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A New Single Chamber Implantable Defibrillator with Atrial Sensing: A Practical Demonstration of Sensing and Ease of Implantation
Published on: February 28, 2012
Physicians' knowledge and attitudes regarding implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
Saadia Sherazi1, Wojciech Zareba, James P Daubert
1Department of Medicine, Unity Health System, Rochester, NY 14626, USA. ssherazi@unityhealth.org
Insights
Physician knowledge of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) guidelines is limited, especially among primary care physicians. Improving guideline dissemination is crucial for appropriate ICD therapy referral and utilization.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Education
Background:
- Limited information exists on physician knowledge and attitudes regarding implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) referrals.
- Understanding current physician awareness is essential for improving patient care and device utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the knowledge and attitudes of primary care physicians and cardiologists concerning ICD implantation.
- To identify gaps in understanding of clinical guidelines for ICD therapy.
Main Methods:
- A survey was conducted among primary care physicians and cardiologists.
- The survey collected data on knowledge and attitudes towards ICD therapy and its indications.
Main Results:
- A significant number of physicians were unaware of ICD guidelines or unsure about specific criteria (e.g., LVEF < or = 35%).
- Cardiologists demonstrated greater familiarity with LVEF criteria than primary care physicians.
- Uncertainty was noted regarding ICD benefits in women, black patients, and older age groups (>= 80).
Conclusions:
- A notable gap exists in physician familiarity with current clinical guidelines for ICD implantation.
- Primary care physicians require improved access to and understanding of these guidelines.
- Enhanced dissemination of ICD guidelines is necessary to optimize patient selection and device use.
Background:
Information is limited regarding the knowledge and attitudes of physicians typically involved in the referral of patients for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation.
Methods:
We conducted a survey of primary care physicians and cardiologists at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the Unity Health System Rochester, NY from December 2008 to February 2009. The survey collected information regarding physicians' knowledge of and attitudes towards ICD therapy.
Results:
Of the 332 surveys distributed, 110 (33%) were returned. Over-all 94 (87%) physicians reported referring patients for ICD implantation. Eighteen (17%) physicians reported unawareness of guidelines for ICD use. Sixty-four (59%) physicians recommended ICD in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < or = 35%. Sixty-five (62%) physicians use < or = 35% as the LVEF criterion for ICD referral in patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. Cardiologists were more familiar than primary care physicians with LVEF criteria for implantation of ICD in patients with ischemic and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (p value 0.005 and 0.002, respectively). Twenty-nine (27%) participants were unsure regarding the benefits of ICDs in eligible women and blacks. Eighty two (76%) physicians believed that an ICD could benefit patients > or = 70 years old, whereas only 53 (49%) indicated that an ICD would benefit patients > or = 80.
Conclusions:
A lack of familiarity with current clinical guidelines regarding ICD implantation exists. Primary care physicians are less aware of clinical guidelines than are cardiologists. This finding highlights the need to improve the dissemination of guidelines to primary care physicians in an effort to improve ICD utilization.
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