Earlier this year, a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association created quite a stir among device manufacturers when it concluded that implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) were overutilized. The JAMA article concluded that 22.5 percent of patients were implanted with ICDs when there was no evidence that they required it. Later, some large firms like Medtronic have acknowledged that ICD sales have been hurt in the U.S. partly because of that article.
