The senior author on the study, U-M Cardiovascular Center clinical director Kim Eagle, M.D., FACC, notes that the another study coming out at the ACC meeting may add even more evidence to the debate over whether Medicare should alter its coverage criteria for ICDs. The National Institute of Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial, also known as SCD-HeFT, showed that ICDs reduced the risk of sudden cardiac death by 23 percent among patients with moderate heart failure, compared with those who took anti-arrhythmia medication.
Hopefully, the addition of more data to the debate will help guide coverage decisions for Medicare and others, Otten notes.
"As clinicians, we're in the uncomfortable position of knowing that clinical trial data show that more people could be helped by this technology, but being unable to provide it to them unless they're able to pay out of pocket," he says. "This debate shows once again the balance that our society is having to strike, regarding how much money we're willing to pay to save a life."
In addition to Otten and Eagle, the study's authors include others at the Michigan Cardiovascular Outcomes Research and Reporting Program, including Eva Kline-Rogers, MS, RN, NP; Jianming Fang, M.D.; Darryl Elmouchi; Aman Chugh, M.D., Firas Marayati; and Frank Pelosi, Jr., M.D.
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Contact: Kara Gavin
kegavin@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
9-Mar-2004