Heart Rhythm Society Policy Statement Update: Recommendations on the Role of Industry Employed Allied Professionals (IEAPs).

R ntroduction n 2001, the North American Society of Pacing and Elecrophysiology (Heart Rhythm Society) published a policy tatement to provide guidance for industry employed allied rofessionals (IEAPs) who render technical assistance durng pacemaker/Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) mplantations, programming, analysis of malfunctions, and ollow-up. These principles were incorporated in a recent onsensus document on the monitoring of implanted cariovascular electronic devices. The term IEAP is applied o persons who are employed or contracted manufacturer epresentatives, field clinical engineers, and industry emloyed technical specialists. These individuals often have xpertise about specific features of pacemakers or ICDs that s unique to the manufacturer’s product. This expertise may e extremely valuable to physicians and the clinical allied rofessionals (CAPs) they employ. In some instances, CAPs ay be employed by the institution incident to the practice f the responsible physician. The physician bears the reponsibility for assessing effectiveness of device programing and any device malfunctions and recommending speific courses of action. The Heart Rhythm Society sponsored an Industry Forum n July 2007 to discuss the role of industry in the care of atients with heart rhythm disorders. One topic of discusion was the role of IEAPs and the need to update the uidelines published in 2001. The meeting was attended by enior Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) staff, officers of HRS, nd executives representing several leading manufacturers f technology used in the care of heart rhythm disorders. broader scope of devices is in widespread use today. lthough pacemakers and ICDs remain central to this disussion, the guidelines must also account for technical asistance supporting intra-cardiac echocardiography, electronatomic mapping systems, remote navigation, and other echnologies that are evolving to assist complex procedures