Abstract
The ICD was implanted as bridge to cardiac transplantation in six patients with lethal ventricular arrhythmia and progressive heart failure at Stanford University. Three patients had ischemic heart disease and the others were idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Subxyphoidal or left thoracotomy approach was applied. Duration of bridge was 5-39 (mean 20) months after ICD implantation. All six patients were successfully bridged to cardiac transplantation. Two patients with chronic amiodarone therapy had severe respiratory failure after transplantation. The remaining four patients were doing well and discharged a couple of weeks after heart transplantation. In conclusion, the ICD implantation as bridge to heart transplantation can be a treatment of choice for fatal ventricular arrhythmia with irreversible cardiac failure. Intensive respiratory care was needed after heart transplantation of the patients with amiodarone therapy and ICD implantation.
