The pattern in the electrocardiogram appears to single out patients who will benefit most from implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

The black electrocardiogram pattern below is a virtual SOS from a heart attack survivor. But thanks to a new study of the power of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), the message extracted from the peaks and valleys also points to a more hopeful outcome than doctors have ever been able to offer this patient: The palm-sized ICD is highly likely to help him survive.

“There’s no other therapy that we know of that can save the lives of heart patients to this order of magnitude,” says Bruce Wilkoff, M.D., director of cardiac pacing and tachyarrhythmia devices at The Cleveland Clinic. Once implanted under the skin of the chest, the devices track electrical…

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