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(Circulation. 2003;107:e9038.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiovascular News

Ruth SoRelle, MPH

Circulation Newswriter

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator DEBUTs as a Life-Saver in Thailand

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) provided full protection against sudden unexpected death associated with ventricular fibrillation in young Thai men in a study that appears in this week’s issue of the journal Circulation (Circulation. 2003;107:2221–2226). Sudden unexpected death syndrome (SUDS) is the most common cause of death among young men in Thailand.

In the DEBUT (DEfibrillators versus ß-Blockers for Unexplained death in Thailand) trial, a total of 86 patients who were considered SUDS survivors or suspected SUDS survivors were randomized to receive either an ICD or propanolol. (Twenty of the subjects were in a pilot trial, and 66 were in the main study.) The primary end point was death from all causes. Secondary end points were (1) recurrent ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation or (2) cardiac arrest.

During a 3-year follow-up in the main study, there were 4 deaths in the ß-blocker group and none in the ICD group, according to researchers from the Pacific Rim Electrophysiology Institute in Los Angeles, Calif; the Royal Thai Air Force Medical Center in Bangkok; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md; Maida University and Chulalongkorn University in Thailand; and the Statistical Consultation and Research Center of the University of Southern California School of Medicine in San Diego. Seven subjects in the ICD arm had recurrent ventricular fibrillation that was successfully treated by the defibrillator. The Data Safety Monitoring Board stopped the main trial early because of the preferred results in the ICD trial. In the combined pilot and main trials, . . . [Full Text of this Article]