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Cardiac Pacing Training in Africa: Endorsed by the Africa Heart Rhythm Association (AFHRA): JACC International

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.04.079Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Studies show that pacing in Africa is insufficient with expertise only found in few cities.

  • This paper reflects severe inaccessibility to life-saving treatments, which is an urgent concern.

  • This paper reviews historical and current approaches to pacing training in Africa.

  • Standards for a high-quality pacing training service in a resource-constrained continent are reviewed with recommendations.

Abstract

The field of pacing in Africa has evolved in an uncoordinated way across the continent with significant variation in local expertise, cost, and utilization. There are many countries where pacemaker services do not meet one-hundredth of the national demand. Regional, national, and institutional standards for pacemaker qualification and credentials are lacking. This paper reviews the current needs for bradycardia pacing and evaluates what standards should be set to develop pacemaker services in a resource-constrained continent, including the challenges and opportunities of capacity building and training as well as standards for training programs (training prerequisites, case volumes, program content, and evaluation).

Key Words

AFHRA
Africa
bradycardia
statement
pacing
training

Abbreviations and Acronyms

AFHRA
Africa Heart Rhythm Association
EHRA
European Heart Rhythm Association
HRS
Heart Rhythm Society
PASCAR
Pan Africa Society of Cardiology

Cited by (0)

The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

The authors attest they are in compliance with human studies committees and animal welfare regulations of the authors’ institutions and Food and Drug Administration guidelines, including patient consent where appropriate. For more information, visit the JACC author instructions page.

Listen to this manuscript's audio summary by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Valentin Fuster on JACC.org.

Drs. Rwebembera and Jeilan contributed equally to this work.