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Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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Persons who have cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) may need an electrical impulse to help restore a normal heart rhythm, particularly if the abnormal rhythm is ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia (rapid but ineffective contractions of the main heart muscle). This can be done from outside the chest (usually in an emergency situation) using defibrillator paddles that deliver an electrical impulse or by an automated external defibrillator (AED), a device now available in many public buildings and airports that can detect and correct dangerous arrhythmias. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) allow for automated detection of arrhythmias. Automated treatment also occurs, either by delivery of a high-energy electric shock to the heart muscle (called defibrillation or cardioversion) or by a low-energy signal (cardiac pacing) to correct the abnormal rhythm. The April 26, 2006, issue of JAMA includes several articles about ICDs.
REASONS FOR ICD PLACEMENT
Janet M. Torpy, MD, Writer;
Alison E. Burke, MA, Illustrator;
Richard M. Glass, MD, Editor
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