Bollmann, Andreas

Abstract Aims To develop quality indicators (QIs) that may be used to evaluate the quality of care and outcomes for adults with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods and results We followed the ESC methodology for QI development. This methodology involved (i) the identification of the domains of AF care for the diagnosis and management of AF (by a group of experts including members of the ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines Task Force for AF); (ii) the construction of candidate QIs (including a systematic review of the literature); and (iii) the selection of the final set of QIs (using a modified Delphi method). Six domains of care for the diagnosis and management of AF were identified: (i) Patient assessment (baseline and follow-up), (ii) Anticoagulation therapy, (iii) Rate control strategy, (iv) Rhythm control strategy, (v) Risk factor management, and (vi) Outcomes measures, including patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). In total, 17 main and 17 secondary QIs, which covered all six domains of care for the diagnosis and management of AF, were selected. The outcome domain included measures on the consequences and treatment of AF, as well as PROMs. Conclusion This document defines six domains of AF care (patient assessment, anticoagulation, rate control, rhythm control, risk factor management, and outcomes), and provides 17 main and 17 secondary QIs for the diagnosis and management of AF. It is anticipated that implementation of these QIs will improve the quality of AF care.

Abstract Aims As health systems around the world increasingly look to measure and improve the value of care that they provide to patients, being able to measure the outcomes that matter most to patients is vital. To support the shift towards value-based health care in atrial fibrillation (AF), the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) assembled an international Working Group (WG) of 30 volunteers, including health professionals and patient representatives to develop a standardized minimum set of outcomes for benchmarking care delivery in clinical settings. Methods and results Using an online-modified Delphi process, outcomes important to patients and health professionals were selected and categorized into (i) long-term consequences of disease outcomes, (ii) complications of treatment outcomes, and (iii) patient-reported outcomes. The WG identified demographic and clinical variables for use as case-mix risk adjusters. These included baseline demographics, comorbidities, cognitive function, date of diagnosis, disease duration, medications prescribed and AF procedures, as well as smoking, body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake, and physical activity. Where appropriate, and for ease of implementation, standardization of outcomes and case-mix variables was achieved using ICD codes. The standard set underwent an open review process in which over 80% of patients surveyed agreed with the outcomes captured by the standard set. Conclusion Implementation of these consensus recommendations could help institutions to monitor, compare and improve the quality and delivery of chronic AF care. Their consistent definition and collection, using ICD codes where applicable, could also broaden the implementation of more patient-centric clinical outcomes research in AF.

Background: Coupling between the ablation catheter and myocardium is critical to resistively heat tissue with radiofrequency ablation. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a novel local impedance (LI) measurement on an ablation catheter identifies catheter–tissue coupling and is predictive of lesion formation. Methods and Results: LI was studied in explanted hearts (n=10 swine) and in vivo (n=10; 50–70 kg swine) using an investigational electroanatomic mapping system that measures impedance from an ablation catheter with mini-electrodes incorporated in the distal electrode (Rhythmia and IntellaNav MiFi OI, Boston Scientific). Explanted tissue was placed in a warmed (37 °C) saline bath mounted on a scale, and LI was measured 15 mm away from tissue to 5 mm of catheter–tissue compression at multiple catheter angles. Lesions were created with 31 and 50 W for 5 to 45 seconds (n=90). During in vivo evaluation of LI, measurements of myocardium (n=90) and blood pool (n=30) were guided by intracardiac ultrasound while operators were blinded to LI data. Lesions were created with 31 and 50 W for 45 seconds in the ventricles (n=72). LI of myocardium (119.7 Ω) was significantly greater than that of blood pool (67.6 Ω; P <0.01). Models that incorporate LI drop (ΔLI) to predict lesion size had better performance than models that incorporate force-time integral ( R 2 =0.75 versus R 2 =0.54) and generator impedance drop ( R 2 =0.82 versus R 2 =0.58). Steam pops displayed a significantly higher starting LI and larger ΔLI compared with successful radiofrequency applications ( P <0.01). Conclusions: LI recorded from miniature electrodes provides a valuable measure of catheter–tissue coupling, and ΔLI is predictive of lesion formation during radiofrequency ablation.