Although rare, the occurrence of a pacemaker or a defibrillator infection is an important complication which can and must be treated fast and effectively. On a weekly basis the story unfolds: how to best manage CIED patients when their device becomes infected and gather insights from physicians with different specialties in an interactive setting.

This series is supported by Philips.

What is a CIED? - Archie Rao and Angelo Auricchio

Although rare, infection of a pacemaker or a defibrillator is an important complication which must and can be treated effectively. Cardiac electronic implantable device (CIED) infection is a Class I indication for extraction but recent data have demonstrated that less than 2 in 10 patients receive appropriate treatment. Prof Carina Blomström-Lundqvist, Swedish Professor of Cardiology, and Dr Archie Rao, British consultant cardiologist, are both passionate about this topic. Carina Blomström-Lundqvist is the lead author of the European CIED infection guidelines and Archie Rao has led a gap analysis into the knowledge of CIED infection and treatment. They explain how to recognise a patient at risk and what to do to provide best outcomes for your patient.

This series is supported by Philips.

How to Recognise and Treat CIED Infection - Carina Blomström-Lundqvist and Archie Rao

Although rare, cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections may occur at any timepoint in the lifecycle. It is important to remain alert and recognise signs early. Traditionally, antibiotics alone are used to treat infection. But for CIED infections, when treated with antibiotics only, the relapse rate varies between 50 and 100 percent. But why is that? Dan Atar, Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal ‘Cardiology’, and infectiologist Stefan Hagel, not only challenge the traditional point of view but tear down the decades of belief which surround it. Why are antibiotics not doing the job? What are the consequences? What is the solution? Why are infections sometimes overlooked and what is the action to change that in your practice?

This series is supported by Philips.

Why Do Antibiotics Fail With CIED Infection? - Dan Atar and Stefan Hagel

Infection of a cardiac electronic implantable device (CIED) is a rare, but serious complication. We now know that, because of the appearance of biofilm on implants, these infections cannot be treated by antibiotics alone. As such, Worldwide Cardiac Society guidelines recommend complete system removal of all hardware, including the leads, when an infection is present. Although the guidelines are clear, too many patients continue to not get the appropriate treatment. Why is that? Mauro Biffi and Carina Blomström-Lundqvist, both experts in the field of lead extraction, see a lot of patients fall through the cracks. They discuss why and what the consequences are of not extracting in time but also: what is the recommended care pathway to improve the outcomes.

This series is supported by Philips.

Lead Extraction is the Solution to Treat CIED Infection - Mauro Biffi & Carina Blomström-Lundqvist

Infection of a cardiac electronic implantable device (CIED) is a rare, but serious, complication. When this happens, the removal of the entire system, generator and leads, is the only correct way to treat the infection. What happens during a procedure with lead extraction? Brigitte Osswald, an expert in the field who has performed more than 3,500 lead extraction procedures, talks to Nicola Montano, a physician in internal medicine, about the fundamentals of the procedure and explains why and how this is lifesaving for her patients.

This series is supported by Philips.

Procedure of Lead Extraction - Brigitte Osswald and Nicola Montano

When the pacemaker or the defibrillator of a patient becomes infected, and if it's not immediately treated correctly, it can be a very emotional journey for the patient. Prof Biffi and Prof Ferreira have treated many CIED infection patients and often see cases where treatment was inappropriate or unnecessarily delayed. They share two touching patient stories with Prof Nicola Montano, physician in internal medicine. They discuss how these patients fell through the cracks of the diagnostic and therapeutic pathway and the devastating consequences for the patient.

This series is supported by Philips.

Patients Stories of a CIED Infection – Nicola Montano, Mauro Biffi and Ignacio Ferreira Gonzalez

An infection can have serious consequences for patients with a pacemaker or defibrillator when not treated appropriately. In this episode, Angelo Auricchio and Archie Rao explore which practical changes can be made to your clinical setting to improve these patients’ pathway.

This series is supported by Philips.

How to Improve the Care Pathway - Archie Rao and Angelo Auricchio

Patients with a pacemaker or defibrillator have a risk of having a device-related infection. Discover in this episode which actions can be taken to reduce the risk for infection. From pre-procedure planning to post-operative care, Dan Atar, Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal ‘Cardiology’, and Carina Blomström-Lundqvist, lead author on the international consensus document addressing this topic, will discuss preventative measures for CIED infection.

This series is supported by Philips.

How Can CIED Infection Be Prevented? - Dan Atar and Carina Blomström-Lundqvist

In one of her many posts on Instagram, we can see Dr Hafiza Khan holding a table summarising her reactogenicity after her second COVID shot. In the frame next to her is her son listing his own reactions.

Ankur’s guest is Dr Hafiza Khan, Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Baylor Scott & White Arrhythmia Management in Dallas. One of only 9 women in her field in Texas, she started to think about her legacy and the ways she can increase her impact and give back to her colleagues and patients as well as future medical students. 18 months ago, she started a microblog with the aim of drawing more women to her specialty and procedure-based medicine. Today she has more than 50.000 followers, many of them aspiring clinicians themselves. Her expertise and personal touch not only make her feed a great educational tool, but also a binge-worthy source at a time when building bridges between the scientific community and the public is key. 
In this episode, Ankur asks Hafiza to talk about Instagram and reaching millennial and gen Z audiences, as well as the importance of developing and maintaining trust between different communities at a time of information overload.
Follow her on Instagram @heart.beat.doctor.

Questions and comments can be sent to “podcast@radciffe-group.com” and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode. Guest @HafizaKMD, hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCARDIO.

Brought to you by Edwards: www.edwardstavr.com

EP 42: Dr Hafiza Khan on Trust, Patient Outreach and Instagram

‘Parallax’ (/ˈparəlaks/)-noun: the effect whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions. Join Ankur Kalra, MD as he shows you a different side to cardiovascular care, management and science. Listen to Ankur’s conversations with legendary cardiologists, critical reviews of key congresses and late-breaking trials, and concise summaries. Published every second Monday of the month, this is your fix of reliable updates on all things cardiology by someone from a non-traditional background, who is always trying to look at it from new angles! Dear cardiologists, we want to make this podcast about you, and for you! Please email us critical thoughts, comments and questions for Ankur at podcast@radcliffe-group.com.

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