Clinical Resources | Heart Rhythm Society

Clinical Resources

Authored and endorsed clinical documents provide three main components vital to advancements in the heart rhythm field: analysis, discussion of current issues, and suggestions for clinical application.

HRS Clinical Document Methodology

The HRS Clinical Document Development Methodology Manual and Policies transparently declares the standards by which the HRS develops clinical practice documents, which include clinical practice guidelines, expert consensus statements, scientific statements, clinical competency statements, task force policy statements, and proceedings statements.

2014 HRS/ACC/AHA Expert Consensus Statement on the Use of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy in Patients Who Are Not Included or Not Well Represented in Clinical Trials

Clinical EP

May 9, 2014—The purpose of this expert consensus statement is to provide clinicians with guidance on the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy in the management of some common populations of patients who are not represented in clinical trials and who therefore are not specifically included in the various guidelines that provide indications for ICD therapy. However, recommendations made in this document cannot account for all the nuances of clinical medicine and cannot replace careful clinical judgment for the care of an individual patient. 


 This document was reaffirmed on October 21, 2020, and will be formally assessed by October 2025.

2014 HRS Expert Consensus Statement on the Diagnosis and Management of Arrhythmias Associated with Cardiac Sarcoidosis

Atrial Arrhythmias
Ventricular Arrhythmias

May 9, 2014This international expert consensus statement was written by experts in the field who were chosen by the Heart Rhythm Society in collaboration with representatives from the American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians, American Heart Association, Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society, European Hear Rhythm Association, and World Association for Sarcoidosis and Other Granulomatous Disorders (WASOG).

2014 PACES/HRS Expert Consensus Statement on the Recognition and Management of Arrhythmias in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Clinical EP

May 8, 2014This expert consensus statement was developed in partnership between the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES) and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). The purpose of this consensus statement is to define optimal conditions for the delivery of care regarding arrhythmias in adults with congenital heart disease and to provide expert and, where possible, evidence-based recommendations on best practice procedures for the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of arrhythmias, including medical treatment, catheter-based interventions, device therapy, and surgical options.


See also 2016 PACES/HRS Expert Consensus Statement on the Use of Catheter Ablation in Children and Patients with Congenital Heart Disease.

2014 PACES/HRS Expert Consensus Statement on the Evaluation and Management of Ventricular Arrhythmias in the Child with a Structurally Normal Heart

Ventricular Arrhythmias
Pediatric

May 8, 2014This expert consensus statement was developed in partnership between the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES) and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). The purpose of this consensus statement is to provide up-to-date recommendations on the evaluation and treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in children with structurally normal hearts (idiopathic VT).


See also 2016 PACES/HRS Expert Consensus Statement on the Use of Catheter Ablation in Children and Patients with Congenital Heart Disease.

Heart Rhythm Society Expert Consensus Statement on Electrophysiology Laboratory Standards: Process, Protocols, Equipment, Personnel, and Safety

Clinical EP

May 7, 2014—This expert consensus statement was written by experts and developed in collaboration with and endorsed by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES). The goal is to provide physicians, administrators, and regulatory personnel with the recommended requirements for building, staffing, and running a modern EP laboratory to optimize patient outcomes, minimize patient risk, and provide a safe and positive environment for physicians and staff.


 This document was reaffirmed on July 16, 2020, and will be formally assessed by July 2025. 

HRS Expert Consensus Statement on Electrophysiology (EP) Lab Standards: Process, Protocols, Equipment, Personnel and Safety

Electrophysiology

This expert consensus statement was written by experts and developed in collaboration with and endorsed by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES).  Endorsed by Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA), and Sociedad Latinoamericana de Estimulacion Cardiaca y Electrofisiologia (SOLAECE)-Latin American Society of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology.

2014 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for the Management of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial Arrhythmias
Ablation
Clinical EP

March 28, 2014—The goal of this guideline is to establish revised recommendations for optimum management of atrial fibrillation. The guideline supersedes the 2006 ACC/AHA/ESC Guideline for the Management of Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and the two subsequent focused updates from 2011.


 See 2019 AHA/ACC/HRS Focused Update the scope of which 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.

2013 HRS/EHRA/APHRS Expert Consensus Statement on the Diagnosis and Management of Patients with Inherited Primary Arrhythmia Syndromes

Device Therapy
Clinical EP

September 3, 2013The objective of the document is to provide clinical guidance for diagnosis, risk stratification, and management of patients affected by inherited primary arrhythmia syndromes. It summarizes the opinion of the international writing group members based on their own experience and on a general review of the literature with respect to the clinical data on patients affected by channelopathies. This document does not address the indications of genetic testing in patients affected by inherited arrhythmias and their family members.

2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure

Heart Failure / CRT
HRS Endorsed / Affirmed

June 5, 2013—A report of the ACC/AHA Task Force on Practice Guidelines, developed in collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians, the Heart Rhythm Society, and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, and endorsed by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, this guideline covers multiple management issues for the adult patient with heart failure. 

2013 Recommendations for Advanced Fellowship Training in Clinical Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology: A Report from the Training and Credentialing Committee of the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society

Training
Pediatric

April 30, 2013—The report expands upon guidelines published in 2005 and a supplemental consensus statement issued by the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES) and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) in 2008. The report provides an overview of training, didactic curriculum and research experience, clinical experience, and credentialing/certification.


 This document was reaffirmed on November 28, 2018, and will be formally assessed by November 2023.