SCA survivors need defibrillators.

Cardiac arrest survivors are at increased risk of sudden death, according to research findings presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

"Survivors of cardiac arrest are at high risk of developing a recurrence," explains NHW editor-in-chief Dr. Douglas Zipes. "This report underscores the need for implanted defibrillator therapy after they have been resuscitated."

Cardiologist Martin Jan Schalij of Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands reported that data from major studies also confirm that patients with congestive failure are at higher risk for sudden cardiac arrest even if receiving optimal medical therapy.

The drug therapy trial known as MERIT, for example, shows that those with mild to moderate heart failure are more likely to die of sudden cardiac death than advancing heart disease. The MADIT II trial of patients with disease-weakened hearts found that individuals with implanted defibrillators lived longer than the group on medical therapy alone.

A third trial found clear improvement in survival rates when advanced pacemaker therapy was used in combination with an implanted defibrillator.

Dr. Schalij said that biventricular pacing does not appear to increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. He added, however, that patients with the special pacemakers do remain at risk and advised that the appropriate use of ICDs and optimal medical management are important in these patients.