|
Sudden Death is a life threatening condition when the heart suddenly stops beating effectively. Often, this means that either the heart is beating too fast to pump blood, or it is quivering (fibrillating). The treatment for this is immediate defibrillation, or shocking of the heart to restore a normal rhythm. When people are at high risk for these events, a device can be implanted that will provide a shock when their heart begins to quiver. This is called an AICD (Automatic Internal Cardiac Defibrillator). This device is implanted inside the chest and it can deliver shocks to the heart muscle when it senses an abnormal rhythm. Dr. Sheehan can implant this device in the cardiac cath lab. This procedure usually takes 2-3 hours and does not require general anesthesia.
Implanted Defibrillators are lifesaving devices. Each year new advances are made with the development of the devices to make them more effective and more comfortable.
|