Selected patients listed for cardiac transplantation may benefit from defibrillator implantation regardless of an established indication

Prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator treatment in patients with end-stage heart failure awaiting heart transplantation

“…A survival benefit comparable to that in our report was observed in a recent study of 310 patients listed for heart transplantation, of whom 59 (19%) received an ICD for secondary prevention10 11; however, no patients with primary preventive ICD implantation were included in this study. In another cohort of 194 patients on the transplant list and in which only 35 patients underwent ICD implantation, 40 (25.2%) patients died in the control group and three (8.6%) in the ICD groups 10 11…”

Sudden Death Prior to Pediatric Heart Transplantation: Would Implantable Defibrillators Improve Outcome?

“…19 In their study, a total of 35 patients underwent ICD implantation. Sixteen patients had ICDs placed for established indications (cardiac arrest or sustained ventricular tachycardia), whereas another 19 underwent placement for less established indications (non-sustained ventricular tachycardia or clinical syncope without documented arrhythmia).…”

Primary prevention of sudden cardiac death

“…Patients listed for cardiac transplant are also at high risk. In our series from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, patients listed for cardiac transplantation were much more likely to survive to transplant if an ICD was implanted [51]. This held true whether or not an established class I ICD indication was present.…”