Introduction
Cardiac electrophysiology (EP) is a specialised field focused on diagnosing and treating electrical disorders of the heart. Arrhythmias can lead to a broad range of issues from palpitations, dizziness, chest pain, heart failure, stroke and sudden cardiac death. While advanced treatments such as catheter ablation, pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are available, access to these life-saving technologies and interventions varies dramatically across different regions creating significant global healthcare inequalities.
Geographical disparities
High-income countries (HICs) like the USA, Canada and many European nations have well-developed healthcare systems with widespread access to advanced EP treatments. Specialist physicians and cutting-edge technology with the facilities to perform procedures like catheter ablation are readily available. Additionally, public and private health insurance systems can often subsidise these expensive procedures, leading to wider adoption and access.
In contrast, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as large parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America suffer from limited access to these therapies.1 Many healthcare systems in LMICs face resource constraints, with low numbers of trained electrophysiologists, limited infrastructure and costly technology.2 As a result, patients often have very limited …
