title: Over 10 years with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator - a long term follow-up of 60 patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) have been implanted in Poland since 1995. As the method spreads it is important to consider its long-term benefits and disadvantages.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess survival, efficacy and complication rate in ICD patients, who received the device more than ten years earlier.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of 60 ICD patients implanted between 1995-1999.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 42 (70%) males, mean age 50.6 ± 16.4 years. In 59 patients ICD was implanted for sudden cardiac death (SCD) secondary prevention. Thirty eight patients (34 M, 63.3%) had coronary artery disease (CAD). The CAD was diagnosed in 89.5% of males and 10.5% of females (p〈 0.0001). Mean follow-up time was 75.4 ± 34.7 months. During this time 22 patients died (37%, 19 M, 3 F). Three deaths were SCD. Mean one-year mortality was 6.7%. Deaths were more frequent among males: 45.2% vs 16.7%, p〈 0.005. In CAD mortality was higher than in non-CAD patients (50% vs 13.6%, p〈 0.005). Appropriate ICD discharges in the ventricular fibrillation (VF) zone occurred in 35 (58%) patients, and in ventricular tachycardia (VT) zone - in 26 (43%) patients. Mean intervention rate per year was 3.7 for VF and 0.6 for VT. Complications occurred in 27 (45%) patients and 5 (8%) of them had no ICD intervention during follow-up. In 5 patients more than one complication was diagnosed. There were inappropriate discharges in 15 (25%) patients, 11 (18%) had electrical storm, and ICD-related infections were noted in 3 (5%) patients. During the perioperative period, lead revisions were done in 4 patients; in 3 with discharges induced by T-wave oversensing and in one with lead dislocation. Four cases of lead failure occurred during follow-up, requiring new lead implantation. In 4 patients, electrical storm (3 patients) and supraventricular tachycardia with ICD discharges (1 patient) were treated with radiofrequency ablation. Only 10 (17%) patients did not demonstrate any ICD interventions or ICD-related complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  1. ICD interventions caused by malignant ventricular arrhythmias occurred in 75% patients with the device implanted more than 10 years earlier. 2. Almost a half of the analysed population suffered from complications and side effects related to implanted ICD and they were present in 8% of subjects without ICD intervention. Neither ICD interventions nor device-related adverse events were recorded in 17% of patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland. msterlinski@poczta.onet.pl
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sterliński
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Przybylski
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gepner
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Syska
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maciag
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lewandowski
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kowalik
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pytkowski
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sitkowska-Rysiak
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lichomski
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Szwed
authors.forename: Zygmunt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sadowski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D013997:Time Factors; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*