Providence Hospital: Southfield
Cardiac Care
Monday, September 14, 2009

Media Contact: Brian Taylor, (586) 753-0726

The use of implantable cardiac defibrillators in women with heart failure does not decrease their chances of sudden cardiac death, according to a study at Providence Hospital. The study is published in the Sept. 14, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Providence researchers conducted a meta-analysis of five major randomized ICD clinical trials that included a total of 934 women with heart failure. The analysis found no statistically significant benefit for those women that received an ICD, compared to patients that were treated with medical therapy.

“Until now, the effectiveness of ICD treatment in women with heart failure had not been closely evaluated,” says Christian Machado, M.D., electrophysiologist at the Providence Hospital and the study’s principal investigator. “As a result of clinical trials, ICD therapy for heart failure is widely accepted as a standard of care for both men and women. However, the majority of the patients involved in clinical trials have been men.”

Dr. Machado says the results make it clear that further study is necessary to determine whether using the same treatment strategy for men and women is the best approach.

It’s estimated that approximately 300,000 die each year from heart failure. An estimated 5.7 million Americans are living with the condition, and 670,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, according to the American Heart Association.

Providence Hospital is part of St. John Health Heart Care Network, the leading provider of heart care in Michigan. Providence is the only hospital in Michigan to be recognized as Thomson Reuters 100 Top Cardiovascular Hospital eight years in a row. Providence is also recognized as a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Center of Cardiac Excellence.

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