Mapping the Terrain of Competing Risk Following Primary Prevention Defibrillator Implantation

Mapping the Terrain of Competing Risk Following Primary Prevention Defibrillator Implantation.

Repeat inappropriate defibrillator discharges following defibrillator implantation. What is the mechanism and treatment?

Introduction Inappropriate shocks from implantable cardioverterdefibrillator (ICD) devices are a well-described clinical problem that contributes to patient morbidity and mortality. There are a number of causes for inappropriate ICD discharge, and T-wave oversensing (TWOS) is one such example. Improvements in ICD sensing algorithms have reduced the incidence of inappropriate therapies but have ...

Risk stratification for primary implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator in patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction.

OBJECTIVES The study was designed to develop a simple risk stratification score for primary therapy with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). BACKGROUND Current guidelines recommend primary ICD therapy in patients with a low ejection fraction (EF). However, the benefit of the ICD in the low EF population may not be uniform. METHODS Best-subset proportional-hazards regression ana...

Factors Influencing Utilization of the Primary Prevention Implantable Defibrillator

BACKGROUND A growing literature suggests underutilization of the primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD); thus, factors influencing utilization need to be understood. We performed a comprehensive assessment of patient characteristics and health insurance status among subjects eligible for primary prevention ICD in a tertiary care center. METHODS From among a group of p...

Hospice Use Following Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Implantation in Older Patients

BACKGROUND Older recipients of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are at increased risk for short-term mortality in comparison with younger patients. Although hospice use is common among decedents aged >65, its use among older ICD recipients is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Medicare patients aged >65 matched to data in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry - ICD Registry from J...