Smokers Receive More Shocks From ICD’s
My dear friend, Christina, quit smoking this week and I’m so glad she did. A small study has found that smokers–both current and former– receive more frequent appropriate shocks from their implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICD’s) than nonsmokers to restore pacing rhythms.
Compared to nonsmokers,
- Current smokers have more than a 7 times higher risk of appropriate shocks
- Former smokers are more than 5 times more likely to receive appropriate shocks
It’s not clear whether these results can be translated to mean that current and former smokers require more frequent shocks from their ICD’s because they have a higher risk of sudden cardiac death from abnormal heart rhythms. But you can bet that quitting smoking will definitely improve your heart health.
MedPage Today, May 9, 2006
Technorati Tags: implanted cardioverter defibrillator, icd, heart, heart disease, cardiovascular disease, cvd, health
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POSTED IN: Hearty Research
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