Advance care planning and end-of-life care in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator: The perspective of relatives.
Rik StoevelaarArianne StoppelenburgRozemarijn L van Bruchem-VisserAnne Geert van DrielDominic Amj TheunsMartine E LokkerRohit E BhagwandienAgnes van der HeideJudith A C RietjensPublished in: Palliative medicine (2021)
Implantable cardioverter defibrillator deactivation was discussed with a minority of patients. Device shocks were reported to be distressing to patients and relatives. Relatives of patients with a deactivated device reported a higher quality of death compared to relatives of patients with an active device.