Smarter Deployment of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators in Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy

Ultimately, though, a meta-analysis of ICDs in NIDCM found a significant 31% mortality reduction (5). [...]the MADIT-RIT (Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-Reduce Inappropriate Therapy) study suggests that suboptimal programming resulting in unnecessary and/or inappropriate shocks may have obscured potentially greater ICD mortality benefit (6). [...]this meta-analysis updates our knowledge base and emphasizes that further basic and clinical research is critical to cost-effective reduction of SCD in NIDCM in the hope of making risk stratification for SCD less mythical.