UW Cardiologists launch Seattle Proportional Risk Model

Not for Everyone

At what seemed to be a prominent tool to assist patients with cardiovascular diseases at the time, implanted cardiovascular defibrillators (ICDs) have had their fair share of issues since first introduced in 1980. Serving as a device to provide a shock to the wearer's heart in the moments leading up to a cardiac arrest, the ICDs eventually started to incorrectly trigger shocks causing even more issues. The original purpose of the ICD was still being accomplished, though the downsides of the device started to raise suspicions. Over time, the need for an application to measure the extents of an ICD rose, and the use of the devices started to see a decline even though they had the potential to save plenty of lives.

Predicting the Future

Drs. Wayne Levy and David Linker recently launched their new Seattle Proportional Risk Model, a web application which aims to help physicians and patients communicate whether an implanted defibrillator is needed. The Seattle Heart Failure Model originally released in 2006 provided a fixed ICD benefit.  The novel new application uses user inputted data regarding their health history, and outputs the potential benefits/non-benefits of implanting a cardiovascular defibrillator. The app was tested through a variety of measures to ensure the model would correctly predict numbers similar to the results found from hands on studies. The positive impact of this application has on patient care will be noticed immediately as the need for a collaborative decision-making process between patients and physicians became full blown ever since Medicare and Medicaid Services announced it would only continue to cover future ICDs if there was documentation detailing the whole process. 

Congrats to Drs. Levy, and Linker on the successful roll out of the Seattle Proportional Risk Model!

For a full detailed article about the release of the Seattle Proportional Risk Model, check out UW Newsroom's complete write up.