ANSWERS: 1
  • <div class="section1">

    The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator is used to detect and stop serious ventricular arrhythmias and restore a normal heartbeat in people who are at high risk of sudden death. The American Heart Association recommends that implantable cardioverter-defibrillators only be considered for patients who have a life-threatening arrhythmia. A recent study by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute demonstrated that implantable cardioverter-defibrillators are the treatment of choice instead of drug therapy for patients who have had a cardiac arrest or heart attack and are at risk for developing ventricular tachycardia, which is a very rapid heartbeat, or ventricular fibrillation, which is an ineffective, irregular heart activity. Other studies suggest that 20% of these high risk patients would die within two years without an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. With the device, the five-year risk of sudden death drops to five percent.

    Source: The Gale Group. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.";

  • Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

    Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy