SCIENCE / MEDICINE : Device Found Effective in Controlling Heart Rhythm

A tiny generator placed in the body to deliver life-saving electrical shocks to the heart has dramatically cut the death rate in people with heart rhythm disorders, a study shows. Patients who have been given the device faced a 25% chance of dying without it, and practically none would have survived five years. With the device, 94% survive five years and 85% survive 10 years, said Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

About 50,000 to 100,000 Americans each year could benefit from the device, Watkins said. Watkins spoke last week at the American Heart Assn.’s annual science writers’ forum.

The device, which is inserted under the skin of the abdomen, is connected to the heart by means of two flexible electrodes. It monitors the heart’s rhythm continually. When it detects an abnormality, it quickly delivers a shock powerful enough to restore normal heart rhythm, Watkins said.