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Defibrillator Recipients Face Increased Heart-Failure Risk
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 Ellenbogen said the lesson from the study is that doctors "must very aggressively treat these patients to prevent development of heart failure." Drug such as ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and cholesterol-lowering statins "are essential and critical to prevent patients from heart failure," he said.
And for patients with a defibrillator, they should realize the device is effective against only one heart problem, cardiac arrest, Ellenbogen said. Other risk factors -- such as arteriosclerosis, blockage of the arteries -- are just as important, he said.
"Don't think that because you got a defibrillator, you can go out and have a Big Mac and not exercise," he said. "It is important to address every aspect of heart disease."
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The defibrillator study is continuing, Goldenberg noted, testing whether two-chamber devices are more effective than one-chamber devices at preventing heart failure and death. Results are expected in one to two years, he said.
Favorable results for the two-chamber devices could pose economic concerns, because they are 10 percent to 20 percent more expensive than one-chamber defibrillators, Goldenberg said.
More information
To learn more about defibrillators, visit the American Heart Association (circ.ahajournals.org ).
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Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 6/12/2006
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SOURCES: Ilan Goldenberg, M.D., research assistant professor, University of Rochester, N.Y.; Kenneth A. Ellenbogen, M.D., professor of medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond; June 13, 2006, Circulation
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