Implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), are surgically implanted beneath the skin of the chest and remain in contact with the heart to help restore the heart to normal rhythm or to help prevent sudden cardiac death. Further details about implantable heart devices are available here.

People who have received a heart implantable medical device also take blood-thinners to prevent the formation of blood clots, but these medications also increase the risk of harmful bleeding - and this risk is further increased during surgery.

We are hoping to seek consumer input on a Cochrane Review that aimed to find out if interrupting blood-thinning medications closer to or during device implantation/insertion operation could be better than continuing these medications. 

Cochrane considers a consumer, in this case, to be someone who has had a heart device implanted, or someone who knows/has helped a family member/friend to recover after heart device implantation, and has taken blood-thinning drugs. For consumer peer review, we will ask you to complete a short form with your feedback to ensure the review is accessible and relevant so that it will be helpful to patients and their carers/families with healthcare decision-making.

You are welcome to provide feedback on any aspect of the review, or you can focus your attention on the sections you feel are most relevant to consumers and stakeholders, such as Abstract, Plain Language Summary, and Conclusions. Our aim is for this to be a manageable task, that does not overburden consumer reviewers.

Thank you in advance for considering!