Hospice Management of Patients with Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators

Because indications for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have expanded, hundreds of thousands of U.S. patients now have these devices. Hence, clinicians likely will care for rising numbers of dying patients with ICDs. Dying patients — especially those admitted to hospice — presumably want to avoid ICD shocks. In this cross-sectional survey of a random sample of U.S. hospices, investigators examined how many patients with ICDs are admitted to hospices, how often such patients receive shocks, and how hospices manage patients with ICDs.

Surveys were sent to 835 hospices, of which 414 responded. Nearly all responding hospices (97%) reported admitting patients with ICDs, and 58% reported that at least one admitted patient had receiv…