These guidelines refer to the consensus documents of the European Society of Cardiology and of the North American Society for Pacing and Electrophysiology (NASPE, now Heart Rhythm Association).
In the line of these scientific organisations, the BWGCPE considers controlled and appropriate reprocessing of most (not all) electrophysiology catheters as Good Clinical Practice. Reprocessing is safe when the guidelines, as outlined below, are followed, constituting guidance for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).These guidelines of the BWGCPE are also inspired by its societal responsibility to provide cost-efficient health care: reprocessing bothreduces costs and may be associated with more efficient procedures since more and more complex catheters can be used. This document is a non official paper written by the Belgian Working Group on Cardiac pacing and Electrophysiology, working group of the Belgian Society of Cardiology