Real‐world geographic variations in the use of cardiac implantable electronic devices—The PANORAMA 2 observational cohort study

Background Currently, several geographies around the world remain underrepresented in medical device trials. The PANORAMA 2 study was designed to assess contemporary region‐specific differences in clinical practice patterns of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Methods In this prospective, multicenter, observational, multinational study, baseline and implant data of 4,706 patients receiving Medtronic CIEDs (Medtronic plc, Minneapolis, MN, USA; either de novo device implants, replacements, or upgrades) were analyzed, consisting of: 54% implantable pulse generators (IPGs), 20.3% implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs), 15% cardiac resynchronization therapy ‐defibrillators, and 5.1% cardiac resynchronization therapy ‐pacemakers, from 117 hospitals in 23 countries across four geographical regions between 2012 and 2016. Results For all device types, in all regions, there were fewer females than males enrolled, and women were less likely to have ischemic cardiomyopathy. Implant procedure duration differed significantly across the geographies for all device types. Subjects from emerging countries, women, and older patients were less likely to receive a magnetic resonance imaging‐compatible device. Defibrillation testing differed significantly between the regions. European patients had the highest rates of atrial fibrillation (AF), and the lowest number of implanted single‐chamber IPGs. Evaluation of stroke history suggested that the general embolic risk is more strongly associated with stroke than AF. Conclusions We provide comprehensive descriptive data on patients receiving Medtronic CIEDs from several geographies, some of which are understudied in randomized controlled trials. We found significant variations in patient characteristics. Several medical decisions appear to be affected by socioeconomic factors. Long‐term follow‐up data will help evaluate if these variations require adjustments to outcome expectations.