Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy With and Without Defibrillator in a Commercial Truck Driver with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy and New York Heart Association Class III Heart Failure

Jacob C Jentzer; John H Jentzer

doi:10.1016/j.ccep.2012.02.007

Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy With and Without Defibrillator in a Commercial Truck Driver with Ischemic Cardiomyopathy and New York Heart Association Class III Heart Failure

Card Electrophysiol Clin. 2012 Jun;4(2):169-80. doi: 10.1016/j.ccep.2012.02.007.

Authors

Jacob C Jentzer¹, John H Jentzer²

Affiliations

¹ Heart and Vascular Institute, Department of Cardiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Scaife Hall, Suite B-571.3, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
² 2317 Stone Crest Way, St George, UT 84790, USA.

PMID: 26939814
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccep.2012.02.007

Abstract

Commercial drivers warrant tighter restrictions to their driving privileges than private drivers. Patients with cardiac disease who are at risk of consciousness-impairing arrhythmias are not allowed to drive commercially. Patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and/or heart failure symptoms are permanently disqualified from commercial driving. A biventricular pacemaker without defibrillator can improve symptoms and mortality in selected patients with heart failure. Biventricular pacing may have antiarrhythmic effects that may reduce the added benefit of a defibrillator. Motor vehicle collisions resulting from arrhythmic events are infrequent. The interests of public safety must outweigh individual liberties when driving safety is in question.