Driving with an internal defibrillator: legal, ethical, and quality-of-life issues

The increased use of internal cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) combined with the large number of Americans who drive poses serious ethical, legal and social considerations. Although ICD patients are advised not to drive, nearly 77% of patients surveyed continued to drive after surgery. Questions of freedom and quality-of-life needs should be measured against the risk factors to others as well as the legal restrictions applied to cardiac patients.