When is an ICD implantation recommended?

ICD may be recommended for patients who have experienced any of the following:

• Previous heart attacks, with weakened functioning of the left ventricle that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death
• History of ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) that does not respond to antiarrhythmic medications or patients who cannot take antiarrhythmic medication for whatever reason.
• Coronary artery disease and may have an underlying arrhythmia
• Cardiac arrest – ICD use can lower the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with heart failure by more than 20 percent
• Atrial fibrillation, when symptoms don’t respond to treatment with medications.

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