title: Wearable cardioverter-defibrillator in a patient with left ventricular noncompaction/hypertrabeculation, coronary artery disease, and polyneuropathy.
abstract: A 55-year-old Caucasian male with coronary heart disease was admitted because of dyspnea for 4 weeks. Echocardiography showed a dilated left ventricle with an ejection fraction of 34% and apical left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction with an apical thrombus. Neurologic examination revealed positional tremor and generally reduced tendon reflexes. During 8 weeks, his condition improved under pharmacotherapy. The patient was skeptical about implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and expected further improvement from pharmacotherapy. Thus, he received a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD). We conclude that a WCD might be useful in noncompaction patients in whom improvement of systolic dysfunction is expected or who are skeptical about ICDs.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Rudolf Foundation, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stöllberger
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finsterer
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011115:Polyneuropathies / Q000150:complications*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: cardiomyopathy; heart failure; implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; sudden cardiac death