Incidence of premature battery depletion in subcutaneous cardioverter-defibrillator patients: insights from a multicenter registry

Background: The subcutaneous ICD established its role in the prevention of sudden cardiac death in recent years. The occurrence of premature battery depletion in a large subset of potentially affected devices has been a cause of concern. The incidence of premature battery depletion has not been studied systematically beyond manufacturer-reported data. Methods: Retrospective data and the most recent follow-up data on S-ICD devices from fourteen centers in Europe, the US, and Canada was studied. The incidence of generator removal or failure was reported to investigate the incidence of premature S-ICD battery depletion, defined as battery failure within 60 months or less. Results: Data from 1054 devices was analyzed. Premature battery depletion occurred in 3.5% of potentially affected devices over an observation period of 49 months. Conclusions: The incidence of premature battery depletion of S-ICD potentially affected by a battery advisory was around 3.5% after 4 years in this study. Premature depletion occurred exclusively in devices under advisory. This is in line with the most recently published reports from the manufacturer. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04767516.