Heart rhythm : the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society
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Clinical Trial
Outcomes and costs of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death among the elderly.
The clinical outcomes and costs of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) used for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death in nonexperimental settings are uncertain. ⋯ ICD implantation was associated with reduced mortality in a nonexperimental, elderly, primary-prevention patient population hospitalized for CHF. The additional health-care costs of ICD implantation were substantial but comparable to published cost-effectiveness models that have projected ICDs to be cost-effective.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Electromagnetic interference with pacemakers caused by portable media players.
Electromagnetic fields generated by electrical devices may cause interference with permanent pacemakers. Media players are becoming a common mode of portable entertainment. The most common media players used worldwide are iPods. These devices are often carried in a shirt chest pocket, which may place the devices close to an implanted pacemaker. ⋯ iPods placed within 2 inches of implanted pacemakers monitored via the telemetry wand can cause interference with pacemakers.
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Clinical Trial
Large, single-center, single-operator experience with transvenous lead extraction: outcomes and changing indications.
Lead extraction is increasingly necessary given the exponential growth in cardiac device implantation. Meanwhile, the tools, indications, and outcomes of this procedure continue to change. ⋯ In a high-volume center, lead extraction has a high success rate and low complication rate. Infection was the most common indication overall. Lead failure has decreased in relative proportion. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator leads and longer lead implant time are associated with a requirement for laser lead extraction.