SHOCK 2010 : ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL HEALTH INDICES AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN A WEB BASED NATIONAL ICD SAMPLE

Abstract

The Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) has become the "gold standard" of care in reducing mortality in patients at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, there remain there remain concerns about the psychosocial impact of the ICD on patients and particularly the effects of high-energy shocks. The present study examines the results of a survey that queried ICD patients on global health and quality of life indices. Key findings are that the great majority of ICD patients report good overall QOL. The majority of patients also report that their ICD has contributed positively to their overall QOL. There was also support for the view that shocks are strongly associated with ICD-specific shock anxiety levels with greater shocks associated with significantly higher levels of anxiety, F (3, 439) = 43.25, p < .0005.