Contemporary ICD Use in Patients with Heart Failure.
Michael Spartalis, Kenzaburo Nakajima, David Zweiker, Eleftherios Spartalis, Dimitrios C Iliopoulos, Gerasimos Siasos
Author Information
Michael Spartalis: Arrhythmia Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, San Raffaele University Hospital, Milan, Italy. msparta@med.uoa.gr. ORCID
Kenzaburo Nakajima: Arrhythmia Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, San Raffaele University Hospital, Milan, Italy.
David Zweiker: Arrhythmia Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, San Raffaele University Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Eleftherios Spartalis: Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research 'N. S. Christeas', Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Dimitrios C Iliopoulos: Laboratory of Experimental Surgery and Surgical Research 'N. S. Christeas', Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Gerasimos Siasos: 1St Department of Cardiology, Medical School, Hippokration Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Despite constant breakthroughs in heart failure (HF) therapy, the population of HF patients resume to grow and is linked to increased mortality and morbidity. Ventricular arrhythmias (VA) are one of the leading causes of mortality in HF subjects. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are currently the gold standard in treatment, preventing arrhythmic sudden cardiac death (SCD) episodes. However, the death rates related to HF remain elevated, as not all HF subjects benefit equally. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has emerged as a novel approach for HF patients. These devices have been thoroughly investigated in major randomized controlled studies but continue to be underutilized in various countries. This review discusses the use of ICD in HF populations on top of treatments.
