Most Defibrillators Buried With Patients: Study

Most patients with implantable heart defibrillators are buried with the devices still inside them, stymieing efforts by doctors and companies to retrieve and check the devices for evidence of malfunction, researchers said.

High-profile recalls of defective devices have raised awareness of Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) safety, but researchers said they do not know the true rate of malfunction because the devices are not routinely checked after death, according to a Reuters News Service report.

“Implantable pacemakers and defibrillators are rarely analyzed or returned to the manufacturer after a patient dies,” said Dr. James Kirkpatrick of the University of Pennsylvania, who presented his study results at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago.

Kirkpatrick said most devices now are buried with patients. Of those that are removed, 44 percent are disposed of as medical waste, while 22 percent are donated for animal use or for human use in developing nations.

The survey found that most of the 100 morticians surveyed (87 percent) would be willing to return the devices to manufacturers for analysis. Of the 160 ICD patients questioned, 82 percent said they would give their consent.

Recalls of defective devices have depressed ICD sales and dampened profits of device makers, St. Paul, MN-based St. Jude Medical, Boston Scientific of Natick, MA and Medtronic of Minneapolis, MN.

In August, JP Morgan analyst Michael Weinstein said the ICD market has fallen 12% in the United States and about 6.5% globally on weak demand for the devices.

The Heart Failure Society issued guidelines last month calling for the devices to be returned for analysis. All three companies said they would comply.