Does an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) reduce death compared to amiodarone in patients requiring secondary prevention?
In a meta-analysis of three secondary prevention trials, ICDs significantly reduced the relative risk of all-cause death by 28% and arrhythmic death by 50% compared to amiodarone.
Results from the three trials of the ICD vs amiodarone are consistent with each other. There is a 28% reduction in the relative risk of death with the ICD that is due almost entirely to a 50% reduction in arrhythmic death.
Stuart J. Connolly (Fri,) studied this question.