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A New Single Chamber Implantable Defibrillator with Atrial Sensing: A Practical Demonstration of Sensing and Ease of Implantation
16:40

A New Single Chamber Implantable Defibrillator with Atrial Sensing: A Practical Demonstration of Sensing and Ease of Implantation

Published on: February 28, 2012

Is there a role for antiarrhythmic drugs in patients with implantable defibrillators?

Andrew Ho1, Ramin Assadi, Sudha M Pai

  • 1Section of Cardiology, University of Southern California/Keck School of Medicine, 1510 San Pablo Street, #322,Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.

Current Cardiology Reports
|September 8, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Empiric antiarrhythmic drug use in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) is not recommended due to potential side effects, device interactions, and unclear survival benefits. Current evidence does not support its routine use in ICD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Medical Devices
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are preferred over antiarrhythmic drugs for preventing arrhythmic deaths.
  • Antiarrhythmics are still commonly used with ICDs to manage shocks from ventricular and supraventricular arrhythmias.
  • The efficacy and safety of empiric antiarrhythmic therapy in ICD patients are not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the role and impact of empiric antiarrhythmic drug use in patients with ICDs.
  • To assess the risks, benefits, and survival effects of concomitant antiarrhythmic therapy in ICD recipients.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing clinical data and randomized trials concerning antiarrhythmic drug use in ICD patients.
  • Analysis of potential side effects and drug-device interactions associated with antiarrhythmic therapy in this population.

Main Results:

  • Conflicting data exists from small trials regarding the benefits of empiric antiarrhythmic therapy.
  • Antiarrhythmic drugs can cause serious side effects and may interfere with ICD function.
  • The impact of these drugs on survival in ICD patients is not clearly characterized.

Conclusions:

  • Empiric antiarrhythmic therapy in patients with ICDs is not recommended at this time.
  • Lack of convincing clinical data, potential side effects, and drug-device interactions support this conclusion.

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