Access to cardiac implantable electronic device therapy in the ESC EuroAsia region: a comparative analysis of implantation activity, infrastructure, and health financing

Clicks: 2
ID: 316022
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #66 of 73 articles by views in european heart journal - quality of care and clinical outcomes

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Aims Access to cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) therapy varies substantially across Europe, yet data from the ESC EuroAsia region remain limited. We aimed to compare implantation activity of pacemakers (PM), implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices across ESC EuroAsia Task Force (TF) countries, and to examine how infrastructure, workforce capacity, and health financing patterns relate to device uptake. Methods National-level aggregated data were collected in 2025 through a standardized ESC EuroAsia TF survey and contextualized using EHRA Atlas indicators and World Bank/WHO health expenditure data. Implantation rates per million population were compared across Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Results Pacemaker implantation showed moderate variability (21–333 per million), whereas ICD (0.1–172 per million) and particularly CRT (1–135 per million) implantation demonstrated pronounced disparities. Countries with higher density of implanting centers and greater electrophysiology workforce availability—most notably Georgia—had substantially higher per-capita ICD and CRT implantation rates. Exploratory analyses suggested moderate positive correlations between national health expenditure (%GDP) and ICD and CRT implantation rates, whereas financing structure (out-of-pocket vs. government share) showed no consistent association. Conclusion CIED implantation activity in the ESC EuroAsia region follows a clear complexity gradient (PM > ICD > CRT), indicating that access to advanced device therapy is primarily determined by system capacity rather than guideline awareness alone. Strengthening predictable reimbursement pathways, structured referral networks, workforce development, and national registries may reduce inequities and narrow the evidence–practice gap in sudden cardiac death prevention and heart failure management.
Reference Key
openalex_W7163639984 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Ulvi Mirzoyev, Bahram Kadyrov, Erkin Mirrakhimov, Cecilia Linde, Thomas Lüscher, Jacek Bil, Robert J Gil
Journal european heart journal - quality of care and clinical outcomes
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/ehjqcco/qcag099
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjqcco/qcag099
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.