Predictors of mortality and clinical outcomes following implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator therapy in elderly patients: A retrospective single‐center cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Implantable cardioverter‐defibrillators (ICDs) are frequently used to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients with high‐risk arrhythmias. However, the use of ICD therapy in elderly patients beyond the predicted age of life expectancy is still controversial. We aimed to evaluate the predictors of mortality and clinical outcomes following ICD implantation in elderly patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 145 elderly patients aged 72 years and older who received ICD implantation between January 2010 and August 2015. We collected and analyzed baseline data, including clinical, demographic, and medical history, the reason for ICD therapy, procedural data, and echocardiography results. Follow‐up data included the development of complications and mortality. The predictors of mortality were identified using the univariate and multivariable Cox regression models. RESULTS: During the median follow‐up duration of 30.5 [18.0–48.0] months, 141 cases completed follow‐up (mean age = 76.0 ± 3.7 years). Forty‐four patients experienced at least one episode of ICD therapy. Inappropriate shock, recurrent shock, and device‐related infection were the most frequent complications observed in our study. Of the 145 patients, 42 died during the follow‐up period, with an average survival time of 22.4 months after ICD implantation. Among these patients, 11 received ICD for primary prevention, and 31 received it for secondary prevention. Cardiovascular problems were the leading cause of death. We found that a low baseline ejection fraction (EF) was an independent predictor of mortality (hazard ratio = 0.93, 95% confidence interval: 0.90–0.98; p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that ICD therapy is a valuable treatment option for elderly patients beyond their predicted age of life expectancy. The study highlights the importance of baseline EF as a significant predictor of mortality in these patients.