Shopping cart

Subtotal $0.00

View cartCheckout

Appointment Now

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators ICDS

  • Home
  • Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators ICDS
ShapeIMPLANTABLE CARDIOVERTER-DEFIBRILLATORS (ICDS)

What is Implantable Cardioverter- Defibrillators?

An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a small battery-powered device placed in the chest. It detects and stops irregular heartbeats, also called arrhythmias. An ICD continuously checks the heartbeat. It delivers electric shocks, when needed, to restore a regular heart rhythm.

 

You might need an ICD if you have a dangerously fast heartbeat called ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. An ICD also may be recommended if you’re at high risk of dangerous irregular heartbeats, usually because of a weak heart muscle.

An ICD isn’t the same as a pacemaker. A pacemaker is a device used to prevent dangerously slow heartbeats.

Why is ICD is done?

An ICD constantly checks for irregular heartbeats and instantly tries to correct them. It helps when there is a sudden loss of all heart activity, a condition called cardiac arrest.

An ICD is the main treatment for anyone who has survived cardiac arrest. The devices are increasingly used in people at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest. An ICD lowers the risk of sudden death from cardiac arrest more than medicine alone.

Your heart doctor may recommend an ICD if you have symptoms of an irregular heart rhythm called sustained ventricular tachycardia. Fainting is one of the symptoms.

An ICD also may be recommended if you survived cardiac arrest or if you have:

  • A history of coronary artery disease and a heart attack that has weakened the heart.
  • An enlarged heart muscle.
  • A genetic heart condition that increases the risk of dangerously fast heart rhythms, such as some types of long QT syndrome.