Implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICD) are established as preventing death in patients with left ventricular dysfunction and ischaemic heart disease (IHD).1 In patients without IHD, however, ICDs are already considered controversial,2 and recent trial data have been interpreted as indicating that they are not beneficial.3 We set out to analyse the totality of RCT data of ICD vs. no ICD therapy in primary prevention of mortality in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.
