CardioExchange Archive

August 26th, 2013

New Subcutaneous ICD Said to Pose ‘Existential Crisis’ for Older ICDs

Larry Husten, PHD

Last year the FDA approved Boston Scientific’s subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD), the first ICD that doesn’t use transvenous leads. Those leads are the source of many sophisticated pacing features in today’s ICDs, but they are also the main source of ICD-related complications. FDA approval of the S-ICD was based on a pivotal trial designed to assess the […]

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November 6th, 2012

A New Era in ICD Therapy — Get with the Programming!

Arthur J. Moss, MD

The principal investigator of the MADIT-RIT trial comments on the clinical implications of his study group’s research.

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August 29th, 2011

Not Shocking: French Studies Evaluate Remote Monitoring of ICDs

Larry Husten, PHD

Remote monitoring of ICDs can reduce inappropriate shocks, but the overall clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness of the technology has not yet been demonstrated, according to two new studies presented at the ESC meeting in Paris. Salem Kacet presented the ECOST (Effectiveness and Cost of ICD Follow-Up Schedule with Telecardiology) study in which 433 ICD patients were […]

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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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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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