Why Pacemakers and ICDs?

Pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) can keep your heart functioning. We perform minor surgery to attach the device under the skin of the upper chest.

Pacemaker or ICD: What’s the Difference?

Your cardiologist may recommend an implantable device if you have an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Options include the following:

• Pacemaker: This helps your heart keep a consistent rhythm, slowing down or speeding up your heartbeat as needed.
• ICD: This monitors your heartbeat and shocks your heart into action if it fails to beat for a certain number of seconds.
• Pacemaker with ICD (biventricular pacemaker): This monitors your heart rhythms and keeps both sides of your heart (left and right ventricles) pumping in sync.

Conditions Requiring a Pacemaker or ICD

We may recommend implantable devices for people with cardiac conditions. These include the following:

• Ventricular fibrillation, which is a type of arrhythmia that can cause cardiac arrest and loss of consciousness
• Ventricular tachycardia, which is a rapid, abnormal heartbeat that may be caused by heart disease
• Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), which is a type of heart failure in which the lower left part of the heart cannot properly pump blood
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which involves a thickened, enlarged heart muscle that has difficulty pumping blood