CardioExchange Archive

February 6th, 2012

Women and ICDs: More Complications, Fewer Benefits

Larry Husten, PHD

After consulting an electrophysiologist, women are just as likely as men to receive an ICD but they suffer more complications and are less likely to benefit from the device, according to a new study from Canada published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Derek MacFadden and colleagues analyzed data from 6021 patients treated at 18 ICD […]

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September 8th, 2011

When Is the Patient “Too Old” for an ICD?

Tariq Ahmad, MD, MPH and James Fang, MD

Discuss whether to implant an ICD near the end of a patient’s life.

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May 9th, 2011

Words, ICDs, and Patient-Centered Medicine…

John Mandrola, MD, FACC

John Mandrola is a cardiac electrophysiologist and blogger on matters medical and general. Here is a recent post from his blog, Dr John M. Guess what made the heart rhythm newswire yesterday? It wasn’t a new medicine, or a new stent, not even a new ablation catheter, and it surely wasn’t a revolution in motivating people to exercise. It was words. […]

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April 19th, 2011

Non-Evidence-Based ICD Implants: The Debate Continues

Larry Husten, PHD

A controversial study published earlier this year in JAMA that found that nearly a quarter of all ICD implantations did not meet evidence-based criteria is the subject of further debate this week in the letters section of JAMA. In the first letter, Jeanne Poole and George Crossley take issue with the designation by the authors of […]

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January 28th, 2011

Justice Department Files New Suit Against Boston Scientific

Larry Husten, PHD

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed another suit against Boston Scientific. The government claims that Guidant (bought by Boston Scientific in 2006) sold the Ventak Prizm 2 and the Renewal 1 and 2 devices even after the company knew they were defective. Earlier this month Boston Scientific was convicted and sentenced in a criminal case to pay more […]

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January 25th, 2011

Inappropriate ICD Shocks Linked to Increased Mortality

Larry Husten, PHD

A large, single-center observational study has found a link between inappropriate ICD shocks and mortality. In a report published in JACC, Johannes van Rees and colleagues from the Netherlands followed 1,544 patients who received an ICD from 1996 to 2006. Thirteen percent of patients had at least one inappropriate shock over 41 months of followup. Age below 70 […]

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January 21st, 2011

Heart Rhythm Society Advising DOJ in Investigation of ICD Implants

Larry Husten, PHD

The Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) has informed its members that it is “aware of an ongoing U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) civil investigation of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) implants” and that it has “agreed to assist in an advisory role to lend expertise concerning proper guidelines for clinical decision making.” HRS explained that its role involved […]

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January 4th, 2011

Study Suggests Large Proportion of ICD Implantations Lack Firm Evidence Base

John Spertus, MD, MPH

Study Summary by Larry Husten: An analysis in JAMA of the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) shows that a substantial proportion of ICD implantations are not supported by a firm evidence base. Sana Al-Khatib and colleagues examined data from 117,707 patients who received ICDs between January 1, 2006 and June 30, 2009, and found that […]

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November 2nd, 2010

Meta-Analysis Provides Little Support for Prophylactic ICD Use in Older Adults

Amy Herman

Prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy does not appear to significantly improve survival among older adults with severe left ventricular dysfunction, according to a meta-analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers analyzed data from five randomized trials comparing ICD therapy with medical treatment among some 5800 adults with cardiomyopathy. Older adults (defined as 60 and older […]

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September 28th, 2010

ICD Software Upgrade Can Reduce Inappropriate Shocks from Faulty Leads

Larry Husten, PHD

A software upgrade for ICDs can help reduce inappropriate shocks, according to a study published online in Circulation. Following reports of high failure rates of Sprint Fidelis defibrillation leads, a software program known as a lead-integrity alert (LIA) was developed for download into previously implanted ICDs. Charles Swerdlow and colleagues compared 213 ICD patients who received the […]

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