The high cost of implantable defibrillators.
Journal Article (Journal Article;Review)
Increased use of ICDs in patients with cardiac disease has the potential to strain national health care budgets because of the large numbers of eligible patients and the high cost of the ICDs. Randomized trials show ICDs increase life-expectancy in some groups of patients and also increase total medical costs significantly. ICDs exemplify the role of new technology as the main force behind rising health care costs. ICDs have not been used in all eligible patients, in part because of cost, but also because of patient resistance and a shortage of specialists able to implant and manage complex ICDs. The cost-effectiveness of ICDs would be improved by development of simpler and cheaper devices, and by better tools to identify patients who benefit from an ICD.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Hlatky, MA; Mark, DB
Published Date
- February 2007
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 28 / 4
Start / End Page
- 388 - 391
PubMed ID
- 17032689
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0195-668X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1093/eurheartj/ehl311
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- England