Scientists from McMaster University found that high-risk patients who need defibrillators to prevent cardiac arrest can experience fewer complications with a type of device implanted under the skin.
The research was presented at Heart Rhythm 2022 and was conducted by Jeff Healey et al.
Traditional defibrillators, while highly effective, involve placing a wire through a vein, into the chest, and into the heart itself.
The wires, known as ‘leads,’ in the traditional defibrillator—called a tranvenous ICD (TV-ICD)—can cause complications including a hole in the heart muscle or lungs and blood clotting in veins.
In the study, the team tested 544 patients (one-quarter women) with an average age of 49.
251 patients were assigned to S-ICD and 252 patients to TV-ICD. They were followed up for an average of 2.5 years to this point.
The team found that a new type of cardiac defibrillator called a subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) could reduce patient complications by more than 90 percent, compared to the TV-ICD.
The S-ICD, implanted under the skin just below the patient’s armpit, does not involve any placement of leads into the heart or blood vessels.
Instead, the S-ICD has a lead that runs under the skin, alongside the breastbone.
The team says the S-ICD greatly reduces perioperative, lead-related complications without significantly compromising ICD performance.
The S-ICD is now an attractive alternative to the TV-ICD, particularly in patients at increased risk for lead-related complications.
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