[Implanted cardioverters-defibrillators in the treatment of arrhythmias and prevention of sudden death].
OBJECTIVE
To present 15-year experience in use of implantable cardioverters-defibrillators (ICD) in patients with life threatening arrhythmias and a high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD).


METHODS
A total of 151 patients (116 males and 35 females aged 12-75 years) with life threatening arrhythmias and ICD were studied.


RESULTS
There were neither complications nor lethality. Electrocardiotherapy was performed in 89 (58.9%) patients 4.5 +/- 9.4 months, on the average, after ICD implantation. Attacks of ventricular tachycardia (VT) were arrested by antitachycardia stimulation (974 episodes, 37.5 +/- 92.5 per patient, on the average). Effective cardioversion in VT was observed in 63 (41.7%) cases. Episodes of rapid ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation were stopped by defibrillation shocks in 28 (18.5%) patients. Additional surgical interventions were made in 3 patients because of electrodes dislocation, in 1--because of electrode brakage and in 1--suppuration of the bed. Fifteen patients (9%) died during follow-up because of cardiac failure (n = 13), cancer (n = 1), unknown cause (n = 1).


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical application of ICD is not only treatment of arrhythmia and prevention of SCD but it is also a method of diagnosis, collection and accumulation of information about the disease course.
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000601:surgery*; D002309:Cardiology / Q000295:instrumentation; D002648:Child; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged