Clinical Resources

The Heart Rhythm Society endorsed the document on July 28, 2019.
November 8, 2019—The aim of this document is to describe the current knowledge on the risks for device-related infections and to assist health care professionals in clinical decision making regarding their prevention, diagnosis, and management by providing the latest update of the most effective strategies.

May 15, 2019—Developed in partnership with and endorsed by the European Heart Rhythm Association, the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society, and the Latin American Heart Rhythm Society, the focused update (centered on Appendix B) relates to the updated manufacturer-specific programming settings/choices based on a compilation of clinical expertise and clinical trial data as reported in the 2015 HRS/EHRA/APHRS/SOLAECE Expert Consensus Statement on Optimal Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Programming and Testing of which Appendix B is a part.

May 10, 2019—The consensus statement, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis and an Executive Summary, serves as a resource guide and comprehensive review of the field for clinicians working to improve the care of patients undergoing ablation for ventricular arrhythmias. It offers guidance on how to select patients for catheter ablation, perform procedures in a safe and efficacious manner, and provide follow-up and adjunctive care to obtain the best possible outcomes for patients with ventricular arrhythmias.

 The document features a pocket guide, developed in partnership with Guideline Central and available across multiple platforms, including print, electronic media, and the Guideline Central mobile app. A slide set,  Heart Rhythm Journal webinar and Twitter chat, and video interview with Edmond M. Cronin, MB, BCh, BAO, FHRS, CCDS, CEPS-A (Chair) and Frank M. Bogun, MD (Vice-Chair) by Heart Rhythm Journal Online Editor Daniel P. Morin, MD, MPH, FHRS, are also available. The document’s presentation during the 40th Annual Heart Rhythm Scientific Sessions with slides and fully synchronized audio can be accessed on the Society’s learning center, Heart Rhythm 365.

May 9, 2019—The expert consensus statement defines the broader condition of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) that incorporates a spectrum of genetic, systematic, infectious, and inflammatory disorders. The designation includes, but is not limited to, arrhythmogenic right/left ventricular cardiomyopathy, ion channel abnormalities, amyloidosis, and left ventricular noncompaction. The consensus statement provides the clinician with guidance on evaluation and management of ACM and includes clinically relevant information on genetics and disease mechanisms. PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) questions were utilized to evaluate contemporary evidence and provide clinical guidance related to exercise in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

The document features an Executive Summary and a video interview with the Chair of the Writing Committee, Jeffrey A. Towbin, MS, MD, by Heart Rhythm Journal Online Editor Daniel P. Morin, MD, MPH, FHRS.

The Evaluation, Risk Stratification, and Management of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy pocket guide, a valuable educational reference tool developed in partnership with Guideline Central, is available across multiple platforms, including print, electronic media, and the Guideline Central mobile app.

May 8, 2019—This document provides a brief overview of U.S. federal initiatives to promote interoperability of data, the requirements needed to communicate data between information technology systems in a way that permits the sending and receiving systems to understand and process the data, a summary of the work of HRS to date, and finally strategies for clinicians seeking an environment in which they can manage their cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) patient data in a single IT system.

May 8, 2019—This document (accompanied by an editorial) focuses on digital health and cardiac electrophysiology, outlining the present state and future vision of key stakeholder groups. It also is meant to serve as a call to action to heart rhythm professionals to join in leading this transformation.

April 4, 2019—The goal of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) and the American College of Physicians (ACP) collaborative initiative was to develop a systematic screening and educational program aimed at patients from internal medicine practices to identify undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) and educate participants about the risk of stroke associated with AF. Additional goals included informing patient caregivers about the risks associated with AF as well as facilitating follow-up and treatment as warranted for those patients with screenings indicating possible AF.

The Heart Rhythm Society endorsed the document on February 11, 2019.
March 18, 2019—Asymptomatic arrhythmias are frequently encountered in clinical practice. Although studies specifically dedicated to these asymptomatic arrhythmias are lacking, many arrhythmias still require proper diagnostic and prognostic evaluation and treatment to avoid severe consequences, such as stroke or systemic emboli, heart failure, or sudden cardiac death. Given that the approach to asymptomatic arrhythmias is neither particularly clear nor straightforward, the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), in collaboration with the Heart Failure Association (HFA), the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), the Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), the Cardiac Arrhythmia Society of Southern Africa (CASSA), and the Latin American Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS), convened a Task Force to review the clinical management of specific types of asymptomatic arrhythmias. The goal was to emphasize evidence-based approaches for risk stratification and appropriate pharmacological or nonpharmacological treatments, where evidence exists for asymptomatic arrhythmias.

January 28, 2019—The purpose of this document is to update the 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for the Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation (2014 AF Guideline) in areas for which new evidence has emerged since its publication. The scope of this focused update includes revisions to the section on anticoagulant (because of the approval of new medications and thromboembolism protection devices), revisions to the section on catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF), revisions to the section on the management of AF complicating acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and new sections on device detection of AF and weight loss.

A briefing with Hugh Calkins, MD, FACC, FAHA, FHRS, available on Heart Rhythm 365, highlights the most important modifications to the guidelines and their impact on patient management.  

The Heart Rhythm Society endorsed the document on November 28, 2018. 

January 2, 2019—This document is the second of two companion appropriate use criteria (AUC) documents developed by the American College of Cardiology, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, American Heart Association, American Society of Echocardiography, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Society, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. The first document addresses the evaluation and use of multimodality imaging in the diagnosis and management of valvular heart disease, whereas this document addresses this topic with regard to structural (nonvalvular) heart disease. While dealing with different subjects, the two documents do share a common structure and feature some clinical overlap. The goal of the companion AUC documents is to provide a comprehensive resource for multimodality imaging in the context of structural and valvular heart disease, encompassing multiple imaging modalities.