Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillators, or ICDs, are small devices implanted under the skin with wires leading to the heart. The devices are powered by batteries that can last between three and six years and will recognize irregular heart beats and shock a slow beating heart into a faster rhythm or stabilize a heart that is beating irregularly. They save lives in younger patients and, as shown by the recent study, they appear to have the same benefits for patients over 70. The indication is that the devices should be offered to older patients despite some research which questions their use in this group of the population.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Paul Chan of the University of Missouri in Kansas City, said, There does not appear to be a difference in benefit between younger and older patients. We need to ensure we avoid undertreatment of older patients."
This study involved 986 patients with heart damage and ran from March 2001 to June 2005. The average age of the study group was 67 -- three to seven years older than two other clinical trials of the devices. The entire group had low heart-pumping function and there were also other conditions such as diabetes present in many of the group. Around half of the group was given ICDs.
