Heart Rhythm Society members' views on pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator reuse.

BACKGROUND: Reuse of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) may help address the unmet need among patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
METHODS: To examine Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) physicians' opinions regarding CIED reuse, an online survey eliciting attitudes toward CIED reuse was sent to all 3,380 HRS physician members.
RESULTS: There were 429 responses (response rate 13%). A large majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that resterilization of devices for reimplantation in patients who cannot afford new devices may be safe (370, 87%) and, if proven to be safe, would be ethical (375, 88%). A total of 340 (81%) respondents would be comfortable asking their patients to consider donating their device, and 353 (84%) would be willing to reimplant a resterilized device if it were legal. The most commonly cited concerns about device reuse were infection (270, 64%) and device malfunction (125, 29%). Respondents from the United States and Canada had more favorable impressions of device reuse than respondents from other high-income countries (P < 0.05 for three of five positive statements regarding reuse), and were less likely to cite ethical concerns (P < 0.001). However, when responses from all high-income countries were compared with lower- and upper-middle income countries, there were no significant differences in the rates of approval.
CONCLUSIONS: HRS survey respondents support the concept of CIED reuse for patients in LMICs who cannot afford new devices. Studies are needed to demonstrate the clinical efficacy and safety of this practice and to identify potential barriers to adoption among physicians. ©2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.