tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post7861354603590924723..comments2023-08-21T02:57:37.362-05:00Comments on Dr. Wes: End of Life ICD IssuesDrWeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17438019699222125477noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-78502354078716971782008-10-04T10:07:00.000-05:002008-10-04T10:07:00.000-05:00CardioNP-It is well known that doctors (especially...CardioNP-<BR/><BR/>It is well known that doctors (especially cardiologists and EPs) turn to device reps to perform many device interrogations and reprogrammings. As such, one could argue this is within the "standard of care." Unfortunately, from a medicolegal standpoint, device reps are to there to sell devices to physicians or hospital systems and are not licensed to perform healthcare.<BR/><DrWeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17438019699222125477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-56451554211759835472008-10-04T00:10:00.000-05:002008-10-04T00:10:00.000-05:00We had a pt who wanted his ICD turned off once he ...We had a pt who wanted his ICD turned off once he entered hospice. Our device rep did not feel comfortable going out to the pt's home and deactivating the ICD unless there was an MD present. The pt had to come into the clinic to have his device reprogrammed.<BR/><BR/>Is there any policy from HRS or the device companies re: this? Was our rep unusual in their request to have the pt come in from Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-5955110657408069102008-10-03T11:30:00.000-05:002008-10-03T11:30:00.000-05:00anony 08:02 - While an EP might add to the discuss...anony 08:02 - <BR/><BR/>While an EP might add to the discussion some options you propose, once one antiarrhythmic drug (aad) is unsuccessful, addition of other drugs only adds small incremental effectiveness to the patient's arrhythmias. I would assume that the patient's doctors had a good idea about the patient's course. Certainly, VT ablation might have been attempted, but we don't know the DrWeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17438019699222125477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-33148638408144290672008-10-03T10:24:00.000-05:002008-10-03T10:24:00.000-05:00Morbid question coming. I am a 40 year old with V...Morbid question coming. I am a 40 year old with VT and and AICD. Top of the line St. Jude's model implanted about 8 months ago. I am also a physician. My question is this. When it is "my time", what happens to the ICD. I know it can be turned off, but these things are worth 35,000 brand new. Can they be re-used? If they can, I would like for mine to be removed, re-processed and donated Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-20528245110424211512008-10-03T08:02:00.000-05:002008-10-03T08:02:00.000-05:00do you think an ep should be involved with that de...do you think an ep should be involved with that decision? i mean, what does it mean when they say trials of aad have been unsuccessful? sometimes two work better than one! also, ablation of vt might have solved the problem (palliatively) before it got to this point. of course we all die sometime, but i hate for people to make that decision who don't necessarily know all the options (no Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com