Summary

Shocks delivered by implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) can cause anxiety [Sears SF Jr et al. Clin Cardiol 1999], decreased quality of life [Schron EB et al. Circulation 2002], and mortality [Daubert JP et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2008]. The Study to Evaluate System Safety and Clinical Performance of the Protecta Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) Plus Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillator [Painfree SST; NCT00982397] is the first study to evaluate the SmartShock discrimination algorithms for reducing inappropriate shocks by single chamber ICDs.