Lerner, Daniel J.

Introduction: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduce morbidity and mortality in appropriately selected patients, but device-related infections are associated with significant mortality that can mitigate this benefit. Women are at higher risk for adverse events during ICD procedure admissions, but there are limited data on the mortality associated ICD infection in women. Objective: To compare the clinical characteristics and mortality rate of men and women who have an infection associated with ICD procedure. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 64,903 Medicare fee-for-service patients admitted for ICD generator implantation, replacement, or revision from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. Primary outcome measures were unadjusted and risk-adjusted longer-term mortality associated with ICD infection. Results: There were a total of 1,855 (2.89%) admissions with an ICD infection. Longer-term mortality (death during admission quarter and subsequent 4 quarters) was significantly higher with ICD infection than without (28.4% vs. 16.7%, P<0.001). While longer-term mortality without ICD infection was significantly lower for women (hazard ratio=0.89 [95%CI 0.85-0.93]), longer-term mortality with ICD infection was significantly higher for women, compared to men (hazard ratio=1.20 [95%CI 1.03-1.41]. Multivariate regression analysis adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity and 28 comorbidities demonstrated a significant interaction between gender and ICD infection associated short and, and longer-term mortality. The risk-adjusted longer-term mortality with ICD infection was significantly higher for women compared to men (hazard ratio = 1.25 [95% CI 1.02-1.53]). Conclusions: Women have significantly higher rate of death, compared to men, following infection associated with ICD procedures. Further studies to determine the underlying causes of this disparity are warranted.

BackgroundDevice infection is associated with increased mortality in patients receiving cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) therapy. However, long‐term mortality associated with CIED infections has not been systematically analyzed in larger studies. This study sought to determine the long‐term mortality associated with CIED infection in a large cohort of Medicare beneficiaries.MethodsWe used a retrospective study design to analyze 3‐year mortality in 200,219 Medicare fee‐for‐service patients admitted for CIED generator implantation, replacement, or revision between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007. Multivariate analysis adjusting for age, sex, race, and 28 comorbidities was performed to determine the relative risk (RR) of death in the 12 quarters following CIED infection.ResultsPatients with CIED infection, compared to device recipients without infection, had increased mortality that persisted for at least 3 years after the admission quarter for all device types: pacemakers (PMs: 53.8% vs 33%; P < 0.001), implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD: 47.7% vs 31.6%; P < 0.001), and cardiac resynchronization therapy‐defibrillator (CRT‐D: 50.8% vs 36.5%; P < 0.001). After adjusting for patient demographics and comorbidities, significantly increased RR of death following CIED infection persisted for at least 3 years following PM infection, and for at least 2 years with single‐ and dual‐chamber ICD infection.ConclusionsCIED recipients who develop device infection have increased, device‐dependent, long‐term mortality even after successful treatment of infection. The etiology of this persistent increased risk of death associated with CIED infection is unknown and merits further investigation.