Roughly four in five Americans with cardiac implantable electronic device infections don’t receive recommended treatment, according to a Philips-funded study out of Duke University.
The large-scale, real-world analysis of CMS data also found that complete hardware extraction within 6 days was associated with a 42.9% lower risk of death than among patients who did not undergo device removal. Groups including the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) have recommended extraction for all patients with a definite CIED infection, including complete device and lead removal.
“This study highlights the life-threatening nature of device infections and the significant opportunities to improve care in these complex patients,” Dr. Jonathan Piccini, the lead investigator of the study and the director of Cardiac Electrophysiology section at the Duke Heart Center, said in a news release. “The findings also emphasize the importance of timely diagnosis and complete treatment. Making things better for patients tomorrow will require working with clinicians across various specialties to advance education to help diagnose CIED infections and deliver timely care. The opportunity to ensure all patients have access to guideline-recommended care is not only imperative, but life-saving for patients across the world.”
Philips has a broad portfolio of technologies to manage CIED leads, including both laser and mechanical lead extraction devices. The Dutch medtech giant said it had no role in the design or conduct of the analysis, which examined records of nearly 1.1 million U.S. Medicare patients who received a CIED between Jan.1, 2006, and Dec. 31, 2019.
Duke University researchers unveiled the results at the American College of Cardiology’s 71st Annual Scientific Session, which is wrapping up today in Washington, D.C.
“This CIED Infection Medicare Study clearly demonstrates that increasing adherence to [HRS/EHRA] Class I guideline care can potentially save lives,” said Chris Landon, SVP and GM of Image Guided Therapy Devices at Philips. “At Philips, we are committed to supporting evidence-based medical approaches and innovating solutions to help physicians improve outcomes and decrease mortality for CIED infection.”