Research Frontiers in Implantable Defibrillator Surgery

This text focuses on clinical and laboratory research related to the surgical implantation of defibrillators. Topics covered include patient selection and surgical techniques, anaesthesia techniques, a comparison of results of ICD therapy and standard arrhythmia surgery, techniques for incorporating infection resistance into defibrillators through elutable coatings, implanted defibrillators as a means to protect ambulatory cardiac transplant candidates from lethal arrhythmias, and the impact of defibrillator insertion on systolic and diastolic function of the heart. The book represents the state of the art in clinical experience, clinical trials and clinical and laboratory research in this field.