What does defibrillation feel like

When medicines do not work, doctors can implant an ICD. But there are about 4 million Americans who have recurrent arrhythmias, and these people usually need treatment for their condition. Electrical impulses from the heart muscle cause your heart to beat contract. The SA node sends electrical impulses at a certain rate, but your heart rate may still be altered by physical demands, stress, or other factors. Sometimes, the SA node does not work properly, causing the heart to beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly.

When an electrical impulse is released from the SA node, it causes the upper chambers of the heart the atria to contract. The signal then passes through the atrioventricular AV node. The AV node checks the signal and sends it through the muscle fibers of the lower chambers the ventricles , causing them to contract.

ICD implant surgery has become a very common procedure. It is done while you are asleep, but it is not open heart surgery. After the device is implanted, doctors will perform electrophysiology studies EPS to make sure that the device is working properly.

The procedure usually takes about two hours. Find Research Faculty Enter the last name, specialty or keyword for your search below. Apply for Admission M. Release Date: September 28, Each year in the United States, more than , people have a cardiac defibrillator implanted in their chest to deliver a high-voltage shock to prevent sudden cardiac death from a life-threatening arrhythmia.

Scientists at Johns Hopkins believe they have found a kinder and gentler way to halt the rapid and potentially fatal irregular heart beat known as ventricular fibrillation. In a study published in the September 28 issue of Science Translational Medicine , they report success using lower amplitude, high-frequency alternating current at Hz to stop the arrhythmia in the laboratory. They say this approach also may prove to be less painful for patients because of the lower amplitude and different frequency range than what is used for standard defibrillator shocks.

If you have an ICD to treat ventricular arrhythmia, driving a vehicle may pose risks to yourself and others. The combination of arrhythmia and shocks from your ICD can cause fainting, which would be dangerous while you're driving. Many countries have driving restrictions for people with ICDs. If your ICD was implanted due to a previous cardiac arrest or ventricular arrhythmia, your doctor may recommend waiting several months before driving or operating a vehicle.

If you have a shock, with or without fainting, tell your doctor and follow his or her recommendations. In most cases, you'll be discouraged from driving until you've been shock-free for several months. If you have an ICD but have no history of life-threatening arrhythmias, you can usually resume driving about a week after your procedure if you've had no shocks. Discuss your situation with your doctor. You usually can't get a commercial driver's license if you have an ICD.

ICDs are the main treatment for anyone who has survived cardiac arrest, and they're increasingly used in people at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest.

An ICD lowers your risk of sudden death from cardiac arrest more than medication alone. Although the electrical shocks can be unsettling, they're a sign that the ICD is effectively treating your heart rhythm problem and protecting you from sudden death.

Talk to your doctor about how to best care for your ICD. The lithium battery in your ICD can last 5 to 7 years. The battery will be checked during your regular checkups, which should occur about every six months. When the battery is nearly out of power, the generator is replaced with a new one during a minor outpatient procedure. Your doctor can perform a simple procedure to turn off your ICD , if desired.

Turning off the device can prevent unwanted shocks and unnecessary suffering. Doing so won't immediately cause your heart to stop. Talk to your doctor about your wishes. Also talk to family members or the person designated to make medical decisions for you about what you'd like to do in an end-of-life care situation.

Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions. Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients. Gary Tompkins' heart is damaged from a dangerous cardiac condition. But that hasn't stopped it from feeling joy, love and gratitude for a second chance at life, and for the men and women at Mayo Clinic whose commitment, compassion and friendship has helped him heal.

As someone living with the unpredictable and distressing heart rhythm [ Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. These occur when you do not fine-tune the ICD enough to differentiate between the type of heart problem.

Electromagnetic Interference. Magnetic resonance imaging MRI , arc welding, and large magnetic fields. The most common defibrillator pacemaker side effects include:. While the side effects include physical and mental factors, an ICD shock also leads to further health-related procedures, which means patients have more expenses, apart from their health issues. To reduce the defibrillator implant side effects, you want to ensure that you receive high-quality care that minimizes the risk of more health or heart problems.

The best way to do this is to reduce a circumstance that leads to inappropriate ICD shocks of the heart. Patients need to understand that the side effects they experience are related to the quality of care they receive; it is not simply about whether the ICD was implanted in appropriate patients.

There are specific precautions you can take with your implantable cardioverter defibrillator, ICD if you want to prevent negative health side effects associated with the shocks. While clinical advancements in healthcare and technology have made it easier to ensure that other factors do not interfere with the devices, there are things you need to avoid.

Fibrillation patients who use an ICD device need to avoid:. If you are uncertain about something related to your ICD, heath, or heart condition, talk to your heart doctor or medical practitioner. This is a matter of life or death; therefore, you need to familiarize yourself with the risk of these defibrillators.

A patient can expect to experience pain when they get shocked by defibrillators. Previous patients have described this pain as a sudden jolt; it is not a slow process.

In fact, if you have ever been kicked in the chest, you can expect a similar feeling. Additionally, you can expect a different feeling when you receive an ICD shock to the heart in a clinical treatment session. If you are unconscious when receiving the shock, whether internal or external shocks, from an ICD or other types of defibrillators , you are not going to feel or remember the shock. With that being said, people experience both appropriate and inappropriate electric shocks from defibrillators during their life.

There are times where you are going to be awake, at which you can expect an uncomfortable feeling. It is not unbearably painful, but patients do find this uncomfortable. An inappropriate ICD shock often occurs when ICDs mistake a different type of beat or heart rhythm for an abnormal heart beat that originates in the lower chambers of the human heart, which is called ventricular arrhythmias.

The most important thing to remember is your heart and that you need it to have a normal rhythm. An ICD of other forms of defibrillators is an excellent tool to help protect you against life-threatening heart conditions, such as ventricular fibrillation and other related heart issues.

If you are concerned about the health side effects of ICDs, you can determine a procedure to help you contain your emotions should this occur. By establishing a plan, you and your family know exactly what to do in the hours that lead up to the shock and when you need to go to the hospital or contact your doctor. There are three areas to focus on before receiving your ICD shock to keep you from pacing uncontrollably.

These areas include:. While you may feel that knowing about the procedure is not essential, if you do research on how defibrillators operate, the purpose behind an ICD shock, and appropriate ways to respond, you may reduce the risk of experiencing adverse side effects.

We encourage you to talk to other people, especially previous ICD patients, about cardiac arrest and how the ICD device keeps you safe. Use various health resources and news articles to keep yourself informed. Keep all your relevant health documents in place to reduce your anxiety levels.

Three things that you always need to have readily available include your ICD identification, a list of your prescribed medicine, and the name and phone number of your doctor. By having this information on hand, healthcare workers are going to find it easier to care for patients in cases of emergency.

A helpful tip that we recommend is to write down the name of your doctor and a list of your necessary medications on a card and keep it in your purse or wallet. You may feel that it is helpful to practice what you are going to do when you receive an ICD shock.

Phone the heart doctor to schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss the procedure. The patient experiences a rapid heart rhythm, chest pain, shortness of breath. They may also feel confused, dizzy, or unwell. The patient received more than one ICD shock in the previous 24 hours.