Monday, May 18, 2009

HRS: Devices Key in Extending Life of Heart Patients

Researchers find highest-ever survival rates in patients with serious heart disorders

FRIDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with serious heart disorders, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices (CRT-Ds) are associated with significant long-term survival benefits, according to two studies presented this week at the annual meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society, held from May 13 to 16 in Boston.

In one study, Leslie A. Saxon, M.D., of the USC Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, and colleagues from the ALTITUDE study analyzed data on 100,000 people and found that five-year survival rates were 91.8 percent among the 47,032 ICD recipients and 75.6 percent among the 38,967 CRT-D recipients. They also found that the five-year incidence of shock was similar with ICDs and CRT-Ds (35.5 and 34.5 percent, respectively) and that shock was associated with decreased survival.

In a second study, Ilan Goldenberg, M.D., of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, and colleagues from the MADIT-II study compared eight-year outcomes in 1,232 patients with ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. They found that all-cause mortality was significantly lower in patients with an ICD than in those without the device (45 versus 61 percent).

"The results of the extended follow-up of the MADIT-II trial provide hope for long-term survival among patients suffering from life-threatening heart conditions that can often times lead to sudden cardiac death, a leading killer in this country and abroad," Goldenberg said in a statement. "This study proves that ICD therapy, sustained for over eight years, does in fact improve survival rates and ultimately save lives."

More Information - Saxon
More Information - Goldenberg

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