Site NavigationImplantable Cardioverter Defibrillators
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Many people may have heard the term internal defibrillator or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), but may not know exactly what it is, or how it helps the heart. Following the 2007 Medtronic recall of the Sprint Fidelis leads, more patients are concerned about a possible lead fracture. Patients who have already suffered from a defective lead have looked a filing a Medtronic lawsuit to help recover unpaid medical bills.
The heart is a muscle that pumps blood throughout the body. Naturally occurring electrical impulses in the body cue the heart to contract, or pump, on a regular basis. Sometimes, however, the cueing system does not work properly and the heartbeat becomes extremely fast or irregular. When that happens, the heart is not able to pump blood efficiently. A person with an extremely fast heartbeat (ventricular tachycardia) or abnormal heart rhythm (ventricular fibrillation) could die of sudden cardiac arrest within minutes without emergency treatment.
If a person has survived this illness, or if he is at risk of an abnormal heartbeat, doctors may recommend using an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
The ICD is implanted in the chest or underneath the stomach muscles. The ICD is composed of a very small computer, a battery and a pulse generator. Wires, or leads, attached to the ICD contain electrodes that connect to the heart chamber.
The computer of the ICD monitors the heartbeat. If it senses a heartbeat that is not normal, it will send a jolt of electricity through the wires to the heart. This jolt helps to re-establish a normal rhythm.
An ICD may be a single chamber ICD, connecting with one chamber (i.e. one atrium or one ventricle), or it may be a dual chamber ICD, connecting with both chambers of the heart.
In addition to monitoring the heart rate and sending shocks to restore a natural heartbeat, the ICD also stores and provides important information about the individual’s heart function. When the patient visits the doctor—every one to three months in some cases—the doctor can download information from the ICD and get a record of how the heart functioned. The doctor can see what type of arrhythmia occurred if the ICD delivered a shock.
This report also lets the doctor ensure that the ICD is working properly. If shocks are being delivered in absence of an irregular heartbeat, the device, or its wires may be faulty. Recently, for example, the wires for the Medtronic ICD were recalled because they have a high rate of fracture or breakage. As a result, the ICDs may get a miscue and deliver a jolt unnecessarily. They may also not fire when they should.
If you have a Medtronic device that uses the Sprint Fidelis brand of wires, you should be aware that you may have important legal rights including being part of a Medtronic lawsuit.
About the Author:
Mark Roberts is the author of this article on Medtronic
class action.
Find more information about Medtronic infusion set here.
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