The Presence of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators is Rarely Addressed During Code Status Change.

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICDs) are used to prevent sudden cardiac death, but they may provide unwanted shocks during end-of-life care. We aimed to study the frequency at which Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) discussions address ICD preferences in high-risk patients. A retrospective chart review was performed on patient hospitalizations with the presence of an ICD, a change in code status to DNR, and a subsequent death during that hospitalization.