The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has launched guidance on the use of implantable-cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) – potentially life-saving devices for people at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) as a result of cardiac arrhythmias. The guidance, which updates NICE’s original guidance published in 2000, is set to increase the number of people who might benefit from an ICD.
NICE guidance boosts sudden cardiac death treatment
Professor David Barnett, chair of the Independent Appraisal Committee that produced the guidance, said: “We have reviewed our guidance on the use of ICDs in light of new evidence relating to the risk factors for sudden cardiac death. The effect of this has been to increase the range of risk factors that clinicians can use in order to assess an individual’s suitability for an ICD. This may reduce the requirement for more complex testing in these cases.”
