Automatic Implantable Cardioverter/Defibrillator: An Overview

Abstract

Introduction:

Sudden cardiac death is one of the leading modes of death in the United States 1,2 The majority of these episodes are due to malignant ventricular tachy arrhythmias. Primary prevention of these arrhythmias by the elimination of risk factors associated with heart disease is not yet at hand . Depending upon the availability of rescue services 25-37% of me victims of out of hospital sudden cardiac death are resuscitated and discharged home.The currently available AICD is a result of an evolutionary development process begun by Mirowski and colleagues over one and a half decades ago ‘8”9’20.On 4th February 1980 the first implant in human was performed at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore 21,

Results:

Automatic implantable cardioverter/defibrillator is not considered to be a substitute for anti-arrhythrnic drug therapy or surgical ablation of arrhythmogenic foci scine prevention of an. arrhythmia is clearly preferred to the termination. However once it has occurred the device acts promptly.Reid et al 17 has compared the mortality in patients receiving the first generation (AID) and 2nd generation (AICD) implantable devices. The mortality due to sudden cardiac death at one year in the original AID group was 10.6% while in AICD group it was 2%. These results showed improved survival in both the AID and AICD groups but even better results with AICD.