ICD Shocks and Mortality: “The Chicken or the Egg?” March 8, 2010
Posted by Andrea M. Russo, MD, FACC, FHRS in Scientific Sessions.Tags: Antitachycardia pacing, ICD
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Do implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) shocks increase mortality?
There is now some data to suggest that shocks are associated with increased mortality. Is this because “shocks are bad,” or are these shocks just markers for the severity of underlying heart disease? In addition, can we infer that “painless” therapy using antitachycardia pacing will be beneficial by reducing shocks? (more…)
New Study Demonstrates Potential Mortality Benefit of APT in ICD Patients March 4, 2010
Posted by Heart Rhythm Society in Society News.Tags: Antitachycardia pacing, HeartRhythm Journal, ICD, Ventricular arrhythmias
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A new study published in the March issue of the Heart Rhythm Society’s journal, HeartRhythm, documents an analysis of ICD patients enrolled in four different trials which found that patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (VA) treated only with antitachycardia pacing (ATP) have higher survival rates than VA patients who experienced at least one shock-treated episode. According to this research, 80.2 percent of VA episodes were successfully treated with ATP-only therapy from an ICD. (more…)
New Year’s Resolution: ATP February 1, 2010
Posted by Heather M. Ross, DNP, ANP-BC, CCDS, CEPS, FHRS in Allied Health Professionals.Tags: Antitachycardia pacing, ATP, ICD
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The New Year is here, full of personal resolutions to eat better and exercise more. So far, a few (handfuls of) M&Ms may have accidentally found their way to me. And my plan to exercise every day is, well, still in the planning phase.
But despite my personal resolution…um…plans, I am determined to make my professional resolution stick. 2010 will be the year of ATP – that is, making sure that antitachycardia pacing (ATP) is programmed for every appropriate patient, according to evidence shown by Walthen et al. (2004) in the PainFREE RX II trial.
This year, I’m taking special note to check the tachy zones to make sure that even for prophylactic ICDs, there is a VT zone with ATP programmed. And if there’s not, I have a plan in place to address it in my practice.
I hope that none of my patients ever have to have ATP, and that their prophylactic ICDs remain prophylactic and not therapeutic. But just in case, I feel good knowing that I have done everything I can, using all the evidence available, to avoid unnecessary shocks in 2010 and onward.
Heart Rhythm Society
Laurie Racenet, RN, MSN, ANP
Michael Giudici, MD, FACC, FACP, FHRS
Heather M. Ross, DNP, ANP-BC, CCDS, CEPS, FHRS
Anne Dubin, MD, FHRS
John D. Day, MD, FHRS
Andrea M. Russo, MD, FACC, FHRS
Joshua M. Cooper, MD, FACC
Amit J. Shanker, MD, FHRS, FACC
Bruce Stambler, MD
David Wiggins, RN, BS BME, CEPS
Fred M. Kusumoto, MD, FHRS
Leonard Ganz, MD, FHRS
christinechiuman
Craig Delaughter, MD, PhD
Ariana Del Negro, Heart Rhythm 2010 Quality
Peng-Sheng Chen, MD, FHRS
MSKremers MD,FHRS
Ann C. Garlitski, MD, FACC, FHRS
Alan Cheng, MD, FHRS
Ulrika Birgersdotter-Green, MD
Christopher Clyne, MD, FHRS
Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, FHRS
David Scher, MD, FHRS
Sanjay Deshpande, MD, FHRS
