What criteria should determine when to discuss defibrillator deactivation?
The criteria for discussing defibrillator deactivation should be based on the views of patients, family, carers and healthcare staff regarding the timing of discussions about the deactivation of ICDs. Patients with heart failure in a primary care, outpatient or community setting should be taken into consideration. Healthcare professionals' experiences in end of life care for heart failure patients should also be taken into account when determining the criteria for discussing defibrillator deactivation.