Implanted Heart Device Prevents Death
Dec. 5, 2001 -- For those who have survived a heart attack, death can come quickly and without warning a few years later. It's called sudden cardiac death. Yet too few people realize they are at risk, doctors say.
Victims of cardiac arrest lose consciousness in seconds, and death is inevitable unless they receive an electric shock to restore the heart's rhythm within minutes of the event, says Eric Prystowsky, MD, president of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology.
Now, a landmark study finds that these deaths are highly preventable with the aid of a small device -- called an implantable cardiac defibrillator or ICD -- that in effect jump-starts a damaged heart.
After just a few years of testing, an independent review panel has decided the device's effectiveness no longer needed to be proven. The panel has called for an end to the Multi-Center Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial (MADIT II).
The study's preliminary results are "exciting, significant -- they showed a 30% decrease in mortality in those with the defibrillator," Prystowsky tells WebMD. He has been a lead investigator of studies involving earlier versions of the device, and is also director of electrophysiology laboratory at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis.
The device could potentially save thousands of lives, he tells WebMD. "There are many, many people who need to be evaluated, to see if they should have this device."
Vice president (and heart attack survivor) Dick Cheney has an ICD in his chest because his cardiologists determined his risk of sudden cardiac death was high. The rest of America's heart attack survivors -- estimated at 7 million -- should also be talking to their doctors about getting evaluated for one, Prystowsky says.
Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than lung cancer, breast cancer, and AIDS combined, according to statistics.
Here's how the device works: When a heart attack occurs, it damages the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber. The ICD, like a pacemaker, is implanted under the skin and monitors the heart's rhythm. When a dangerous rhythm is detected, it delivers a controlled electric shock to restore the heart's normal rhythm.
Victims of cardiac arrest lose consciousness in seconds, and death is inevitable unless they receive an electric shock to restore the heart's rhythm within minutes of the event, says Eric Prystowsky, MD, president of the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology.
Now, a landmark study finds that these deaths are highly preventable with the aid of a small device -- called an implantable cardiac defibrillator or ICD -- that in effect jump-starts a damaged heart.
After just a few years of testing, an independent review panel has decided the device's effectiveness no longer needed to be proven. The panel has called for an end to the Multi-Center Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial (MADIT II).
The study's preliminary results are "exciting, significant -- they showed a 30% decrease in mortality in those with the defibrillator," Prystowsky tells WebMD. He has been a lead investigator of studies involving earlier versions of the device, and is also director of electrophysiology laboratory at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis.
The device could potentially save thousands of lives, he tells WebMD. "There are many, many people who need to be evaluated, to see if they should have this device."
Vice president (and heart attack survivor) Dick Cheney has an ICD in his chest because his cardiologists determined his risk of sudden cardiac death was high. The rest of America's heart attack survivors -- estimated at 7 million -- should also be talking to their doctors about getting evaluated for one, Prystowsky says.
Sudden cardiac death is a leading cause of death in the U.S., killing more people than lung cancer, breast cancer, and AIDS combined, according to statistics.
Here's how the device works: When a heart attack occurs, it damages the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber. The ICD, like a pacemaker, is implanted under the skin and monitors the heart's rhythm. When a dangerous rhythm is detected, it delivers a controlled electric shock to restore the heart's normal rhythm.