Loading...
Investigators for the MADIT II study, in which patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and LV ejection fraction ≤30% were randomized to receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or standard medical therapy, found a significant reduction in all-cause mortality in the ICD group (Journal Watch Cardiology May 3 2002). Although ICDs may prolong life, they can also inappropriately respond to atrial fibrillation and sinus tachycardia with painful and unnecessary ICD shocks. Therefore, the investigators studied the 83 of 719 (11.5%) ICD recipients in the study who experienced inappropriate ICD shocks.
The most common rhythms that provoked inappropriate shocks were atrial fibrillation (44%) and other supraventricular tachycardias (36%), includi…