Mortality trials with implantable defibrillators.
The continuing disappointing results from recent major studies with antiarrhythmic drugs combined with the continuing excellent outcomes with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators is making it exceedingly difficult, ethically, to conduct future randomized trials comparing the 2 treatment options. On the other hand, the high quality of stored Holter electrograms and the therapy history retrievable from current implantable cardioverter-defibrillators creates opportunities for needed trials on drug efficacy without this ethical dilemma.
Nisam
S
S
Breithardt
G
G
D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D016019:Survival Analysis