Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Aug;13(4):185-189.
doi: 10.14740/cr1387. Epub 2022 Aug 15.

Update on Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator: A Comprehensive Review of Literature

Mrhaf Alsamman  1   2 , Adesh Prashad  1   2 , Ramy Abdelmaseih  1   2 , Tehreem Khalid  1   2 , Rakesh Prashad  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Update on Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator: A Comprehensive Review of Literature

Mrhaf Alsamman et al. Cardiol Res. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Despite the advancements in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a leading cause of mortality and is accountable for approximately 15% of the total mortality in the USA. The prognosis after sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) varies significantly and depends largely on the underlying etiology and the rapidity and efficiency of resuscitation; however, the outcome remains poor for most of the patients. The main culprits for SCD are coronary heart disease (CHD) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Patients with HFrEF and an ejection fraction (EF) of less than 35% are considered for an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placement if the EF does not improve. A wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) commonly known as a life-vest is sometimes used as a bridging modality until an ICD is implanted. The indication and utility of WCD is still a controversial topic. The purpose of this article is to provide an up-to-date comprehensive review of literature for WCD utilization.

Keywords: Atrial fibrillation; Heart failure; Tachyarrhythmias; Ventricular fibrillation; Ventricular tachycardia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

References

    1. Centers for Disease C, Prevention. State-specific mortality from sudden cardiac death—United States, 1999. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002;51(6):123–126. - PubMed
    1. Zheng ZJ, Croft JB, Giles WH, Mensah GA. Sudden cardiac death in the United States, 1989 to 1998. Circulation. 2001;104(18):2158–2163. doi: 10.1161/hc4301.098254. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Al-Khatib SM, Stevenson WG, Ackerman MJ, Bryant WJ, Callans DJ, Curtis AB, Deal BJ. et al. 2017 AHA/ACC/HRS Guideline for management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death: executive summary: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. Circulation. 2018;138(13):e210–e271. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000615. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rea TD, Pearce RM, Raghunathan TE, Lemaitre RN, Sotoodehnia N, Jouven X, Siscovick DS. Incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Am J Cardiol. 2004;93(12):1455–1460. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2004.03.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chang PC, Chen PS. SK channels and ventricular arrhythmias in heart failure. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2015;25(6):508–514. doi: 10.1016/j.tcm.2015.01.010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources