Implantable defibrillators and antiarrhythmic drugs in patients at risk for lethal arrhythmias

The high mortality rate and frequency of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with congestive heart failure has prompted numerous clinical trials aimed at reducing mortality by addressing arrhythmic death. Recently completed trials have suggested that for patients who have survived cardiac arrest, the preferred treatment may be an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). From the standpoint of primary prevention, implantable defibrillators and amiodarone have received the most attention. It remains unclear, however, to which patients these studies apply, and if and how the results might be generalized. No available studies confirm an additional benefit of pharmacologic or device-based antiarrhythmic therapy beyond that offered by optimal treatment with beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and lipid-lowering drugs in the majority of patients with cardiomyopathy. Clinical trials are ongoing to address these issues.