Double-Chamber ICD's More Likely to Develop Complications

(Ivanhoe Newswire) - A study comparing the differences between single-chamber and double-chamber implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) has found that the risk of complication with a double-chamber device is much greater than with a single-chamber device.
Lead study author Pamela N. Peterson, M.D., and her colleagues found that among 32,034 patients with both single- and double-chamber devices, the rates of mortality and hospitalizations were the same between the devices. However, the rate of complication was lower for patients with single-chamber devices.
“Because implanting a dual-chamber ICD is a more complex and time-consuming procedure than implanting a single-chamber device. The possibility of device-related complications, such as infection and lead displacement requiring device revision, is likely to increase,” study authors were quoted as saying.
For more information, got to: http://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/dual-chamber-icds-show-higher-risk-of-complications/
SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, May 2013