Second of two parts

An Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is similar to a pacemaker.

A pacemaker and an ICD are battery-powered devices installed in the chest to deliver electrical impulses to the heart.

A pacemaker is used when the heart beats too slowly.

An ICD is used when the heart beats too quickly.

Pacemakers jog the heart with mild reminders that patients usually can’t feel. Pacemakers are small. Some are only as big as a quarter.

The electrical impulses from an ICD can feel like being whacked in the chest. These devices are about the size of a stack of three silver dollars.

An ICD can function as an ICD and a pacemaker.

ICDs monitor for abnormal rhythms and try to correct them.

An ICD can reduce your risk of dying of cardiac arrest by stopping arrhythmias. ICDs have become standard treatment for anyone who has survived cardiac arrest.

An ICD is considered effective in fighting cardiac arrest more than nine times out of 10. Only 20 years ago, few survived cardiac arrest.

Cardiac arrest, or Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), is not a heart attack. However, if you had a heart attack, you can be at risk for SCD.

A heart attack happens where there’s a blocked vessel carrying blood to the heart. This leads to the damage of heart muscle.

The damage may lead to abnormal electrical signals that sometimes cause deadly heart rhythms. An ICD cannot prevent a heart attack.

If you’ve ever watched TV shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” or “ER,” you’ve probably seen a scene in which a doctor demands electrified paddles to shock a troubled heart. An ICD works inside the chest like these paddles.

ICDs are installed under the skin, either under your collarbone or in your abdomen. One or two flexible, insulated wires (leads) run from the ICD through your veins to your heart.

The surgery to implant an ICD can be performed with local anesthesia and a sedative. Then you stay in the hospital for a day or two.

Modern ICD devices have an electronic memory that records the electrical patterns of the heart whenever an abnormal heart beat, or arrhythmia occurs. With this information, the electrophysiologist (a specialist in arrhythmias) can study the heart’s activity and ask about other symptoms that may have occurred.

This record is available for review during regular checkups by the physician, who can monitor the frequency and severity of problems in the heart’s electrical conduction system that may lead to cardiac arrest or other serious heart disorders.

As with pacemakers, ICDs aren’t affected by normal household appliances.

If you have an ICD, you should avoid strong magnetic fields. For example, stay away from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines.

Power machines are dangerous. Don’t go near arc-welding equipment, high-voltage transformers and motor-generator systems.

Have a question? Email: fred@healthygeezer.com. Order “How To Be A Healthy Geezer,” 218-page compilation of columns: healthygeezer.com

All Rights Reserved &Copy; 2023 Fred Cicetti

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The Times News, Inc. and affiliates (Lehigh Valley Press) do not endorse or recommend any medical products, processes, or services or provide medical advice. The views of the columnist and column do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Lehigh Valley Press. The article content is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician, or other qualified health-care provider, with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.