Long-Term Prognosis in Recipients of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators for Secondary Preventions in Taiwan AMulticenter Registry Study

Background: The use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has a proven capacity to prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD), and can also improve survival duration in well-selected patients. The goal of the present study was to investigate the long-term prognosis and predictors of mortalities among ICD recipients in Taiwan. Methods: From 1998 to 2009, 238 consecutive patients who experienced SCDs or life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmiaswithout correctable causes and received ICD implantations in 3medical centers (Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital) were enrolled in this study. The clinical endpoint was defined as the occurrence of all-cause mortality during the follow-up. Results: The mean age of the patientswas 63.0 15.3 years, and 76.5% of themwere male. Ischemic cardiomyopathy was the leading cause for the ICD implantations (39.1%). During the mean follow-up duration of 36.8 29.8 months, there were 48 patients (20.2%) who died. Patients with structural heart diseases ha