Cardiac Care
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators
The implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, is a device that is surgically implanted under your skin at the left shoulder, below the collarbone or on the left side of the abdomen below the rib cage to help control your heart's rhythm.
An ICD is a small, lightweight device that keeps track of your heart rhythm. Electrode wires are then threaded into the heart to enable the ICD to track and record your heart rhythm. If a life-threatening heart rhythm, such as VT (ventricular tachycardia,) occurs, the ICD will send an electric shock to your heart to return it to a normal rhythm, in much the same way an external defibrillator does.