High-risk patients with ICDs show low spontaneous coronary event rate

[Cardiology Today, May 10, 2011] The addition of high-fidelity intracardiac electrogram signals in implantable cardioverter defibrillators provided data indicating that high-risk CVD patients experienced low rates of spontaneous coronary events.

“The events are shockingly low,” said study investigator Timothy D. Henry, MD, of the Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. “The results suggest that the [patients’] disease was well managed by a combination of medical therapy and revascularization.”

Henry made his remarks while presenting the results of the ST Segment Detection Study (ST-DETECT) at the 2011 Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions Scientific Sessions.