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Previous Volume 352:285-287 January 20, 2005 Number 3 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

	Full Text PDF PDA Full Text Purchase this article Perspective by McClellan, M. B. Letters Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited E-mail When Letters Appear PubMed Citation

Most patients who have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest do not survive. Thus, the use of a prophylactic implantable cardioverter–defibrillator (ICD) for the primary prevention of sudden death is a conceptually attractive option for high-risk patients. Several clinical trials have previously shown that ICDs reduced mortality in patients with coronary artery disease who had not yet had a life-threatening arrhythmia and who were selected on the basis of either the results of electrophysiological testing or left ventricular dysfunction.^1,2,3,4 In the past year, four multicenter clinical trials have helped refine the selection of appropriate patients for ICD therapy. In addition to confirming . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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From the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Clinical Trials Unit, Northwestern Cardiovascular Institute — both in Chicago.

Related Letters:

Implantable Cardioverter–Defibrillators
Mack M. J., Nash I., van Veldhuisen D. J., Voors A. A., Patwala A., Schlosshan D., Williams S. G., Bardy G. H., Lee K. L., Mark D. B., Kadish A. H., McClellan M. B., Tunis S. R.
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N Engl J Med 2005; 352:2022-2025, May 12, 2005. Correspondence

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