REPLY
Defibrillators and Sudden Death
Justin A. Ezekowitz, MBBCh;
Finlay A. McAlister, MD; and
Paul W. Armstrong, MD
16 December 2003 | Volume 139 Issue 12 | Page W-85
IN RESPONSE:
We disagree with Dr. Cohn's assertion that MADIT II should not be incorporated into the clinical decision-making process and should thus have been excluded from our meta-analysis of implantable cardioverter defibrillators in patients at increased risk for sudden cardiac death. The presence of ventricular ectopic beats on a Holter monitor was initially an inclusion criterion for MADIT II. However, after 23 patients were recruited, the executive committee eliminated this criterion (1). Because those 23 patients represent less than 2% of the total enrolled sample in MADIT II, we believe their inclusion would only minimally influence interpretation of the trial's results.
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Author and Article Information
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From University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H7, Canada.
1. Moss AJ, Zareba W, Hall WJ, Klein H, Wilber DJ, Cannom DS, et al. Prophylactic implantation of a defibrillator in patients with myocardial infarction and reduced ejection fraction N Engl J Med. 2002;346:877-83. [PMID: 11907286].[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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