Heart Watch Blog: Implantable Defibrillators As Efficient In Women As In Men

Dec 26, 2005

Implantable Defibrillators As Efficient In Women As In Men

A University of Rochester study finds women who have had a heart attack obtain as much survival advantage as men from implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) devices designed to check the pumping rhythm of the heart and shock it back to normal when necessary.

IDCs are designed to watch the heart's rhythm and counter arrhythmias -- electrical malfunctions that fling the heart out of rhythm. Such arrhythmias are the major cause of sudden cardiac death (SCD). SCD can take place when disfigured tissue left over by a heart attack impedes with the heart's electrical system, bringing on arrhythmia.

The use of ICDs has been found to decrease death by 31 percent in patients who had a heart attack.

However some specialists have inquired whether the ICD advantage extends to women, who have been underrepresented in previous studies and continue to be under-treated for heart disease in general, according to the American Heart Association

To address the gap, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers evaluated the data and established that women have comparable risk of both overall mortality and SCD after heart attack as men. The study also found that both genders get identical advantages from ICD therapy, which condensed mortality risk in women by an expected 43 percent, and in men by 34 percent.

Daniel

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