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Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduce mortality in both secondary and primary populations. In addition, devices for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) decrease hospitalizations and improve quality of life. Yet, these benefits come with risks that are often not taken into account in the physician–patient discussion about ICD implantation. To learn more, researchers analyzed data from the American College of Cardiology Foundation's National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR), which was established to track real-world ICD recipients. Linked long-term data were obtained from Medicare records.
The registry included 114,484 new implant patients aged ≥65 (mean, 75; 72% male) who received a single-chamber ICD (19.8%), dual-cham…