Abstract
Defibrillator implantation for every heart-attack survivor with an impaired left ventricle may soon be recommended. The MADIT-II study (Multicenter Automated Defibrillator Implantation Trial II)1recruited patients who had had myocardial infarction more than a month previously and who had left ventricular ejection fraction of 30% or less, for randomisation to an implantable defibrillator or no device. MADIT-II found a dramatic 34% reduction in hazard of all-cause mortality overall. The follow-up averaged only 20 months, so only a modest reduction in absolute mortality of 5·6% (from 19·8% to 14·2%) was recorded at study end.
Publication information
Francis DP, Salukhe TV. Who needs a defibrillator after myocardial infarction? Lancet. 2003 Jul 12;362(9378):91-2.