BACKGROUND A recent study has shown that the implantable atrial defibrillator can restore sinus rhythm in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation when therapy was delivered under physician observation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ambulatory use of the implantable atrial defibrillator. METHODS AND RESULTS An atrial defibrillator was implanted in 1...

Background—A recent study has shown that the implantable atrial defibrillator can restore sinus rhythm in patients with recurrent atrial fibrillation when therapy was delivered under physician observation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ambulatory use of the implantable atrial defibrillator. Methods and Results—An atrial defibrillator was implanted in 105...

The first concept of an implantable defibrillator was published in 1970 by Dr. Michel Mirowski and his colleague and friend Dr. Morton Mower. Within 30 years implantable defibrillator therapy has gone through a breathtaking development. However, it started with a vision and a concept of one man, who went through difficult times, personally, and in his intention to make his idea of a device that...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES To summarize the findings of the Spanish Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Registry for 2011 compiled by the Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Section of the Spanish Society of Cardiology. METHODS Each implantation team voluntarily and prospectively recorded data on a data collection form, which was then sent to the Spanish Society of Cardiology. RESULTS Over...

BACKGROUND Sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) can be unstable, can be associated with serious symptoms, or can be stable and relatively free of symptoms. Patients with unstable VT are at high risk for sudden death and are best treated with an implantable defibrillator. The prognosis of patients with stable VT is controversial, and it is unknown whether implantable cardioverter-defibrillator...

background: dextrocardia is a congenital anomaly, which may have coexistent coronary artery disease (cad), arrhythmias and conventional indications for device therapy. however, the implantation of transvenous leads can be technically challenging and the approach needs to be tailored to the patient's individual anatomy. case presentation: a 54-year-old male with dextrocardia situs inversus ...

Like any other foreign bodies, implanted cardiac devices can become infected. Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphilococci are the most common causes of infections of pacemaker and defibrillator systems. In this case an implantable cardioverter defibrillator pocket infection caused by an extremely rare microorganism, Klebsiella pneumonia, is presented.

Upgrading of a pacing system in the presence of a subclavian occlusion is technically challenging. We describe the case of a patient who underwent a successful upgrading procedure of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to a biventricular defibrillator (ICD-CRT) in the presence of a suboccluded left subclavian vein, using a collateral vein that drained into the contralateral subclavi...

BACKGROUND Patients with a high ventricular rate during atrial fibrillation (AF) are at increased risk of receiving inappropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks. The objective was to demonstrate the feasibility of high frequency atrioventricular-nodal stimulation (AVNS) to reduce the ventricular rate during AF to prevent inappropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks...

Subcutaneous implantation of a cardiac implantable electronic device is the standard method. Occasionally, subpectoral cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation via axillary incisions is performed in young female patients for cosmetic purposes. Because subpectoral CIED implantation and augmentation mammoplasty involve the same layer, it is feasible to perform both procedures sim...