January 13, 2000
Best Way to Restart a Heart?
CLEAR! ... It's what you always hear on TV medical dramas just before the patient's heart is shocked back in to motion -- but is it the best way to re-start a heart? A recent study showed that implantable defibrillators, the tiny portable 'shockers' that jolt a struggling heart back into a regular rhythm, reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in high-risk patients with coronary disease. And, the tiny defibrillators greatly outperformed medicines in warding off cardiac arrest.
The study involved 704 patients at 85 hospitals, including UAB. More than 1 million patients have heart problems similar to those in the study.
Call Tracy Bischoff, Media Relations, 934-8935, [email protected].
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