Why cardioverter-defibrillator implantation might not be the best idea for your elderly patient

Abstract

Over the last decade, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) have become a part of mainstream clinical practice, with improvements in survival in a broad range of patients. Given the overall limited life expectancy of elderly patients, their frequent comorbidities, and the complications associated with ICD implantation, it may not be reasonable to expect results with ICD implantation in the elderly to be comparable to that found in the clinical trials. In this paper, the authors review the available scientific literature and discuss why mainstream ICD use in the elderly may not be advisable.