Initially tested for the secondary prevention of lifethreatening ventricular arrhythmias in survivors of cardiac arrest,1 the effectiveness of implantable cardioverterdefibrillator (ICD) therapy has recently been validated for the primary prevention of sudden cardiac death in high-risk patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.2,3 Despite an improvement in survival (30% relative risk redu...

OBJECTIVES To analyze the incidence and causes of ICD therapies in children and young adults and verify their impact on the quality of life (QoL). METHODS From March/1977 to February/2006, 29 patients (15.7+/-5.4 years old) were submitted to ICD implants. Aborted cardiac arrest (41.5%), sustained ventricular tachycardia (27.6%) and primary prophylaxis of sudden cardiac death (30.9%) indicated...

BACKGROUND In patients with primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), the incidence of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias resulting in ICD therapy is relatively low, prompting for better risk stratification. The aim of this study was to assess the value of the QRS-T angle for prediction of ICD therapy and mortality in primary prevention patients with ischemic hear...

The product recall of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) creates a potentially stressful event for patients. This study briefly describes the psychological adjustment of patients with implantable devices and makes recommendations for the management of device recalls and adverse outcomes to minimize psychological distress. Because the occurrence of ICD-specific fears and symptoms of...

To the Editor: Clinical indications for cardiac rhythm management devices (CRMDs) have expanded dramatically. The impact of this expansion upon rates of CRMD infection, a complication of device therapy that often requires system explantation (1), has not been clearly defined. We hypothesized that the current growth in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) utilization would impact rates o...

IN the first installment of this two-part communication, we reviewed the indications for an implanted pacemaker or internal cardioverter–defibrillator (ICD), provided a brief overview of how a device is selected, and described the basics of pacemaker and ICD design and function. Here we discuss specific device malfunction, electromagnetic and mechanical interference, and management for patients...

AIMS Our aim was to evaluate the potential for safely imaging patients with a new type of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator called the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) in a 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. With the increasing number of patients with cardiac implantable devices who are indicated for MRI, there is a growing need for establishing MRI ...

AIMS The ECOST trial examined prospectively the long-term safety and effectiveness of home monitoring (HM) of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). METHODS AND RESULTS The trial's primary objective was to randomly compare the proportions of patients experiencing ≥ 1 major adverse event (MAE), including deaths from all causes, and cardiovascular, procedure-related, and device-related ...

47-year-old man with dilated cardiomyopathy, ambulatory left ventricular assist device (Heartmate II, Thoratec Corporation, Pleasanton, CA), and biventricular pacemaker/ implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) (St. Jude Medical, St Paul, MN) presented with syncope to a local hospital. He was hemodynamically stable and otherwise asymptomatic. His electrolyte panel was unremarkable. Initial ...

background: although implantable cardioverter defibrillator (icd) saves the life of patients with life-threatening ventricular dysrhythmias, it causes various challenges in their life span. considering the increase in the number of icd users, more knowledge is required regarding changes in the patients’ life after device implantation. the aim of this study was description of changes in daily li...