Blomström-Lundqvist
ET AL., MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH Supraventricular
Arrhythmias
J
Am Coll Cardiol 2003;42:1493–531
ACC/AHA/ESC
Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Supraventricular
Arrhythmias
A
Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association
Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the European Society of Cardiology
Committee for Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Develop
Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Supraventricular
Arrhythmias)
Preamble
It is important that the medical profession play a significant
role in critically evaluating the use of diagnostic procedures and
therapies in the management or prevention of disease states. Rigorous
and expert analysis of the available data documenting relative benefits
and risks of those procedures and therapies can produce helpful
guidelines that improve the effectiveness of care, optimize patient
outcomes, and generally have a favorable effect on the overall cost
of care by focusing resources on the most effective strategies.
The
American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), the American Heart
Association (AHA) have jointly engaged in the production of such
guidelines in the area of cardiovascular disease since 1980.The
ACC/AHA Task Force on Practice Guidelines, whose charge is to develop
and revise practice guidelines for important cardiovascular diseases
and procedures, directs this effort. The Task Force is pleased to
have this guideline cosponsored by the European Society of Cardiology
(ESC). Experts in the subject under consideration have been selected
from all three organizations to examine subject-specific data and
write guidelines. The process includes additional representatives
from other medical practitioner and specialty groups when appropriate.
Writing groups are specifically charged to perform a formal literature
review, weigh the strength of evidence for or against a particular
treatment or procedure, and include estimates of expected health
outcomes where data exist. Patient-specific modifiers, comorbidities
and issues of patient preference that might influence the choice
of particular tests or therapies are considered as well as frequency
of follow-up. When available, information from studies on cost is
considered, but review of data on diagnostic or therapeutic efficacy
and clin- ical outcomes is the primary basis for preparing recommen-
dations in these guidelines.
The
ACC/AHA Task Force on Practice Guidelines and the ESC Committee
on Practice Guidelines make every effort to avoid any actual or
potential conflict of interest that might arise as a result of an
industry relationship or from personal biases of the writing panel.
Specifically, all members of the writing panel were asked to provide
disclosure statements of all such relationships that might be perceived
as real or potential conflicts of interest. These statements are
reported orally to all members of the writing panel during the first
meeting and are updated as changes occur.
These
practice guidelines are intended to assist physicians in clinical
decision making by describing a range of generally acceptable approaches
for the diagnosis and management of supraventricular arrhythmias.
These guidelines attempt to define practices that meet the needs
of most patients in most circumstances. The ultimate judgment regarding
care of a particular patient must be made by the physician and the
patient in light of all of the circumstances presented by that patient.
There are circumstances in which deviations from these guidelines
are appropriate.
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