AICD Cost in India

The automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD) is a device designed to monitor the heartbeat. This device can deliver an electrical impulse or shock to the heart when it senses a life-threatening change in the heart's rhythm. Like a pacemaker, the AICD is small enough to be implanted under the skin in the upper chest.

The AICD system consists of:

• A pulse generator that can send an electrical impulse or shock to the heart
• Electrodes that sense the rhythm of the heart and deliver a shock to the heart muscle
• Batteries designed to last four to five years and deliver about 100 shocks
• A small computer chip that tells the AICD when to deliver a shock

Your doctor can also program the AICD to deliver a variety of sophisticated electrical therapies depending on the type of abnormal rhythm problem being treated.

The indications for an AICD are:

• People whose heart suddenly stops
• People who have had documented excessive rapid heartbeats (Ventricular Tachycardia)
• Or patients who are at risk for the above rhythm problems due to:
  • A poor or inadequate blood flow to the heart
  • A severe heart attack (MI)
  • An enlarged heart (cardiomyopathy) or related conditions like congestive heart failure

AICDs are classified as:

• Single chamber: These ICDs use a lead (wire) that is attached to the right ventricle to deliver energy.
• Dual chamber: These ICDs use leads that are attached to the right atrium and the right ventricle.
• Biventricular: This type of ICD has leads attached to the right atrium, the right ventricle, and the left ventricle. Biventricular ICDs can improve symptoms of heart failure in about two-thirds of patients who remain symptomatic while taking medication for heart failure.
• Subcutaneous: These ICDs work by monitoring the heart rhythm through wires placed just under the skin above the heart. The advantage of a subcutaneous ICD (also called an "S-ICD") is that there are no wires in the body's circulatory system, so the risk of the most serious infections is decreased.

An intravenous (IV) line will be started in your arm. Your doctor will inject a local anesthetic to numb the site where the device will be placed. Typically, AICDs are implanted just under the collarbone, usually on the left side.

Recovery after AICD implantation is rapid, but arm movement and activity restrictions are advised for the first few weeks. The hospital stay is short, a day or two after the surgery. Routine activities can be resumed in about two weeks.

An AICD is designed to treat dangerously fast heart rates. It continuously monitors your heart and restores your heart to its normal heart rate. It's like having an emergency response team with you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.