Clinical implications of the "Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial" (MADIT)
Nisam, S.; Adragão, P.
Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia Orgao Oficial da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia 16(4): 359-364; 351
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0870-2551 PMID: 9180060 Document Number: 476117
Efficacious therapy for chronic coronary patients, known to be at high risk of sudden arrhythmic death, has been a long-lasting challenge for cardiologists. The "Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial" (MADIT) has demonstrated in a prospective, randomized trial that such patients achieve 54% better survival (p < or = 0.009) when treated with implantable defibrillators (ICDs) compared to conventional pharmaceutical therapy-primarily amiodarone. The identification of these patients is well-defined, and patients with previous myocardial infarction fitting the appropriate risk profile as defined by MADIT (ejection.fraction < or = 0.35), non-sustained ventricular tachycardia should seriously be considered for prophylactic ICD implantation.