(April 21, 2009 - Insidermedicine) Only about 70% of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator insertions are performed by physicians who specialize in this area, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Here is some information about ICDs:

•    They are electronic devices implanted in the chest to deliver an electrical shock to the heart to induce a normal rhythm.

•    Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) involves a specialized ICD to help resynchronize the heart when each side is beating at a different rhythm.

•    Physicians who specialize in the electrical activity of the heart, including the use of ICDs, are known as electrophysiologists.

Yale University researchers analyzed data from over 100,000 ICD implantations to determine whether the specialty of the physician who performed the procedure affected the complication rate or use of CRT.

About 70% of procedures were performed by electrophysiologists. The complication rate was 11% higher with non-electrophysiologist cardiologists and 44% higher with thoracic surgeons. Patients eligible for CRT were more likely to get it if their implantation was performed by an electrophysiologist.

Today's research highlights the need to re-think current training protocols for the implantation of ICD devices by non-electrophysiologists. 

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.