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

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). 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.

The modern electrophysiology (EP) lab is a complex environment providing an array of interventions for the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders and is a result of many transformations over the last three decades. The EP field has witnessed very rapid expansion in the number of therapeutic procedures treating a wide range of arrhythmias, and in the new technologies available to perform these procedures. Due to the increasing complexity of equipment and procedures and an ever-expanding knowledge base, it was concluded that the field would benefit from a consensus document that would define the critical components and processes of a modern EPlaboratory.

To this end, the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) convened a multidisciplinary team to review EP laboratory design, ergonomics, personnel, equipment, occupational hazards, and patient safety, as well as clinical and ethical issues related to diagnostic and therapeutic EP procedures. 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.