Influence of healthy candidate bias in assessing clinical effectiveness for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators: cohort study of older patients with heart failure.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the potential contribution of unmeasured general health status to patient selection in assessments of the clinical effectiveness of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Linked data from an ICD registry, heart failure registry, and Medicare claims data for ICDs implanted in 2005 through 2009.

Participants

29,426 patients admitted to hospital with heart failure aged 66 years or older and eligible for ICD therapy for primary prevention.

Main outcome measures

Non-traumatic hip fracture, admission to a skilled nursing facility, and 30 day mortality-outcomes unlikely to be improved by ICD therapy.

Results

Compared with 17,853 patients without ICD therapy, 11,573 patients wit

SUBMITTER: Setoguchi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4014056 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature