Implantable cardioverter defibrillators in people dying with cancer: A SEER-Medicare analysis of ICD prevalence and association with aggressive end-of-life care.

Introduction: The shared risk profiles for cancer and heart disease suggest many individuals with cancer may have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). ICDs can have dramatic cancer end-of-life care implications including painful and distressing shocks. ICD prevalence and association with aggressive end-of-life care among individuals with breast, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer was evaluated using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare dataset.

Methods: A total of 37,306 Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥66 years with stage 3 or 4 cancer who died between 2005 and 2016 were identified. ICD prevalence, ICD-related care utilization that might present opportunities to discuss end-of-life implications and association with aggressive end-of-life care (>1 emergency department visit, intensive care unit admission, >1 hospitalization, terminal hospitalization, chemotherapy, and invasive or life-extending procedures) in the last month of life was assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Results: Among cancer decedents, 6% had an ICD. More individuals with an ICD (31%) died in the hospital than individuals without an ICD (25%; p < .001). Half (46%) of individuals with an ICD had device programming or interrogation visits that could be an opportunity for device discussion. In adjusted models, ICD presence was associated with higher odds of every indicator of aggressive end-of-life care other than chemotherapy.

Conclusion: Many older cancer decedents in the United States had an ICD, and those with ICDs received more aggressive care at the end of life. Results suggest there are opportunities to discuss ICD and goals of care, raise awareness and encourage shared decision-making for this population to ensure goal-concordant care, and improve end-of-life care quality.