Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator as a Treatment in Patients with Heart Failure of Various Aetiologies-A Series of Ten Cases Within the BIA-VEST Registry

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a major global health concern and represents one of the most common causes of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) is an innovative, non-invasive medical device designed to provide continuous heart monitoring and immediate defibrillation in patients at risk for SCD. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of WCD usage in patients awaiting decision on therapy with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). We explored the clinical applications, benefits, and limitations of WCD usage within the BIA-VEST registry in Poland over the years 2021-2023. The study included 10 patients with a mean age of 49.1 ± 12.02 years. All patients demonstrated good tolerance and compliance with the LifeVest WCD, wearing it for an average of 93.1 days, about 22.8 h per day (95.7% of the time). No interventions from LifeVests were recorded, and there were no effective, ineffective, or inadequate discharges. After the first follow-up echocardiography, five patients still required ICDs. Due to improved LVEF and overall condition in six out of ten patients undergoing WCD bridge therapy, ICD implantation was finally waived. The WCD acts as a bridge to therapy, such as ICD implantation or cardiac surgery, and may be particularly beneficial for patients with transient or evolving conditions, such as structural heart diseases and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.