RESUMO
AIM: To present 15-year experience in use of implantable cardioverters-defibrillators (ICD) in patients with life threatening arrhythmias and a high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 151 patients (116 males and 35 females aged 12-75 years) with life threatening arrhythmias and ICD were studied. RESULTS: There were neither complications nor lethality. Electrocardiotherapy was performed in 89 (58.9%) patients 4.5 +/- 9.4 months, on the average, after ICD implantation. Attacks of ventricular tachycardia (VT) were arrested by antitachycardia stimulation (974 episodes, 37.5 +/- 92.5 per patient, on the average). Effective cardioversion in VT was observed in 63 (41.7%) cases. Episodes of rapid ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation were stopped by defibrillation shocks in 28 (18.5%) patients. Additional surgical interventions were made in 3 patients because of electrodes dislocation, in 1--because of electrode brakage and in 1--suppuration of the bed. Fifteen patients (9%) died during follow-up because of cardiac failure (n = 13), cancer (n = 1), unknown cause (n = 1). CONCLUSION: Clinical application of ICD is not only treatment of arrhythmia and prevention of SCD but it is also a method of diagnosis, collection and accumulation of information about the disease course.