title: Primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in elderly patients: is it justified to withhold treatment?
abstract: Implementation of primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) treatment in the current clinical guidelines led to a significant increase in patients that may benefit from implantation of an ICD. Currently non-guideline-guided patient selection takes place by physicians whereby patients at higher age are more frequently excluded for ICD implantation. This editorial focuses on ICD treatment in the elderly and aims to clarify whether it is justified to withhold ICD treatment in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, 2333 ZA, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Aafke C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: van der Heijden
authors.forename: Lieselot
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Erven
authors.forename: Martin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Schalij
authors.forename: C Jan Willem
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Borleffs
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable / Q000941:ethics*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014481:United States; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: comorbidities; elderly; implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; primary prevention; sudden cardiac death