EurekAlert! -- A study of heart failure patients who meet national guidelines for devices that stabilize and strengthen the heart’s electrical system found that only half of eligible patients received the devices. The study, which is the first to examine the management of heart failure patients in outpatient cardiology practices throughout the United States, also found wide, unexplained variations in the use of the devices, known as implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).
