SURVIVAL ANALYSIS AND CLINICAL MEDICINE - AN OBSERVATIONAL COMPARISONOF THE IMPLANTABLE CARDIOVERTER-DEFIBRILLATOR, AMIODARONE TREATMENT, AND HEART-TRANSPLANTATION

In clinical practice, observational studies remain necessary for evalu ating accepted and new treatments. The comparison of results remains d ifficult and often controversial, because of a wide variation in clini cal characteristics. Survival analysis and calculation of the standard ized mortality ratio offer the possibility to compare outcomes in diff erent study groups. We have applied these techniques to an observation al comparison of outcomes in three groups of patients, followed in two university centres: (i) patients treated with an implantable cardiove rter defibrillator; (ii) patients under amiodarone treatment and (iii) recipients of a heart transplant. There was no statistically signific ant difference in the cumulative survival from total mortality. The st andardized mortality ratio revealed the different natural history of p atients undergoing heart transplantation.