The second Latin American catheter ablation registry ("II LAHRS EP registry")

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Electrophysiology
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Operator experience, center volume, and technical resources significantly impact cardiac ablation (CA) outcomes.
• Existing international standards for CA exist, but regional variations persist.
• Latin American data on CA practices has not been updated in a decade.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze current information on electrophysiologists, centers, and cardiac ablation (CA) procedures in Latin America.
• To provide updated insights into the state of EP in the region.
• To compare Latin American CA practices and outcomes with international data.

Main Methods:

• An observational, retrospective study was conducted.
• Data was collected on electrophysiologists, centers, and cardiac ablation procedures performed in Latin America during 2023.
• Information encompassed operator demographics, center types, procedure volumes, and arrhythmia types treated.

Main Results:

• 178 electrophysiologists from 18 countries and 175 centers from 17 countries participated.
• Radiofrequency ablation was the predominant energy source (95.6%).
• Commonly treated arrhythmias included Atrial Fibrillation (28.2%), AVNRT (20.9%), and Accessory Pathways (15.8%), with overall success rates of 93.6% and a mortality rate of 0.05%.

Conclusions:

• The II LAHRS EP Registry provides valuable, updated data on EP practices in Latin America.
• Electrophysiologists in the region demonstrate adequate experience, skills, and qualifications.
• Despite some centers having suboptimal infrastructure, CA results in Latin America are comparable to global benchmarks.