SynthesisESC heart failure2025
The difficult discussion on the deactivation of implantable cardioverter devices at the end of life: a systematic review.
Synthesis in ESC heart failure, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Barriers and Facilitators for Implementation of Palliative Care for Patients with Heart failure - a Rapid Synthesis of Reviews.Current heart failure reports · 2025Pooled it
- The difficult discussion on the deactivation of implantable cardioverter devices at the end of life: a systematic review.ESC heart failure · 2025Pooled it
- Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices in Oncology Patients: Challenges and Management.Journal of cardiovascular electrophysiology · 2026Review
- Heart failure in the elderly: epidemiology, mechanisms, and management.European heart journal · 2026Review
- Prognostic communication in heart failure: protocol for a systematic qualitative synthesis of experiences, attitudes and practices.BMJ open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) reliably prevent death due to life-threatening arrhythmias; this may become less relevant in people with more severe heart failure who are reaching the end of life (EOL). This review aimed to explore the ICD deactivation process and identify ethical issues, especially around the initiation of relevant discussions among professionals and patients. Available literature was reviewed using four electronic databases to identify issues that may deter healthcare professionals from having important deactivation discussions and to address considerations for ICD management prior to the EOL. The search resulted in the retainment of 12 studies. Three themes emerged from the data: barriers and facilitators, ethical considerations in clinical practice, and nurse's role. Lack of knowledge, which has been associated with cultural differences, has been found among the barriers, and interdisciplinary education and open communication appeared as facilitators. As clinicians' ethical considerations and fears emerged from the literature, nurses' special role has not been sufficiently supported. Complex care requires facilitation by multidisciplinary teams and education around the device's function regarding EOL issues. Establishing expert consensus statements on advance care planning might help define the distinct roles of each healthcare practitioner involved. Further research is needed in addressing the identified gaps.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.