Implantable cardioverter defibrillators and biventricular pacing in pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy: Preventing death and delaying heart transplant

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a frequent cause of mortality and heart transplantation in pediatric patients. Device therapy has been shown to improve mortality and transplantation rates in adult patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. However, the criteria that are used to guide implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices in adult patients cannot be directly applied to pediatric patients. ICDs are a proven treatment for the prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD), but it is difficult to quantify SCD in the pediatric DCM population.
Source: Progress in Pediatric Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research