Wearable cardioverter-defibrillator as a bridge to cardiac transplantation: A national database analysis.

Background: Life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and sudden cardiac death (SCD) are common in patients awaiting heart transplantation (HT), and the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is often used for primary prevention in this setting. Use of ICDs in these patients is not without risks and is sometimes contraindicated. The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) may be a reasonable alternative to bridge the period of risk leading up to HT.