Study: ICDs Improve Survivability After Heart Attack

   DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
 

Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX) released study results Tuesday that show that implantable cardioverter defibrillators were associated with a 44% reduction in death when implanted in patients following a heart attack.

The study could give a boost to an industry that has been growing at a single-digit rate globally and takes in some $6 billion in annual revenue.

The results, presented at the annual European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona, also indicated lower death levels following ICD implantation for high-risk patients with severely reduced heart function.

ICDs shock hearts to stop potentially deadly rhythm problems. Boston Scientific noted heart-attack survivors have a higher subsequent risk for sudden cardiac death.

German professor Heinz Voller, who presented the data at the conference, said it provides "real-world confirmation of the findings of randomized clinical trials that have shown ICDs reduce mortality following a heart attack."

He also raised concern that the study showed just 22% of patients in the highest-risk group - reduced heart-pumping capacity - were prescribed ICD therapy after a heart attack. "This is a significant concern because the mortality reduction associated with an ICD was greatest among these patients," said Voller.

The study looked at 10,612 heart-attack survivors in Germany between 2002 and 2005.

-By Kevin Kingsbury, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2354; [e-mail]