Does implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator reduce sudden death from arrhythmia in patients with severe, nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy treated with ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers?
Prophylactic ICD implantation significantly reduces sudden arrhythmic death in patients with severe nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy on optimal medical therapy.
In patients with severe, nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy who were treated with ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, the implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator significantly reduced the risk of sudden death from arrhythmia and was associated with a nonsignificant reduction in the risk of death from any cause.
Kadish et al. (Wed,) studied this question.