Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) monitors your heart rhythm and protects from life-threatening arrhythmias. Some ICDs are paired with pacemakers to help your heart pump more efficiently.

Heart rhythm specialists (electrophysiologists) with The Heart Group of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health implant many ICDs every year. We offer the latest devices, including subcutaneous ICDs that have leads that go under your skin instead of through a vein.

What Is an ICD?

An ICD is an implantable, battery-powered device that treats certain types of heart arrhythmias. The device can lower your risk of cardiac arrest when you have ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach), which makes your heart beat dangerously fast.

An ICD detects this fast heart rate and can address this issue in a few ways—some of which you don’t even feel.

ICDs: The Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Advantage

Our Heart & Vascular Institute is home to the only dedicated Electrophysiology (EP) Clinic and one of the only hybrid ORs in the Lancaster region. These high-tech facilities enable us to offer comprehensive care for people experiencing common and complex heart arrhythmias.

You have access to:

• The latest ICDs: We offer traditional ICDs that send electrical signals to your heart through leads that travel through a blood vessel. We also offer subcutaneous ICDs (S-ICDs) that have leads that run underneath your skin.
• Dedicated arrhythmia program: Our team performs advanced EP studies at our EP Clinic to determine the cause and type of arrhythmia. This information helps us customize the most effective treatment plan for you.
• Complete suite of treatment options: If an ICD isn’t the best treatment for your condition, you may benefit from a heart ablation or a different heart rhythm device like a pacemaker or leadless pacemaker. We offer a wide range of treatments for common to complex arrhythmias.
• Safe, same-day discharge: In most instances, you go home the same day you receive an ICD. We have protocols that ensure you get the care you need while recovering at our hospital and also while recovering at home. Our team’s success with same-day discharges led other Penn Medicine hospitals to follow our lead.
• Clinical trial opportunities: Our doctors are actively involved in national and global heart and vascular clinical trials and research, including trials to improve arrhythmia care. You may have the chance to try a new device or treatment that shows promise while it’s still in development.

Why You Might Need an ICD

We recommend ICDs for some people who are at risk for dangerous heart rhythm problems like ventricular arrhythmias (VT/VF). These conditions cause the heart’s lower chambers (ventricles) to beat too fast, slowing the flow of oxygenated blood to your body and increasing risk of cardiac arrest and sudden death. When an ICD detects these problems, it sends electrical impulses to stabilize your heart rhythm.

An ICD can also help if you have:

• Brugada syndrome, an inherited heart condition that causes ventricular arrhythmias
• Congenital heart defects, heart conditions that are present at birth
• Long QT syndrome, a condition that affects the heart’s electrical system
• Earlier history of a heart attack or cardiac arrest
• Heart failure or cardiomyopathy, conditions that make the heart too weak to pump blood

Contact Us

To learn more our EP Clinic and ICD services, call 717-544-8300.