I am deeply humbled to serve as your incoming Editor-in-Chief for Heart Rhythm Case Reports. To that point, I thank Dr Jared Bunch for all his guidance and support during this transition process—but mostly for his service and dedication to the journal. I think we all would agree that Jared has shepherded the journal to new heights as the preeminent source for what is to me “ground zero” for new and innovative techniques, findings, disease entities, and technology in electrophysiology. His tenure was unprecedented, and his commitment is inspiring to us all!
Thus, it will be of no surprise that the state of the journal is excellent. Now entering our 12th year, we continue to grow. Since its inception in 2014, yearly submissions have grown steadily. By year-end 2025, we saw a 25% increase in submissions over the previous year. Thanks to all our reviewers and especially the editorial board for their tireless commitment to the journal, because without their support this growth would be untenable. The acceptance rate continues to hover at approximately 50%, demonstrating that this is truly a forum for the whole of our diverse electrophysiology community, whose contributions enable the journal to continue to grow and thrive.
The journal is truly international—most submissions currently are from outside the United States. Similarly, the readership is also international—reflective of our global electrophysiology community.
The journal also continues to represent the needs and interests of our broad and diverse group of stakeholders. We continue to push beyond traditional case reports with clinical problem solving, imaging, and electrocardiographic “unknowns” categories. Focus areas include allied professionals and early career/fellows-in-training sections. The new Sports Electrophysiology section highlights the increasing interest in this area of arrhythmia management. Stay tuned for additional areas of focus, again with the primary goal of serving the interests of our readership.
In addition to providing diverse content, we hope to expand our types of media offerings. We are developing a closer partnership with Heart Rhythm TV, where vetted high-quality cases will be presented and discussed in this dynamic and highly popular medium. In addition, we will also look to highlight cases on social media. We want to further highlight excellent work, expanding on the recognition for the very best reports annually.
As I stated earlier, the journal is a forum where unique observations in electrophysiology are first presented. These observations can spark more rigorous attention to a given disease, finding, or technique. This in turn may spark scientific investigation, which of course advances our field. One of our future goals is to help facilitate this process, by linking colleagues together for case series and other potential collaborations. The journal can provide a framework for a network of clinical observations in the electrophysiology community, and we all will be better for it.
Heart Rhythm Case Reports is the place to highlight the innovation, observation, and keen insights that make electrophysiology the field we all fell in love with. In my opinion, no specialty in medicine compares with the combination of rigorous investigation, technology, and physician-scientist contribution. I am both proud and humbled to serve as your Editor-in-Chief and look forward to collaborating on building on the journal’s already robust success! Please reach out to me with any ideas or suggestions on what you want from the journal!
Disclosures
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Acknowledgments
Funding Sources
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.