Indications for ICD and cardiac resynchronization therapy for prevention of sudden cardiac death

Trends in the 30-year span of Noninfectious Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device Complications in Olmsted County

Background

Cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) such as permanent pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices alleviate morbidity and mortality in various diseases. There is a paucity of real-world data on CIED complications and trends.

Objectives

Describe trends in noninfectious CIED complications over the past three decades in Olmsted County.

Methods

The Rochester Epidemiology Project is a medical records linkage system comprising records of over 500,000 residents of Olmsted County from 1966-current. CIED implants between 1988-2018 were determined. Trends in noninfectious complications within 30 days of implant were analyzed.

Results

175 out of 2536 (6.9%) patients who received CIED experienced device complications. 3.8% of the implants had major complications requiring intervention. Lead dislodgement was the most common (2.9%), followed by hematoma (2.1%). Complications went up from 1988 to 2005, then showed a downtrend until 2018, driven by a decline in hematomas in the last decade (p<0.01). Those with complications were more likely to have prosthetic valves. Obesity appeared to have a protective effect in a multivariate regression model. The mean Charlson comorbidity score has trended up over the 30 years.

Conclusions

Our study describes a real-world trend of CIED complications over three decades. Lead dislodgements and hematomas were the most common complications. Complications have declined over the last decade due to safer practices and a better understanding of anticoagulant management.

Trends in Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device Insertion Between 1988 and 2018 in Olmsted County

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to describe trends in cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) insertion over the past 3 decades in Olmsted County.

BACKGROUND

Trends in CIED insertion in the United States have not been extensively studied.

METHODS

The Rochester Epidemiology Project is a medical records linkage system comprising the records of all residents of Olmsted County from 1966 to the present. CIED insertion between 1988 and 2018 was determined using International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision, International Classification of Diseases-10th Revision, and Current Procedural Terminology codes. Age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates, adjusted to the 2010 US White population, were calculated. Trends in incidence over time, across age groups, and between sex are estimated using Poisson regression models.

RESULTS

The age- and sex-adjusted incidence of device implants for the study period were as follows: overall CIED: 82.4 (95% CI: 79.2-85.6); permanent pacemaker (PPM): 62.9 (95% CI: 60.0-65.7); implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD): 14.0 (95% CI: 12.6-15.3); and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT): 5.6 (95% CI: 4.7-6.4) per 100,000 per year. The overall incidence of CIED insertion increased between 1988 to 1993 and 2000 to 2005 and then decreased between 2000 to 2005 and 2012 to 218 (P < 0.0001). PPM and ICD insertion incidence followed these trends, whereas the incidence of CRT insertion increased between 2000 to 2005 and 2012 to 2018. CIED insertion incidence increased with age (P < 0.0001). CIED insertion incidence was greater in men (116.3 vs 57.3 per 100,000 per year in men vs women; P < 0.0001). The overall survival of CRT recipients improved (P = 0.0044).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence values for PPM and ICD implants are decreasing, while the incidence of CRT implants is increasing. CIEDs are increasingly inserted in the elderly, men, and patients with higher comorbidities.

Role of nuclear cardiology for guiding device therapy in patients with heart failure

Heart failure is a dynamic condition with high morbidity and mortality and its prognosis should be reassessed frequently, particularly in patients for whom critical treatment decisions may depend on the results of prognostication. In patients with heart failure, nuclear cardiology techniques are useful to establish the etiology and the severity of the disease, while fewer studies have explored the potential capability of nuclear cardiology to guide cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and to select patients for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD). Left ventricular synchrony may be assessed by radionuclide angiography or gated single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. These modalities have shown promise as predictors of CRT outcome using phase analysis. Combined assessment of myocardial viability and left ventricular dyssynchrony is feasible using positron emission tomography and could improve conventional response prediction criteria for CRT. Preliminary data also exists on integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography approach for assessing myocardial viability, identifying the location of biventricular pacemaker leads, and obtaining left ventricular functional data, including contractile phase analysis. Finally, cardiac imaging with autonomic radiotracers may be useful in predicting CRT response and for identifying patients at risk for sudden cardiac death, therefore potentially offering a way to select patients for both CRT and ICD therapy. Prospective trials where imaging is combined with image-test driven therapy are needed to better define the role of nuclear cardiology for guiding device therapy in patients with heart failure.