Inappropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks-incidence, effect, and implications for driver licensing.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have an ongoing risk of sudden incapacitation that may cause traffic accidents. However, there are limited data on the magnitude of this risk after inappropriate ICD therapies. We studied the rate of syncope associated with inappropriate ICD therapies to provide a scientific basis for formulating driving restrictions.

Methods

Inappropriate ICD therapy event data between 1997 and 2014 from 50 Japanese institutions were analyzed retrospectively. The annual risk of harm (RH) to others posed by a driver with an ICD was calculated for private driving habits. We used a commonly employed annual RH to others of 5 in 100,000 (0.005%) as an acceptable risk threshold.

Results

Of the 4089 patients, 772 inappropr

SUBMITTER: Watanabe E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5543197 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature