Implantable defibrillators better than drugs for preventing sudden cardiac death

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new trial shows that an implantable defibrillator is the most effective way of patients with heart failure avoiding sudden cardiac death.
A previous large scale study suggests that those with heart failure do better on implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) than on medical therapy when it comes to preventing sudden cardiac death. Now a team at the Northwestern Cardiovascular Institute confirms this.

The first study showed that there was a 35 per cent relative decrease in sudden cardiac death on ICDs. The second showed a 27 per cent relative decrease. So, although ICDs are expensive, they may be cost-effective in the long term. However, the choice of treatment should depend on the severity of the heart failure. It may be that the defibrillator is better suited to those with more severe heart failure. The findings do suggest that more patients may now benefit from an ICD if this is chosen over medical therapy.

Source
New England Journal of Medicine 20th January 2005