Implantable cardioverter defibrillators in patients with electrical heart disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: data from the German device registry.

Data from the present registry display a surprisingly high mortality in patients with electrical heart disease equivalent to the control group. A high proportion of patients who received an ICD for secondary prevention may be regarded as a major determinant for these results, while severe comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and renal failure are major determinants for mortality in the control cohort.