Your heart’s rhythm is too important to be out of sync
When your arrhythmia becomes life-threatening, a medical device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) may be necessary to keep your heart beating normally. At our state-of-the-art facilities, our experts are equipped to provide you with the latest heart and vascular treatments including implantable cardioverter defibrillators. If an abnormal heart rate is detected by this device, the ICD will deliver an electric shock to regain a normal heartbeat. Some ICD's now have a built in pacemaker function. Talk to your Novant Health provider to determine if this is a good option for you.
What is an ICD?
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is an electronic device that constantly monitors your heart rhythm. When it detects chaotic, abnormal or a heartbeat that is too fast, it delivers an electric (defibrillation) shock to your heart. This causes your heart to beat normally again. If your ICD has a pacemaker feature it will send small electric impulses to your heart to keep it beating normally.
Why is an ICD needed?
Much like a pacemaker, the ICD is used to treat life-threatening heart arrhythmia's occurring in the heart. Your doctor may recommend an ICD if you are at risk of a life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia due to:
- Ventricular arrhythmia
- Heart attack or after sudden cardiac arrest
- Long QT syndrome
- Brugada syndrome
- Congenital heart disease or other underlying conditions for sudden cardiac arrest
To learn more about ICDs or any of our other heart treatments, contact a Novant Health location nearest you.