Article Abstract:
It appears that implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are more costly but may extend patient life longer compared to amiodarone drug treatment. An ICD is a device that detects an abnormal heart rhythm and shocks the heart back to normal rhythm. Researchers evaluated the theoretical cost-effectiveness of ICDs, amiodarone, and amiodarone possibly followed by an ICD based on a range of death rate reduction assumptions. ICDs may cost more than $50,000 per year of extended life and may be more costly for high-risk patients. This figure may be lower if ICDs are more than 30% more effective than amiodarone treatment.
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Article Abstract:
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) can prevent cardiac arrest in some patients with severe heart disease, according to researchers who analyzed eight studies covering 4,909 patients. Patients most likely to benefit from an ICD included those who had survived a previous cardiac arrest, those with ventricular arrhythmias, and some patients with heart failure. ICDs are devices that detect an abnormal heart rhythm and then shock the heart back into its proper rhythm.
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Article Abstract:
All patients with coronary artery disease who have survived a cardiac arrest should receive an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). These are devices that detect an arrhythmia and shock the heart back into a proper rhythm. More research is needed before ICDs can be recommended to other patients with heart disease. More than half the people who have a heart attack and die suddenly did not have serious heart disease.
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