While little changed in how discussions around deactivation took place among all patients, the number about ICD deactivation doubled among a subgroup of patients who stayed at interventional facilities (25 percent), compared to those in the control group (11 percent). It should be noted that such patients were not candidates for advanced cardiac therapies such as cardiac transplant or placement of a ventricular assist device.

A secondary outcome showed that 50 percent of interventional patients were more likely to have goals of care conversations — wishes that patients have for the outcomes of their medical care, as opposed to referring solely to the individual treatments — compared to 37 percent in the control group. Having such information at their disposal allows clinicians to help patients make more informed choices about their medical care, including possibly the question of when and if to deactivate their ICD devices.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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