Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death

Primary prevention trials have focused on differing sub-groups of patients at high-risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and this includes patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), a history of myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure (CHF), and ventricular arrhythmias on electrophysiology study or with a non-sustained episode of ventricular tachycardia on Holter and/or in hospital monitoring, and syncope from unidentified causes and patients with differing forms of cardiomyopathy. The purpose of this article is to provide an up-to-date review of the use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in the primary prevention of SCD based on information obtained from randomised clinical trials, particularly in those focusing on high-risk patients with CAD.