Defibrillators May Not Work As Well On Women (Study)

February 07, 2012

Defibrillators may not work as well on women, as they do on men. That’s according to a new study. Implantable defibrillators are used to treat people who suffer from heart failure. Toronto cardiologist and study author Dr. Douglas Lee says some women studied didn't need the device -- and some women who should have defibrillators didn't get them. He says the problem may be a one-size-fits-all selection approach that works for men, but doesn't take into account differences in the way the disease manifests itself in women. Although a number of studies have found that implantable defibrillators significantly reduce the risk of death in heart failure patients, the researchers found that most of those studies contained few females.