Women Suffering Sudden Cardiac Arrest Have Lower Prevalence of Structural Heart Disease Than Men Nov 19, 2009
For patients at known risk for sudden cardiac arrest or other heart rhythm abnormalities, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) may be placed in the chest or abdomen to detect faulty electrical impulses and provide a shock to return normal rhythm. The left ventricle's pumping ability is the major determinant of sudden cardiac arrest risk, and current guidelines call for patients to receive a device if left ventricular ejection fraction is measured at 35 percent or less. (Science Daily)
Heart Failure Treatment Underused Oct 22, 2009
"Aldosterone antagonist use in eligible patients was associated with younger age, African-American race/ethnicity, lower systolic blood pressure, history of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator use, depression, alcohol use and pacemaker implantation, and with having no history of renal insufficiency," wrote Nancy M. Albert of the Cleveland Clinic and colleagues. "These data confirm that in the context of a hospital-based performance improvement program, aldosterone antagonist therapy can be... (MEDLINEplus)
Area Scene: Mines hosting Youth Football Day Oct 12, 2009
Jongeling, 54, has an ICD to treat an arrhythmia ... Concerned about the possibility of recurrent episodes of ventricular tachycardia, my doctors implanted an ICD the following November. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Kamrath will run Medtronic Marathon Sep 25, 2009
Shortly thereafter, he received an ICD.. When my cardiologist recommended I receive a defibrillator I was a little skeptical at first, he said. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Study Questions Heart Device for Women Sep 17, 2009
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) May Not Curb Death in Women With Heart Failure ... (WebMD) Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) may not reduce deaths in women with heart failure, according to a new research review ... Some of the patients had ICDs surgically implanted; others had medical care that didn't include getting an ICD.. (CBS News -- Health)
Implantable Defibrillators May Not Help Women with Heart Failure Sep 16, 2009
Yet, according to an accompanying editorial, 30 percent of people getting implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, also called ICDs, are women ... ICDs are intended to prevent sudden cardiac death in heart failure patients, who have a high risk for such an event ... Given that current guidelines recommend the use of ICDs, it would be unethical to propose a trial that randomized some women to go without one, Machado explained. (MEDLINEplus)
Heart Device Might be Useless for Women Sep 16, 2009
Some believe the implantable cardioverter-defibrillators or ICDs that are implanted after a heart attack may not do anything to save womens lives at all ... The devices, called implantable cardioverter defibrillators or ICDs, are used to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients with advanced heart failure, meaning that patients who hearts have been damaged by heart attacks or heart disease so that they can no longer efficient pump blood through the body ... Each ICD costs about $30,000 per... (ABC News)
New Hope For Heart Failure Patients: Cardiac Resynchronization Sep 2, 2009
1, 2009) Patients who had a cardiac resynchronization device combined with a defibrillator (CRT-D) implanted had a 34 percent reduction in their risk of death or heart failure when compared to patients receiving only an implanted cardiac defibrillator (ICD), according to a landmark study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented today at the European Society of Cardiology Congress (ESC) in Barcelona, Spain ... In 2002, Arthur Moss, M.D., professor of Medicine at the... (Science Daily)
Video: MADIT-CRT Trial Results Provide Clinical Evidence That Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Significantly Slows Heart Failure Progression Sep 1, 2009
The primary endpoint showed that Boston Scientific's cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) were associated with a 34 percent relative reduction in the risk of all-cause mortality or first heart failure event in asymptomatic and mild (NYHA Class I and II(1)) heart failure patients, when compared to standard implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) (p=0 ... CRT-D therapy reduces the relative risk of heart failure events by 41 percent when compared to ICD therapy (p< 0 ...... (PR Newswire)
Health precautions before you fly Jul 9, 2009
In case of patients with cardiac devices and implants, remember most implanted cardiac devices, including pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators ICD, are effectively shielded from interference from security devices. However, the metal content of some of these devices, as well as certain orthopedic prostheses and braces, may trigger a security alarm. (India Times, India)
New Therapy Found To Prevent Heart Failure In Many Patients Jun 25, 2009
ScienceDaily (June 24, 2009) A landmark study has successfully demonstrated a 29 percent reduction in heart failure or death in patients with heart disease who received an implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy device with defibrillator (CRT-D) versus patients who received only an implanted cardiac defibrillator (ICD-only) ... The MADIT-CRT Executive Committee stopped the trial on June 22, 2009, when the trial achieved its primary end point significant reduction in heart failure or death... (Science Daily)
Boston Scientific Says Heart Device Study Met Goal Jun 24, 2009
ICDs are designed to restore a normal heart rhythm by delivering an electric shock ... An uptick in sales of heart resynchronization devices could also benefit the companies since those devices generally cost more than ICD implants, Biegelsen stated in a research note. (ABC News -- Wire)
EUROPACE raises remote monitoring profile Jun 22, 2009
Cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) - which include cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, implantable cardiovascular monitors and implantable loop recorders - have now been developed with numerous programmable features allowing for storage of substantial amounts of diagnostic information. The European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) and Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) expert consensus on monitoring of... (EurekAlert!)
Big disparities in the treatment of arrhythmias across Europe Jun 22, 2009
There is a disparate coverage of diseases and treatments within the European Union and the European Society of Cardiology member countries outside of the EU. Some of the countries have no reimbursement e.g. for ICD or pacemaker therapy and the penetration of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation is very different ... The numbers of ICD implanting centres range from less than 1 to 6 ... ICD implant rates including CRT-D devices range from approx. (EurekAlert!)
The Weekly Show Jun 16, 2009
An on implantable cardioverter-defibrillators notes that Aaron Lazar, the frontman for "punk-metal" band the Giraffes, who got his ICD after an almost-fatal heart attack, finds his activities restricted. At one concert, the device administered a shock "when [Lazar's] heart rate hit 192 beats per minute, the tempo of the song 'Sugarbomb.' ". (Slate)
Implanted Cardioverter Defribillators (ICDs) Extend Lives Of Heart Attack Survivors By An Entire Year: Study May 19, 2009
ScienceDaily (May 18, 2009) A landmark follow-up study found that heart attack survivors who receive implanted cardioverter defribillators (ICDs) live longer the longer they have them, according to the results of alate-breaking clinical trial presented at the annual Scientific Sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society ... ICDs are devices designed to correct arrhythmias, electrical malfunctions that throw the heart out of rhythm and cause many of the sudden cardiac deaths each year in the United... (Science Daily)
Implanted Defibrillators Boost Long-Term Survival May 16, 2009
THURSDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) --Implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) extend heart patients' lives even eight years after implantation, new research shows ... "This study proves that ICD therapy, sustained for over eight years, does in fact improve survival rates and ultimately save lives," study author Dr. Ilan Goldenberg, of the University of Rochester Medical Center, N.Y., said in a heart society news release ... After eight years of follow-up, 61 percent of patients without an ICD... (MEDLINEplus)
Mayor Dies After Election Day Defeat May 8, 2009
In January 2008, the mayor underwent surgery to have an ICD implanted in his heart. The device delivers an electrical shock to the heart in order to stop certain forms of rapid heart rhythm disturbances. (KSBW 8, CA)
500,000th heart pacemaker fitted Apr 28, 2009
The 500,000th fitting was one of the latest generation of pacemakers, a biventricular ICD. It was received by Karl Sidhu from Camberley, Surrey, to resynchronise his heart muscle function, which was not working as well as it should after a series of heart attacks. The beginning - a wearable pulse generator from 1958. (BBC News -- Health)
Recently Identified Genetic Heart Disorder Often Deadly For Young Patients Apr 1, 2009
Two other patients experienced sudden unexpected major arrhythmic events, with one patient dying suddenly (age 14 years) from ventricular fibrillation (very rapid, uncoordinated contractions of the ventricles) that was not responding to implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy. All seven patients developed left ventricular systolic (contraction of the left ventricle) dysfunction. (Science Daily)
Defibrillators may cut sudden death risk Apr 1, 2009
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs, are 98 percent effective at terminating abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to sudden cardiac death, but are not approved for use in patients who have just suffered a heart attack, said Medtronic, which makes the devices. The Iris study, released Tuesday at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Florida, found a statistically significant reduction in sudden cardiac death in a subset of patients who received ICD therapy... (MSNBC -- Health)
Targeted drug therapy prevents exercise-induced arrhythmias Mar 30, 2009
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are placed in patients at high risk for sudden death, but ongoing arrhythmias can result in frequent stressful shocks. The Dutch patient, for example, experienced ventricular tachycardia and ICD shocks whenever he got out of bed, Knollmann said ... "For this particular disease, the ICD is a suboptimal treatment," he said. (EurekAlert!)
New Test Successfully Identifies Life-threatening Heart Disease Mar 19, 2009
18, 2009) A study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has demonstrated that a new immunohistochemical test is reliable in diagnosing a dangerous arrhythmic heart disease known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC.). Reported in the March 12 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the new findings offer the possibility of a highly sensitive and specific means of identifying this life- threatening condition at an early stage, when... (Science Daily)
Blacks, Hispanics Less Apt to Get Best Heart Failure Care Mar 10, 2009
In this case, the treatment in question is actually a combination of two interventions: the insertion of a small, battery-powered, implantable defibrillator (ICD) to regulate heart rhythms; and "cardiac resynchronization therapy" (CRT), a newer approach that relies on a special pacemaker that realigns heartbeats whenever the normally simultaneous pulsing of the right and left ventricle falls out of sync ... All the patients were enrolled in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry, which by... (MEDLINEplus)
An Angry Heart Can Lead To Sudden Death Feb 26, 2009
New research published in the March 3, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology finds that anger-induced electrical changes in the heart can predict future arrhythmias in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) ... Researchers studied 62 patients with ICDs who underwent monitoring during a mental stress test ... Patients who had coronary artery disease or dilated cardiomyopathy (a condition in which the heart muscle are enlarged) and a standard... (Science Daily)
Implantable Cardioverter–Defibrillators Feb 26, 2009
To the Editor: In his article on implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) after myocardial infarction, Myerburg (Nov. 20 issue)1 summarizes the major ICD trials and makes recommendations regarding primary prevention. (New England Journal of Medicine)
An angry heart can lead to sudden death, Yale researchers find Feb 25, 2009
Lampert and her team studied 62 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and enlarged hearts. They were monitored three months after the ICD was implanted and then given a mental stress test requiring them to recall a stressful situation that angered them. (EurekAlert!)
Medtronic Jumps on Decent Earnings, Guidance Feb 18, 2009
Medtronic is the biggest player in the roughly $6 billion market for implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs, which provide shocks to jolt hearts from dangerously abnormal rhythms. The company had been losing share to rivals following the recall in October 2007 of thin wires that connect ICDs to the heart ... William A. Hawkins, Medtronic's president and chief executive, estimated the Fidelis recall overall probably cost Medtronic four points of ICD market share, mainly in the U.S. But... (SmartMoney)
NSMC support groups and programs Feb 10, 2009
Pacemaker & ICD Support Group, call for dates and times, NSMC Salem Hospital, 81 Highland Ave., Salem. This group is for anyone who has or will be getting a pacemaker. (Danvers Herald, MA)
Multiple ICD Replacements Can Predict Complications Feb 7, 2009
THURSDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) who've had multiple, previous pocket procedures have an increased risk of suffering complications after ICD replacement, according to a study that included the 12 largest ICD implanting centers in Canada. Dr. Andrew Krahn, of the London Health Sciences Center in Ontario, and colleagues also found a higher-than-expected overall ICD replacement complication rate than previous studies ... The Canadian... (MEDLINEplus)
Implanted Defibrillators Benefit Older People Feb 7, 2009
TUESDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), which deliver an electric shock to prevent sudden death when a heart stops beating properly, improve survival in people 75 and older, new research suggests. The finding contradicts several earlier studies, notably a 2007 report from Canada that said the benefits of ICDs were limited for older people ... It looked at results for 500 people who got ICDs because their left ventricles, which pump blood to the body,... (MEDLINEplus)
