American Heart Association says new Implanted Defibrillator works well without touching Heart
August 29, 2013
Dallas, TX – A new type of defibrillator implanted under the skin can detect dangerously abnormal heart rhythms and deliver shocks to restore a normal heartbeat without wires touching the heart, according to research in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation.
The subcutaneous implantable cardiac defibrillator (S-ICD®System) includes a lead placed under the skin along the left side of the breast bone. Traditional implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) include electrical conducting wires inserted into blood vessels that touch the heart.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b19gnplaP8U[/youtube] [Read more]
American Heart Association reports Computer software monitoring detects ICD malfunctions sooner
March 6, 2012
Dallas, TX – A software monitoring program that tracks implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) function could detect problems with the devices earlier than current monitoring processes, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
ICDs monitor heart rhythms and deliver electric shocks to restore normal rhythm when life-threatening, irregular heartbeats occur. But the surgically implanted devices can malfunction, particularly in the leads, or wires, that connect them to the heart, causing injury or death. Device manufacturers track repeated malfunctions and issue recalls if they’re widespread. However, often by the time of the recall, thousands of the devices have been implanted in patients worldwide. [Read more]
