The Regionalization of High-Volume Cardiac Pacing: A Prospective Cohort Study on Safety, Feasibility, and the Learning Curve in a Geriatric Population

Background

Centralizing pacemaker implantations delays care for geriatric populations in remote regions, particularly in post-Soviet healthcare systems like Latvia. We hypothesized that a regional hospital could safely establish a high-volume pacing program to overcome geographical barriers, utilizing structured mentorship from a national tertiary center.