Comparative Study between Subcutaneous and Endovascular Defibrillator Recipients Regarding Tolerance to the Implant Procedure and Perception of Quality of Life.

Background: The totally subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) is a safe alternative to the conventional transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) system to prevent sudden death.

Objective: To compare the impact of the type of ICD system and surgical technique on patients' quality of life, as well as the severity of discomfort and pain, between S-ICD and TV-ICD recipients.

Methods: Consecutively implanted patients with an S-ICD system were matched with patients with a TV-ICD system.