The Clinical Use of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Where Are We Now? Where Should We Go?
Authors: Alfred E. Buxton
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Editorials18 March 2003The Clinical Use of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: Where Are We Now? Where Should We Go?Alfred E. Buxton, MDAlfred E. Buxton, MDFrom Brown Medical School, Providence, Rhode Island.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-6-200303180-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Cardiovascular disease mortality continues to decline, but patients with left ventricular dysfunction, especially if it results from coronary artery disease, remain at high risk for both sudden and nonsudden death (1-4). In 1998, the latest year for which U.S. statistics are available, sudden cardiac death occurred in 456 076 persons, accounting for more than 60% of cardiac deaths (5). Overall, age-adjusted sudden death decreased 8.3% from 1989 to 1998. Sudden death decreased 11.7% in men, but only 5.8% in women; in fact, sudden death in women 35 to 44 years of age increased 21% over the 10-year period. The proportion ...References1. de Vreede JJ, Gorgels AP, Verstraaten GM, Vermeer F, Dassen WR, Wellens HJ. Did prognosis after acute myocardial infarction change during the past 30 years? A meta-analysis. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1991;18:698-706. [PMID: 1831213] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. de Vreede-Swagemakers JJ, Gorgels AP, Dubois-Arbouw WI, van Ree JW, Daemen MJ, Houben LG, et al. . Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the 1990's: a population-based study in the Maastricht area on incidence, characteristics and survival. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1997;30:1500-5. [PMID: 9362408] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Rouleau JL, Talajic M, Sussex B, Potvin L, Warnica W, Davies RF, et al. . 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