Postgraduate in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing – (Grad.Cert.)

Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing is now only taught in Dutch and French
During the past few decades, major advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases. New technologies and medications have been developed with great success. Unfortunately, and in spite of all this progress, heart disease remains the number one killer in developed countries. One out of three individuals still dies from a heart problem, far more than from cancer, traumatic deaths and AIDS.

There are three major categories of heart disease:

* Diseases that affect the coronary arteries and thereby diminish the blood flow and the oxygen supply to the heart
(coronary artery disease with angina pectoris and myocardial infarction),
* Diseases affecting the mechanical function of the heart (heart failure),
* Diseases affecting the electrical system of the heart (cardiac arrhythmias).

These three different categories interact with each other and frequently coexist. For instance, an acute myocardial infarction caused by an acute obstruction of a coronary artery can cause acute heart failure and acute arrhythmias that may lead to cardiogenic shock or sudden cardiac death. Cardiac arrhythmias can also cause heart failure and heart failure can cause arrhythmias.

The interactions between the three are very complex. Ultimately the causes of cardiac death are equally divided between death from heart failure and arrhythmic death. While death from heart failure is usually predictable and protracted by treatment, arrhythmic death is unpredictable, sudden and unexpected, thereby very difficult to reverse.

Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing is now only taught in Dutch and French

Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing have become subspecialties within the Cardiology area because of their complexity and the very special skills required for the early recognition and appropriate treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and other electrical problems of the heart that can cause sudden arrhythmic death.

The European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) gives a certification in Clinical Electrophysiology and in Cardiac Pacing after passing a voluntary examination, but there is no formal practical or long-lasting theoretical training for this certification.

The Postgraduate Training in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing is offered at the UZ Brussel and Vrije Universiteit Brussel under the direction of Prof. Dr. Pedro Brugada, Head of the Heart Rhythm Management Centre at Brussels, Course Director of the Heart Rhythm Management Fellows Development Program in Europe and Asian-Pacific and Vice-Chairman of the Certification Committee on Electrophysiology of the EHRA.

This practical and theoretical postgraduate training fills the gap in education that is required for the good practice of Clinical Electrophysiology and Pacing and prepares the Fellows for a successful certification. Prof. Brugada has trained Fellows in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing for almost 30 years, helping them to obtain very important cardiology positions in centres all over the world.