Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (AICD)
Overview
AICD is an electronic device that is implanted near the heart to monitor the heart rhythm. It is a pacemaker device that helps deliver anti-tachycardia pacing and shocks to the heart. It treats ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia.
The achievement rate of AICD Implantation in India is over 98%. The complications could arise because of harm to blood vessels, stroke or heart disease, or kidney cells.
What Is an Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (AICD)?
The automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD) is a device that monitors the heartbeat. When it detects a life-threatening change in the heart’s rhythm, this device delivers an electrical impulse or shock to the core. The AICD, like a pacemaker, is small enough to be implanted beneath the skin in the upper chest. The AICD system consists of the following components:
A pulse generator can deliver an electrical impulse or shock to the heart.
Electrodes that detect heart rhythm and deliver a shock to the heart muscle
Batteries that are expected to last four to five years and deliver approximately 100 shocks
A small computer chip tells the AICD when to deliver a shock to the patient.
Depending on the type of abnormal rhythm problem being treated, your doctor can also program the AICD to deliver a variety of sophisticated electrical therapies.
When Are AICDs Used?
Some individuals are more susceptible to sudden death. For these people, an AICD can provide appropriate treatment and, in most cases, prevent sudden death. Today, the following are the indications for an AICD:
People whose hearts stop suddenly
People who have had excessively rapid heartbeats documented (Ventricular Tachycardia)
Or patients who are at risk for the previously stated rhythm problems because of:
A lack of or insufficient blood flow to the heart
A major heart attack (MI)
Cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart) or related conditions such as congestive heart failure
Symptoms of Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (AICD)
TBF
Diagnosis of Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (AICD)
Pre-Transplant
Bone marrow testing
Physical evaluation
Medical history review
Causes of Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (AICD)
TBF
Treatment Options / Stages of Automatic Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (AICD)
Procedure
How AICD Implantation Procedure is Performed?
Before the Procedure
Your healthcare provider may recommend that you do the following before receiving an AICD implant in India:
Fast for several hours ahead of time (not eat or drink anything except water).
To ensure your health, have blood tests, urine tests, and an electrocardiogram.
Notify them if you have any bleeding disorders or are taking blood thinners.
Any allergies to contrast dye, iodine, bee stings, shellfish, or medications should be disclosed.
If you have asthma, diabetes, kidney disease, or any other medical conditions, inform your healthcare team.
During the Procedure
An AICD implantation procedure is typically carried out in a hospital or clinic. It requires a long time.
The type of procedure you have will be determined by your health, the type of device, and any other surgical interventions that you require at the same time.
The most common procedure is the transvenous approach. A small incision near your collarbone is required. The leads are threaded through veins and into your heart by your healthcare provider. However, sometimes implantation necessitates open-heart surgery.
AICD procedures can vary greatly. In general, however, your healthcare provider will:
Give you an IV anesthesia to help you relax or put you to sleep.
Use a local anesthetic to numb a skin area.
Make a cut near your collarbone, chest, or abdomen (belly).
Insert the wires into the heart chambers via the subclavian vein.
Insert the AICD into a pouch beneath the skin.
Connect the leads to the AICD and the heart.
Check the device and the wires to ensure they are properly connected and working.
Seal the incision.
Before sending you to recovery, the system must be tested once more.
After the Procedure
You may feel tired and sore after AICD implantation, especially near the incision. To make you more comfortable, your healthcare provider may recommend pain medications.
Many patients leave the hospital the next day. You may need to stay in the hospital for a few days depending on your health and the type of procedure you had.
Your healthcare provider may keep testing the AICD system just before you leave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What’s Your Regular Heartbeat and How Can It Be Controlled?
A: The typical heartbeat in the rest is 60-80/minutes. The heart rhythm is controlled with the stimulation produced by the SA (sinoatrial) node that’s situated in the ideal atrium of the heart.
Q: What Is Ventricular Fibrillation?
A: In ventricular fibrillation heart rhythm increases to 240/min since the stimulation is no longer controlled, the heart beats extremely fast and so so inefficient the blood stops circulating. Ventricular fibrillation is a life-threatening illness and may result in cardiac arrest and sudden death in patients.
Q: How Can AICD Work?
A: AICD is a life-saving apparatus, AICD may discover and correct abnormal quickly rhythms. This apparatus continuously monitors the heart rhythm, and it remains dormant once the heart is working normally but When it paths an abnormally rapid heartbeat it transmits little low voltage electric shocks to the heart that adjusts abnormal rhythm (anti Tachycardia pacing ). Sometimes low power shock is sent to restore normal rhythm (Cardioversion) and in several cases, a high energy jolt Once the heart is beating dangerously fast (Defibrillation )
Q: Which Are the Elements of AICD?
A: AICD Contains:
A generator that has a Battery and miniature computer and can be inserted beneath the skin in the upper left torso.
Leads or insulated wires are attached to one end of the generator and the other to the perfect chambers of the center.
Q: How Long Does the Battery of AICD Last?
A: The battery of AICD lasts for approximately 6-10 years based on its use, following the battery life is over the whole apparatus then has to be substituted but the prospects might be reused.
Q: What’s the Distinction Between AICD and Pacemaker?
A: AICD can send electric impulses either low or high to fix the abnormal heart rhythm, whereas the pacemaker is only going to have the ability to send low electricity instincts So, in cases of sudden cardiac arrest, where large energy impulses (jolt) are expected to reestablish the heartbeat, AICD is required and may be lifesaving.