The mortality analysis of primary prevention patients receiving a cardiac resynchronization defibrillator (CRT-D) or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) according to guideline indications in the improve SCA study.

Background: In primary prevention (PP) patients the utilization of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillators (CRT-D) remains low in many geographies, despite the proven mortality benefit.

Purpose: The objective of this analysis was to examine the mortality benefit in PP patients by guideline-indicated device type: ICD and CRT-D.

Methods: Improve sudden cardiac arrest was a prospective, nonrandomized, nonblinded multicenter trial that enrolled patients from regions where ICD utilization is low.