AICD Implantation

An AICD (automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) is for people whose hearts can slip into rhythms that kill within minutes — survivors of cardiac arrest, people with ventricular tachycardia, or those whose heart muscle disease puts them at risk. The device monitors continuously and treats automatically: pacing away a fast rhythm where it can, delivering a shock where it must.

What the procedure involves

The usual approach is through a vein: a small incision near the collarbone under local anaesthetic, leads threaded to the heart under X-ray guidance, and the generator seated under the skin of the upper chest. Many patients go home the next day; the device is tested before discharge.

Living with the device

The battery lasts roughly six to ten years and replacement is a far smaller procedure than the first implant. You carry a device card at all times, keep phones on the opposite side, ask for a hand search rather than the wand at airports, and check with your cardiologist about MRI — many newer devices are MR-conditional, older ones are not. A rapid heartbeat that persists beyond two minutes, or repeated shocks, means seek help immediately.

Recovery and what to expect

Soreness at the site settles over days; the arm on the implant side is kept below shoulder height for a few weeks while the leads bed in. Redness, swelling, fever or discharge at the wound are reasons to contact the team without waiting for the next appointment.

Before you agree to anything

Ask why a defibrillator rather than medication alone in your case, and whether a single- or dual-chamber device is proposed and why. We arrange the pre-implant work-up and the first device check inside one stay.