IMR Press / RCM / Volume 26 / Issue 4 / DOI: 10.31083/RCM36206
Open Access Systematic Review
Economic Evaluations in Electrophysiology in the Last 15 Years: A Systematic Review of the Literature
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Affiliation
1 Cardiology Division, Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Policlinico di Modena, 41121 Modena, Italy
2 Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41121 Modena, Italy
3 Advocacy, Quality Improvement and Health Economics (AQIHEC) Committee, EHRA, 06903 Sophia Antipolis, France
4 Department of Cardiology, H.U.B.-Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1070 Bruxelles, Belgium
*Correspondence: giuseppe.boriani@unimore.it (Giuseppe Boriani)
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2025, 26(4), 36206; https://doi.org/10.31083/RCM36206
Submitted: 5 December 2024 | Revised: 26 January 2025 | Accepted: 24 February 2025 | Published: 23 April 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ablation of Cardiac Arrhythmias in 2024 and Beyond)
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract
Background:

Electrophysiology (EP) procedures, including cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and ablations, are widely used to manage arrhythmias and heart failure. These interventions, though effective, require substantial resources, prompting the need for systematic economic evaluations to inform healthcare decision-making.

Methods:

A systematic review of studies from 2007 to 2024 was conducted in two phases. Phase one assessed trends in economic evaluations of EP procedures, analyzing 129 studies across regions and timeframes. Phase two focused on cost-effectiveness analyses of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds), and atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation, examining outcomes like quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs), while identifying factors influencing economic results.

Results:

EP procedures generally demonstrated favorable cost-effectiveness, particularly in high-income regions. Studies on ICDs and CRT-Ds consistently supported their economic value for patients with arrhythmias or heart failure, while AF ablation showed potential for long-term benefits, particularly when compared to medical therapies. However, results varied by region, reflecting differences in healthcare systems, costs, and patient populations.

Conclusions:

The review highlights the overall cost-effectiveness of EP procedures in many settings but underscores the need for tailored economic evaluations in low- and middle-income countries. Simplified methodologies and greater attention to regional contexts are recommended to guide resource allocation and policy development globally.

Keywords
atrial fibrillation
pacemaker
defibrillator
cost-effectiveness
health economics
ablation
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