BACKGROUND Although routinely administered, definitive evidence for the benefits of prophylactic antibiotics before the implantation of permanent pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators from a large double-blinded placebo-controlled trial is lacking. The purpose of this study was to determine whether prophylactic antibiotic administration reduces the incidence of infection relate...

BACKGROUND To test the hypothesis that the oral cavity is a potential source for implantable pacemaker and cardioverter defibrillators infections, the bacterial diversity on explanted rhythm heart management devices was investigated and compared to the oral microbiome. METHODS A metagenomic approach was used to analyze the bacterial diversity on the surfaces of non-infected and infected pacem...

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an increasingly recognized cause of ventricular tachycardia and sudden cardiac death in young people, notably young athletes. The best treatment is not clear, although options include antiarrhythmic drugs, radiofrequency ablation, and implantable defibrillators.

This NICE technology appraisal guidance on cardiac resynchronisation therapy provides additional treatment options for some of the groups of people covered in the earlier guidance on implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in high risk populations.1 These devices were initially used only in patients who had survived an episode of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia,2−4 but recent clinical trials have yielded favorable results in populations of patients who have not experienced such arrhythmias but who are at high risk....

Ventricular Fibrillation is a disorganized electrical excitation of the heart that results in inadequate blood flow to the body. It usually ends in death within seconds. The most common way to treat the symptoms of fibrillation is to implant a medical device, known as an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), in the patient’s body. Modelbased verification can supply rigorous proofs of sa...

BACKGROUND Despite the technological evolution of the implantable defibrillator, one of the questions that remains is the possible benefit of the dual chamber versus single chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in reducing inappropriate shocks. OBJECTIVE To evaluate which type of device provides fewer inappropriate shocks (dual chamber versus single chamber) in patients with im...

STUDY OBJECTIVE Public accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are increasingly made available in highly frequented places, allowing coincidental bystanders to defibrillate with minimal delay if necessary. Although the public, as the largest and most readily available group of potential rescuers, is assigned a key role in this concept of "public" access defibrillation, it is unknown...

Background The time constant of truncated exponential pulses used with implantable defibrillators is determined by the output capacitor size and defibrillation pathway resistance. The optimal capacitor size is unknown. Methods and Results This study compared defibrillation threshold (DFT) for standard 120-,uF capacitors (DFT120) and smaller 60-,gF capacitors (DFT60) at implantation of cardiover...