WCD can prevent SCD, until ICD reimplantation is feasible in patients who underwent device removals for CDI. However, patient compliance is essential for the effective use of this device.

No abstract

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is an increasingly common medical condition and the fastest growing cardiovascular diagnosis in North America. Over one-third of patients with heart failure also have renal insufficiency. It has been shown that renal insufficiency confers worsened outcomes to patients with heart failure. However, a majority of the larger and therapy-defining heart failure medication and device trials exclude patients with advanced renal dysfunction. These studies also infrequently perform subgroup analyses based on the degree of renal dysfunction. The lack of information on heart failure patients who have renal insufficiency likely contributes to their being prescribed mortality and morbidity reducing medications and receiving diagnostic and therapeutic procedures at lower rates than heart failure patients with normal renal function. Inclusion of patients with renal insufficiency in heart failure studies and published guidelines for medication, device, and interventional therapies would likely improve patient outcomes.

Our study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of S-ICD in patients on HD. Despite representing a sicker patient population, HD patients implanted with S-ICD had similar procedural outcomes and inappropriate shocks. There was no device or blood stream-related infection in HD patients. All appropriate shocks for ventricular arrhythmias in HD patients were successful.

No abstract