Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a device that monitors and moderates your heart rate. It uses batteries to send electric signals to a heart that’s beating too slow, similar to a pacemaker. The device can detect irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and deliver a jolt of electricity to return your heartbeat to a normal.
Inova Offers Two Options:
Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD)
Inova uses the Boston Scientific S-ICD® System, the world's first and only commercially available subcutaneous implantable defibrillator (S-ICD) to treat patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest. An Inova patient received the first such device in the Northern Virginia and DC metro area.
S-ICDs offer the same lifesaving benefits as a traditional defibrillator but with lower complication risks since no electrodes or leads are placed into the heart itself. S-ICDs are only used for patients who do not also require a pacemaker for slow heart rhythms.
Traditional (transvenous) implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
Traditional implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD) sit in the chest and send a shock to the heart when they sense an abnormal rhythm. Inova cardiac surgeons place the device below the skin and connect it to the heart with electrodes.