Implanted Cardiac Defibrillators (ICD) and Pulmonary Artery Sensors
Curious about implanted cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) and pulmonary artery sensors?

What is an ICD? 
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small electronic device that is inserted into your body to monitor your heartbeat. If it senses a dangerous rapid heart rhythm, it can deliver one or more electrical impulses or deliver a shock to restore a normal rhythm. The ICD is a first-line treatment for people who are at risk of developing life-threating cardiac arrhythmias. You may be prescribed an ICD if you have had a cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscle) or a family history of congenital heart problems. When the heart is beating normally, the ICD does nothing. If the ICD detects an abnormally fast heart rate, called ventricular tachycardia, the pacemaker will first try to control the heart rhythm. If this doesn’t work, or the rhythm gets worse (ventricular fibrillation), the ICD sends electric shock signals to the heart. The electric shock changes the abnormal rhythm to a normal rhythm.

Bi-Ventricular ICD
A biventricular ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) or biventricular pacemaker device is an option for some patients with moderate to severe congestive heart failure. With heart failure, the heart is weakened and does not pump blood adequately to the body and organs. Frequently, in heart failure the lower heart chambers (ventricles) do not beat at the same time. With biventricular ICDs and pacemakers or cardiac resynchronization devices, the ventricles can be stimulated to work together. To accomplish this, three leads (soft insulated wires) are inserted through veins into the heart. These leads are connected to a small generator (about the size of a small stopwatch) that delivers tiny electrical pulses. The electrical pulses are sent to the two ventricles to make them contract at the same time. When the two ventricles beat together, the heart can beat as efficiently as possible to pump blood to the body. By improving the pumping function of the heart, heart failure symptoms may decrease.

The device is a tool used to guide the treatment and management of heart failure. A sensor is put in your pulmonary artery (the blood vessel that moves blood from your heart to your lungs). It is about the size of a dime with small wires on each side. The sensor measures the pressure in your pulmonary artery. By measuring this pressure every day from home, your provider will receive valuable information he or she needs to make changes to your medications and suggest lifestyle modifications. Your provider will be able to personalize your care to help prevent heart failure symptoms and decrease your chances of needing to be hospitalized. The sensor placement is often an outpatient procedure, and you may be able to go home the same day. At CentraCare, we are implanting a few different devices. If interested, talk to your provider to see if you qualify for a device.
 

Picture from Endotronix	Picture from Abbott

My Heart Group Meets May 19
My Heart Support Group provides information to people, as well as their loved ones, who have heart conditions, specifically heart failure. At the meeting, you will find resources to take home, such as low-sodium food charts, recipes and other educational materials. The event also includes low-sodium snacks, drinks and drawings for door prizes. A speaker presents for most meetings with a focus on anything related to the diagnosis of heart failure. Any speaker who presents in St. Cloud will be broadcast to the My Heart Group at Melrose via the web. A facilitator at CentraCare – Melrose will lead table-top discussions on the subjects presented, serve low-sodium snacks and hold a door prize drawing. The meeting usually lasts around 1-1½ hours.

The group meets at 3 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at CentraCare South Point, 3001 Clearwater Rd, St. Cloud, and CentraCare - Melrose, 525 W Main St. You may also join the meeting online. Video conferencing will allow Melrose and online participants to watch the speaker presentation in St. Cloud through Microsoft Teams.

Guest Speaker

To RSVP, email HFSupportGroup@centracare.com or leave a message at 320-470-0760. Indicate the number of guests and the location you would like to attend.