title: Long-term follow-up of patients treated with implantable cardioverter defibrillators in a Danish centre. Accurrence ICD therpay and patient survivors.
abstract: The aim of the this prospective follow-up study was to evaluate long-term survival and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy for ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients treated with an ICD in a Danish centre. A total of 140 consecutive patients (112 men), of which 70.7% had coronary artery disease, received an ICD at Skejby University Hospital between March 1989 and October 1996. Mean age was 55.6 +/- 14.6 years (range 14-78 years). After implantation, 136 of the patients were followed for a median (range) of 17.7 (0.4-74.1) months. Survival, mode of death and incidence of appropriate ICD therapy and therapy due to potential life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia were the main outcome measures. Kaplan-Meier plots representing total survival, cardiac death, sudden cardiac death and first episode of ICD therapy are presented. After 1, 2, 3 and 4 years, respectively, the cumulative incidences of death were 9, 18, 20 and 24%, of cardiac death 4, 11, 14 and 18%, and of sudden cardiac death 2, 3, 6 and 6%. The cumulative incidences of appropriate therapy after 1, 2, 3 and 4 years were 47, 56, 66 and 80%, respectively. The cumulative incidences of cardiac death after the first episode of appropriate therapy were 9, 11, 15 and 20% after 1, 2, 3 and 4 years, respectively. The occurrence of ICD therapy and patient survival in the present study population treated with ICD at a Danish centre was comparable to results published previously from other larger centres. The rate of sudden cardiac death was low and most of our patients received appropriate ICD therapy during follow-up, indicating correct patient selection and probable benefit of the ICD device.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Skejby University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Pedersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D003643:Death; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004554:Electric Countershock; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome