Objective:

To assess global practice patterns related to infective endocarditis (IE) prophylaxis among clinicians caring for pediatric and congenital patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and to describe clinician-reported experience with CIED-associated IE.

Approach:

• Study Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive study using an anonymous, web-based survey distributed to members of the Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society (PACES).
• Survey Population: Approximately 200 PACES members were invited to participate, focusing on physicians and advanced practice providers involved in managing pediatric or adult congenital heart disease patients with CIEDs.
• Survey Development: The survey was developed by a multidisciplinary group of pediatric electrophysiologists and included multiple-choice and categorical questions across various domains related to IE prophylaxis practices.

Key Findings:

• Current guidelines for IE prophylaxis are primarily based on adult data, which may not fully apply to pediatric and congenital heart disease populations.
• The survey aimed to capture clinician-reported practices and experiences with device-related IE in both pediatric and adult populations.

Interpretation:

Understanding current practice patterns may help identify areas of uncertainty and inform future pediatric-specific recommendations.

Limitations:

• Responses were not stratified by patient age, limiting the ability to analyze practices specific to pediatric versus adult populations.
• Geographic location, institutional characteristics, and practice setting could not be analyzed due to anonymization.

Conclusion:

The study highlights the need for further investigation into IE prophylaxis practices in pediatric and congenital heart disease patients with CIEDs.