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Is defibrillation testing of ICDs necessary?

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Defibrillation testing during implantation of cardioverter–defibrillators is controversial because of potential safety concerns and a lack of evidence for the effectiveness of the procedure. New data from the SAFE-ICD study is helpful, but does not completely resolve the issue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiology, Medical University of South Carolina, MSC 592, Charleston, 29425, SC, USA

    J. Lacy Sturdivant & Michael R. Gold

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  1. J. Lacy Sturdivant
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  2. Michael R. Gold
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Correspondence to J. Lacy Sturdivant.

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Competing interests

Michael R. Gold is or has been a consultant for, a member of the speakers' bureau of, and received grant or research support from, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Sorin Group, and St. Jude Medical. J. Lacy Sturdivant declares no competing interests.

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Sturdivant, J., Gold, M. Is defibrillation testing of ICDs necessary?. Nat Rev Cardiol 9, 618–619 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2012.144

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