Very fast heart rhythm like ventricular tachycardia carries a high risk of sudden cardiac death. This kind of tachycardia needs immediate detection and deployment of appropriate therapy. Very often, an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) device is used in such patients. An ICD looks like a pacemaker device and consists of a long lasting battery, a capacitor and an electronic circuit encased in a can. This device is implanted below the left collar bone under the subcutaneous tissue. A high-voltage lead is inserted to the cardiac chamber and the ICD is connected to it at its proximal end. Via the lead, the ICD detects if there is any tachycardia and immediately determines the nature of the tachycardia and delivers appropriate therapy. Different kinds of therapy are programmed into the ICD by the implanting physician depending on the nature of the underlying tachycardia, which varies from antitachycardia pacing to shock therapy. ICD is often lifesaving.
In some cases, doctors recommend surgery to treat the underlying problem that led to heart failure. For example, a damaged heart valve may be repaired or, if necessary, replaced with a new one. Doctors recommend coronary bypass surgery to treat severely narrowed coronary arteries that are contributing to heart failure.
Researchers continue to search for new and better ways to treat heart failure. An ICD is one of the treatments being studied and used in certain people.
As mentioned above, an ICD is a device implanted under the skin and attached to the heart with small wires. The ICD monitors the heart rhythm. If the heart starts beating at a dangerous rhythm, the ICD shocks it back into normal rhythm. Sometimes a biventricular pacemaker is combined with an ICD for people with severe heart failure.
Condition Details:
Congestive heart failure (CHF), congestive cardiac failure (CCF) or just
heart failure, is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood through the body. Heart failure describes when the heart is having difficulty completing its work. The term is not the same as heart attack or cardiac arrest, when the heart may stop; heart failure involves a gradual failing of the heart. Symptoms of Heart failure:
- Breathless with exertion
- Breathlessness
- Fatigue
- Tiredness
- Weakness etc
