ICD shocks

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a major cause of mortality presenting a significant unmet clinical need. Patients at risk of SCD are implanted with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) according to international guidelines based on clinical trial evidence. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators are not inexpensive and not without problem in terms of inappropriate shocks and infection risk. Also, only a minority of patients implanted with the ICD ever use the device during its battery lifetime highlighting the fact that methods used for SCD risk stratification are inadequate...

BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation is proven to be an effective strategy for drug refractory ventricular tachycardia (VT) in ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, the appropriate timing of VT ablation and identifying the group of patients that may receive the greatest benefit remains uncertain. There is limited data on the effect on prophylactic catheter ablation (PCA) in the prevention of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy, electrical storm, and mortality. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature search through November 1, 2017, for all eligible studies comparing PCA + ICD versus ICD only in eligible patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy...

BACKGROUND: Use of the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) in older patients has not been described previously. OBJECTIVES: To assess WCD wear time, risk of arrhythmia events during WCD use, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation rates following end of WCD use in patients with age ≥65 vs. <65 years. METHODS: We stratified 1,732 patients with ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies from the WEARIT-II registry into two sub-groups by age: ≥65 and <65 years...

Objectives: This study aimed to assess factors related to adherence to the Pediatric Advanced Life Support guidelines for severe sepsis and septic shock in an emergency room (ER) of a tertiary care children's hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study of children (0-18 years old) in The Children's Hospital of San Antonio ER over 1 year with the International Consensus Definition Codes, version-9 (ICD-9) diagnostic codes for "severe sepsis" and "shocks...

Cardiac perforation after an ICD implantation is a rare complication, with a reported incidence between 0.6-5.2%. Its manifestation might be acute, subacute, or delayed, with an acute perforation occurring within the first 24 hours after implantation, frequently accompanied by severe clinical signs, while subacute and delayed perforations have a more benign progression. Here, we report a case of a 69-year old patient with an acute right ventricular perforation by a defibrillator lead migrating all the way through the pericardium and thoracic wall into the left breast, with an unusually mild and benign clinical course, delaying prompt diagnosis and postponing subsequent surgical treatment...

BACKGROUND: Current ventricular tachycardia (VT) management in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) includes optimal medical therapy, ICDs device therapy, and antiarrhythmic medications. Data about outcomes of catheter ablation (CA) in these patients is scarce. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis of RCTs to compare outcomes of CA vs conventional management of VT in ICM patients who had ICD. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published RCTs between January 1970 and December 2016 were performed...

BACKGROUND: The entirely subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) was introduced as a new alternative to conventional transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) in Japan in February 2016, but its safety and efficacy are unclear.Methods and Results:A total of 60 patients (48 men, median age, 60 years; IQR, 44-67 years; primary prevention, n=24) underwent S-ICD implantation between February 2016 and August 2017. The device pocket was formed in the intermuscular space between the serratus anterior muscle and the latissimus dorsi muscle, and the parasternal S-ICD lead was placed according to pre-implant screening...

INTRODUCTION: Experience with the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) is expanding rapidly. However, data on long-term performance or complications related to elective generator replacement is lacking. METHODS: Follow-up (FU) data of all patients implanted between December 2008 and April 2011 were collected. Complications were defined as those requiring surgical intervention. Kaplan-Meier estimates for complication and shock rates, with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI), were calculated...

BACKGROUND: High-risk patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) are identified by contemporary risk stratification and effectively treated with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). However, long-term HCM clinical course after ICD therapy for ventricular tachyarrhythmias is incompletely understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cohort of 486 high-risk HCM patients with ICDs was assembled from 8 international centers. Clinical course and device interventions were addressed, and survey questionnaires assessed patient anxiety level and psychological well-being related to ICD therapy...

Background: We aimed to investigate the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on electrocardiography (ECG), premature ventricular contraction load on 24-hour Holter recordings, and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) shocks in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and heart failure. Methods: Patients with heart failure and ICD and patients with newly diagnosed OSAS were divided into two groups according to CPAP treatment...

INTRODUCTION: It is important for clinicians to recognize the contribution of toxic shock syndrome (TSS) to the overall burden of pediatric septic shock because the clinical features, optimal therapy and prognosis differ from non-TSS septic shock. METHODS: We analyzed cases of pediatric septic shock reported to the Pediatric Health Information Systems (PHIS) database between 2009 and 2013 to define the clinical and demographic characteristics of pediatric TSS in the US...

A working group representing the Swedish Society for Infectious Diseases, the Swedish Society for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, the Swedish Society for Emergency Medicine, and the Swedish Intensive Care Registry have reached consensus on how to adopt the new sepsis definition, Sepsis-3, in Sweden. The recommendation is to implement the new definitions and diagnostic criteria for sepsis and septic shock, but not the use of the new screening tool for sepsis, quick-SOFA, as it needs prospective validation and since it is not clear if quick-SOFA is more useful than the currently used general triage and early warning score systems...

BACKGROUND: Primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduce mortality in selected patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction by delivering therapies (antitachycardia pacing or shocks) to terminate potentially lethal arrhythmias; inappropriate therapies also occur. We assessed device therapies among adults receiving primary prevention ICDs in 7 healthcare systems. METHODS AND RESULTS: We linked medical record data, adjudicated device therapies, and the National Cardiovascular Data Registry ICD Registry...

BACKGROUND: T-wave oversensing (TWOS) is a feared complication after subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) implantation potentially leading to inappropriate shocks (IS) with tremendous impact on quality of life. HYPOTHESIS: Postoperative ergometry facilitates primary and secondary prevention of TWOS or other potential causes of IS and optimizes S-ICD programming. METHODS: We analyze the impact of ergometry guided-programming (EMGP) on primary and secondary prevention of TWOS/IS in S-ICD patients, we screened 146 patients implanted in our center (2010-2016) for the incidence of TWOS/IS during postoperative ergometry...

BACKGROUND: Implantable cardioverter/defibrillator (ICD) shocks can cause myocardial injury, contributing to the progression of the underlying heart disease. The aim was to evaluate whether internal electrical cardioversion (int-CV) via the ICD or conventional external CV (ext-CV) of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) in heart failure (HF) patients induces myocardial injury and initiates inflammation. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 115 HF patients with an ejection fraction between 20% and 45% were prospectively enrolled...

BACKGROUND: The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) has emerged as a valuable tool to temporarily protect patients at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). The aim of this study was to determine the value of the WCD for therapy optimization of heart failure patients. METHODS: One hundred five consecutive patients that received WCD between 4/2012 and 9/2016 were included in the study. All patients were followed for clinical outcome and echocardiographic parameters during WCD therapy and had continued follow-up after WCD therapy, irrespective of subsequent implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis (HD) patients have a high risk of sudden death but limited vascular access and high complication rates from transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). Subcutaneous ICDs (S-ICD) may be an alternative, but dynamic ECG changes may result in inappropriate shocks. This study aims to define the screen failure rate for S-ICD in patients pre- and post-HD. METHODS: ECG waveforms were obtained using electrodes mimicking the S-ICD sensing vectors in an unselected test group of chronic HD patients and a control group of ICD-eligible non-dialysis patients...

BACKGROUND: The management of patients explanted for implantable defibrillator (ICD) infections may be complex when anti-bradycardia pacing and tachyarrhythmia protection are needed. We aimed to test the efficacy and safety of a conventional ICD externally connected to a transvenous dual-coil lead as bridging therapy before the re-implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled seven patients explanted for ICD infections and needing prolonged antibiotic therapy in two high-volume hospitals in Italy and treated them with a passive can external ICD for a mean of 13 (4-30) days before re-implant...

INTRODUCTION: Risk assessment for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) remains complex. The goal of this study was to assess electrocardiogram (ECG)-derived risk factors on SCD in a large HCM population Methods: Retrospective review of adults with HCM evaluated at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN from 1 December 2002 to 31 December 2012 was performed. Data inclusive of ECG and 24-hour ambulatory Holter monitor were assessed. SCD events were documented by ventricular fibrillation (VF) noted on implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), or appropriate VT or VF-terminating ICD shock...