We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Cardiac Defibrillator Implanted Under Skin Much Safer for Patients

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 02 May 2022
Print article
Image: Subcutaneous defibrillator being implanted in a patient (Photo courtesy of Hamilton Health Sciences)
Image: Subcutaneous defibrillator being implanted in a patient (Photo courtesy of Hamilton Health Sciences)

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) improve survival of patients with heart conditions but can cause perioperative complications, including perforation of heart muscle or lungs, and blood clotting in veins. Now, a new type of cardiac defibrillator has been found to significantly reduce major complications for patients.

The traditional defibrillator, the transvenous ICD (TV-ICD), features a lead (a flexible wire coated with insulation) placed in the heart or the heart’s network of blood vessels. Researchers at the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI, Hamilton, ON, Canada) have demonstrated that a different type of ICD - the subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) – in which the lead is implanted under the skin, just below the patient’s armpit, and runs along the breastbone. The S-ICD does not come into contact with any blood vessels.

Their study found that by eliminating all intra-vascular and intra-cardiac components of the ICD, the S-ICD prevents most lead-related perioperative complications, including nearly all complications which can lead to death. The study followed patients for six months after their device was implanted in 544 patients (one-quarter female) at 14 clinical sites in Canada. Half of the patients were randomized to an S-ICD; the other half to a TV-ICD. The team found that S-ICD reduced the risk of lead-related complications by 92%. Younger patients are usually under-represented in ICD trials; ATLAS S-ICD included ICD-eligible patients 18 to 60 years old (average age of 49) who had a cardiogenetic syndrome or were at high risk for lead-related complications. Follow-up of participants of ATLAS S-ICD is ongoing.

“We need to increase the statistical power of the trial to assess the comparative rates of inappropriate shocks and failed appropriate shocks, as well as the impact of ICD type on tricuspid insufficiency and heart failure,” said PHRI Senior Scientist Jeff Healey.

Related Links:
PHRI 

Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
Gold Member
POC Blood Gas Analyzer
Stat Profile Prime Plus
Silver Member
Wireless Mobile ECG Recorder
NR-1207-3/NR-1207-E
New
Hydrogen Peroxide Sterilizer
HMA-30

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The permeable wearable electronics developed for long-term biosignal monitoring (Photo courtesy of CityUHK)

Super Permeable Wearable Electronics Enable Long-Term Biosignal Monitoring

Wearable electronics have become integral to enhancing health and fitness by offering continuous tracking of physiological signals over extended periods. This monitoring is crucial for understanding an... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.