An under-utilized opportunity: The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD)

Sudden cardiac death is often precipitated by unstable ventricular arrhythmias. These arrhythmias are particularly amendable to defibrillation. The risk of these arrhythmias is highest immediately following an acute myocardial infarction, especially if there is impaired left ventricular function. Many patients with depressed left ventricular function receive an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for prophylaxis against these lethal arrhythmias. The current guidelines recommend against implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation in the early period following myocardial infarction. This is because, given the time, arrhythmia risk typically decreases. The wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) can protect these vulnerable patients in the short term when arrhythmia risk is highest. Herein, we present a case of a 69 year old male who suffered a cardiac arrest four days after hospital discharge following an acute myocardial infarction.   Key words: Sudden cardiac death (SCD), defibrillation, implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD).