In today’s perioperative environment, multidisciplinary collaboration isn’t just ideal—it’s essential. Patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) such as pacemakers and defibrillators present unique challenges. Safely navigating device management in the operating room requires seamless communication between anesthesiologists and cardiologists, especially electrophysiologists. Enter the Periop Pacemaker app—a tool designed to streamline this critical communication and foster shared decision-making.
Why Communication Matters
CIEDs are increasingly common: as life expectancy rises and indications expand, more surgical patients have pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices. Perioperative management of these devices involves nuanced decisions:
Is the device functioning optimally preoperatively?
Does the type of surgery or electrosurgery pose a risk for electromagnetic interference (EMI)?
Should reprogramming be done pre-operatively, and if so, how and by whom?
What are the device’s pacing dependency and sensing parameters?
What monitoring and backup plans are needed intra-operatively?
These questions cross specialty boundaries. Anesthesiologists bring expertise in intraoperative physiology and acute risk mitigation, while cardiologists and electrophysiologists bring deep knowledge of device function, programming, and long-term cardiac rhythm management. Yet in the fast-paced perioperative workflow, timely collaboration can be difficult.
Collaboration Backed by Leading Societies: ASA & HRS
The app’s development reflects an important partnership between the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS). These two organizations represent expertise in anesthesiology and cardiac rhythm management, respectively.
Their shared efforts have led to:
Consensus statements on perioperative device management that reflect both anesthetic and electrophysiologic perspectives
Interdisciplinary frameworks that prioritize patient safety through collaboration rather than siloed decision-making
This alignment ensures that the Periop Pacemaker app isn’t just a technology tool—it’s an extension of evidence-based, society-endorsed clinical guidance.
Looking Forward
As surgical populations age and device technology continues to evolve, the challenges of perioperative device management will only grow. Tools like the Periop Pacemaker app—grounded in multidisciplinary guidelines and designed for real-time collaboration—represent the future of perioperative communication.
By harnessing structured data, decision support, and society-aligned frameworks, anesthesiologists and cardiologists can more effectively partner to deliver safer, more predictable care.