BACKGROUND A recent study has shown that the implantable atrial defibrillator can restore sinus rhythm in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation when therapy was delivered under physician observation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ambulatory use of the implantable atrial defibrillator. METHODS AND RESULTS An atrial defibrillator was implanted in 1...

BACKGROUND Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy improves survival in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although the risk of sudden cardiac death is highest in the first month after AMI, there is no survival benefit of early implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation, and the optimal time frame has yet to b...

Riata defibrillator leads were recalled due to a high failure rate. This study measured the incidence of externalized conductor (EC) and electrical dysfunction (ED) and sought to determine the predictors of ED with Riata defibrillator leads. We enrolled patients who received Riata® or Riata® ST silicone defibrillator leads at our center between January 2003 and December 2010. The presence of EC...

Background—A recent study has shown that the implantable atrial defibrillator can restore sinus rhythm in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation when therapy was delivered under physician observation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ambulatory use of the implantable atrial defibrillator. Methods and Results—An atrial defibrillator was implanted in 105...

As electrophysiologists we confront the challenge of articulating the risks and benefits of various management options to our patients and their families. Weighing the upfront risk typically associated with an interventional procedure against potential adverse events in the long term is a vexing problem that we frequently face in clinical practice. This discussion involves both the immediate ri...

As electrophysiologists we confront the challenge of articulating the risks and benefits of various management options to our patients and their families. Weighing the upfront risk typically associated with an interventional procedure against potential adverse events in the long term is a vexing problem that we frequently face in clinical practice. This discussion involves both the immediate ri...

introduction: nowadays, more than 10,000 different types of medical devices can be found in hospitals. this way, medical electrical equipment is being employed in a wide variety of fields in medical sciences with different physiological effects and measurements. hospitals and medical centers must ensure that their critical medical devices are safe, accurate, reliable and operational at the requ...

The delivery of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapy is sophisticated and requires the programming of over 100 settings. Physicians tailor these settings with the intention of optimizing ICD therapeutic efficacy, but the usefulness of this approach has not been studied and is unknown. Empiric programming of settings such as anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) has been demonstrated to ...