[Pediatric and congenital arrhythmia treatment : A complex interplay between expertise, re-imbursement, and industry]

Children, adolescents, and patients with congenital heart defects exhibit a unique and broad spectrum of arrhythmias. Diagnosis and treatment of these arrhythmias requires highly specialized medical care structures. In addition to highly qualified medical expertise, this includes appropriate antiarrhythmic drugs and medical devices specifically tailored to this patient group for catheter ablation and device therapy. The increasing economization of the healthcare system and legal requirements-particularly the EU Medical Device Regulation-are jeopardizing existing and urgently needed new care structures due to staff shortages, insufficient training capacities, and the discontinuation of production of relevant medical devices. The resulting threat to this patient group urgently necessitates reforms to the funding of existing highly specialized care structures, as well as more attractive framework conditions for the industry for the development and approval of antiarrhythmic drugs and medical devices specifically tailored to the needs of these patients.