Heart Failure 2023: Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices: A Cornerstone of HF Care

During this symposium, organized at the Heart Failure Congress in Prague (May 20-23, 2023), the following topics were discussed: 

• Prevention of sudden cardiac death: Relevance in contemporary heart failure care. 

• Cardiac resynchronization therapy: A cornerstone of comprehensive heart failure care. 

• Remote monitoring of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices: Risk stratification and care pathway. 

The main challenges addressed in the symposium are the poor outcomes (quality of life, hospitalization, mortality rates) and high economic burden associated with heart failure. 

The symposium highlights the benefits of devices and drugs working together to optimize care. 

 

The symposium started with a warm welcome from the Chair, Dr. Antoni Bayes-Genis from Barcelona, Spain, who introduced the topics and the participants. The event featured three renowned speakers who shed light on different aspects of cardiac rhythm management: 

• Dr. Gianluigi Savarese (Stockholm, Sweden) discussed the prevention of sudden cardiac death and its relevance in contemporary heart failure care. He highlighted data on the importance of identifying patients at high risk of sudden cardiac death and optimizing medical therapy to reduce mortality rates. 

• Dr. Wilfried Mullens (Genk, Belgium), spoke about cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) as a cornerstone of comprehensive heart failure care. He emphasized the need for structured follow-up programs for patients eligible for CRT devices to ensure optimal outcomes. 

• Dr. Fozia Ahmed (Manchester, United Kingdom) focused on remote monitoring of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices. She explained how device heart failure risk alerts can serve as a pre-hospital clinical early warning system, identifying patients at risk of hospitalization and improving heart failure care. 

Overall, the symposium provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities in cardiac rhythm management, emphasizing the importance of a broad approach to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. 

A comprehensive management program was proposed: prescribing the right medications, using appropriate devices, providing essential interventions (e.g., coronary disease management), educating patients about lifestyle changes, and continuously monitoring patients' progress.