European Cardiologists have revised their stance on driving with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). The June 2009 issue of Europace, the journal of the European Heart Rhythm Association, has a chart with their new recommendations. One of the main reasons for the change is standardization: Every country in Europe has its own laws about operating a vehicle and few of them agree. It was believed that if a continent wide medical organization could decide on a standard, that could lead to agreement of the vehicle laws.
I don’t have a copy of the old recommendations, so I can’t compare the changes and give my opinion. Hopefully, they did what US doctors did two years ago: study the number of shocks delivered versus the amount of time spent driving, and changed their recommendations for driving with an ICD.
People that must have a federally issued drivers permit (i.e. Professional drivers) are still banned from driving with an ICD.
Tags: Driving, European Heart Rhythm Association, ICD, Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator, vehicle
