We report two cases of patients receiving inappropriate shocks delivered by an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The device malfunction was related to rapid atrial tachycardia in one patient and defibrillation lead defect in the other. With the expansion of ICD implantation, this inappropriate shock problem has increased gradually over the past years and has thus become a noticeable concern today. Inappropriate shocks usually cause psychological distress in the patient and are associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, the majority of lead defects may be detected on ICD control before inappropriate shocks occur. Lead defect problems can hardly ever be resolved conservatively, usually requiring an invasive approach.
We report two cases of patients receiving inappropriate shocks delivered by an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The device malfunction was related to rapid atrial tachycardia in one patient and defibrillation lead defect in the other. With the expansion of ICD implantation, this inappropriate shock problem has increased gradually over the past years and has thus become a noticeable concern today. Inappropriate shocks usually cause psychological distress in the patient and are associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, the majority of lead defects may be detected on ICD control before inappropriate shocks occur. Lead defect problems can hardly ever be resolved conservatively, usually requiring an invasive approach.
We report two cases of patients receiving inappropriate shocks delivered by an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The device malfunction was related to rapid atrial tachycardia in one patient and defibrillation lead defect in the other. With the expansion of ICD implantation, this inappropriate shock problem has increased gradually over the past years and has thus become a noticeable concern today. Inappropriate shocks usually cause psychological distress in the patient and are associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, the majority of lead defects may be detected on ICD control before inappropriate shocks occur. Lead defect problems can hardly ever be resolved conservatively, usually requiring an invasive approach.