations and in those with established diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. © The Author 2014.