“Maybe one should use a home external defibrillator, or a life vest, or maybe after a period of time explant an ICD,” he said.
In a separate presentation, Kevin J. Makati, M.D., presented a retrospective study involving 131 patients with NIDCM treated at Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston.
Of the 131 patients, 79 had been diagnosed with the disorder at least 9 months and a mean of 66 months prior to ICD implantation. The remaining 52 had carried the diagnosis of NIDCM for less than 9 and a mean of 1.4 months at the time of implantation.
During 27 months of follow-up, there were no differences between the two patient groups in terms of the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias or life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.
“This study shows a clear benefit of ICDs for patients with cardiomyopathy, irrespective of when they were diagnosed,” commented Stephen C. Hammill, M.D., immediate past president of the Heart Rhythm Society.
“CMS may want to revisit the coverage criteria for these patients in light of these findings,” he said.