Trevor

[MakeralVAN]

I have been offered fitment of an ICD are there any pros or cons of having a fitment ?

[RufusScamp]

If your medical team think it is a good idea, I would go with it. I have had one for 5 years with no issues.

[Buddy00]

I have a pacemaker not an ICD but the pros are the quality of life it can give you back and with an ICD actually keep you alive. No cons really, I carry on as normal. Just show a bit of caution around certain things but it really isn’t a drama. Good luck.

[Queserasera25 in reply to Buddy00]

Likewise. I have a Pacemaker and don't even think about it anymore, except for when I have to go for a Check-Up, yearly, and I've had it for 5 years. I refer to it as 'My Little Friend' !! 😀

[sturon]

Hi Trevor. My husband had an S-ICD implant 7 years ago following two cardiac arrests. After the wound had healed he has almost forgotten it is there. He gets preferential treatment at airport security and can't use our induction hob in the kitchen, he didn't use it before so no change!

Think of it as a medic' watch over you 24/7 and should it need to deliver any treatment then it is your personal paramedic.

If they feel you need it - go for it.

[56dick19]

I had a ICD fitted 12/7/2017 I had no issues with it it gets checked twice a year remotely and at the hospital it’s been adjusted a few times. If your cardiologist has advised you to have one then go for it

[Ardbeg28]

facebook.com/groups/7879967...

Check the above Facebook page to read of others with experience of ICD's

[Blackknight57 in reply to Ardbeg28]

another one is here: facebook.com/groups/icdsupp...

[mozart27]

A potential con is that you may not be able to drive for a while. My wife had an ILR (not an ICD) about 9 months ago to assess heart block. The cardiologist told her not to drive and she surrendered her licence. She has had no heart problems over the last 9 months and is trying to get her license back but is finding it quite a lengthy process.

[L8Again in reply to mozart27]

ICDs and pacemakers are implanted to resolve a diagnosed medical problem; eg, TLoC. ILRs are a diagnostic tool so it is understandable that the DVLA is cautious as are travel insurance underwriters).

[mozart27 in reply to L8Again]

Yes, we understand this. The battery in an ILR lasts for many years and it would be good to have an idea when there will be sufficient information from the ILR to make a diagnosis. We haven't been able to get the cardiologist to say. Travel insurance was not much of a problem - there was only a small increase in the premium.

[L8Again in reply to mozart27]

Based on my wife’s situation, she had to wait until there was a recorded event on the ILR before her cardiologist would confirm his preliminary diagnosis and agree to fit a pacemaker.

[mozart27 in reply to L8Again]

May I ask please how long it was in your wife's case before there was a recorded event?

[Chinkoflight in reply to L8Again]

I doubt the cardiologist recommended not driving because of the ILR, but more the already assessed medical condition. An ILR is a sophisticated ECG and you're not advised not to drive while being monitored with a Holter monitor. An ILR merely records your HR, and transmits the data to a large computer that uses an exceptionally big database to compare and contrast your ECG with known conditions and red flag issues in data reports to your cardiologist. It will look for irregular HR's Afib. In my case following a cryptogenic stroke with no obvious cause as part of a NICE initiative to reduce further strokes by capturing paroxysmal Afib events I was fitted with an ILR. No advice about not driving as is appropriate because for me no underlying heart problems were detected.After three months of monitoring a paroxysmal Afib was detected so medication was changed from antiplatelet to anticoagulant medication.

The ILR had done it's job and found a probable cause for an embolism which was now being managed. Move on 10 months and I collapsed while on a parkrun. After 4 days the ILR record was obtained and showed a prolonged LVT in textbook trace. While there was divergent opinion amongst the A&E staff about the nature of my collapse ( a fall, a faint , a HA, stroke.....!) my recollection, corroborated by the runners around me , indicated a SCA. So an ICD was fitted and an immediate 6 month driving ban started. This is because a known conditions had been established for which treatment (ICD) was prescribed. The ICD was not being fitted to protect because of the possibility of an SCA because of known heart issues eg dangerous HR's.

ICD's are different to pacemakers and ILR's but use simar technology for monitoring HR.

I've laboured this second response to the question to make it absolutely clear that ILR is not notifiable to the DVLA .

Finally, there is significant evidence to say that driving incidents and accidents are reduced in the ICD driving cohort. So much so that if we were still subject to European standards we may well have adopted their standard to reduce a driving restriction to only three months. So much for reducing bureaucracy that is the DVLA medical team that has no published outcomes for it's work that I can find and is frequently the cause of what appears to be inconsistent practice and judgement when operating the ICD protocols.

[L8Again in reply to Chinkoflight]

You could be right but as my wife doesn’t drive we didn’t bother to inform or check with the DVLA.

Out-of-interest, I have just looked at 3 NHS hospital websites for information. One said that the DVLA had to be informed after an ILR had been fitted: the second said that the DVLA didn’t need to be informed, and the third didn’t mention the DVLA.

[Chinkoflight in reply to L8Again]

Which NHS hospital said " The DVLA had to be informed after an ILR had been fitted" ? Some hospitals that I have looked at say there is no requirement to report an ILR but there may be underlying heart conditions that do require contact. It's a caveat emptor statement clumsily written by linking two different facts into one sentence.

[Blackknight57]

it rather depends on why they suggested it.

Preventative against scd, that’s me. Basically you have a cardiac arrest it shocks you to try to restart your heart.

1 hour on the table, moderate pain while they freeze you and open the pocket,

My main pain lasted 3 days,controlled by pain killers.

3 week in still sore.

[DaveTR]

I have been offered fitment of an ICD are there any pros or cons of having a fitment ?

For me the cons are:

• Recovery from the actual implant which in the scheme of things is not too bad

• Getting use to it mentally. You become a cyborg.

• Not able to drive for 4 weeks after the op If fitted for preventative reasons. Have a look at the DVLA website for the DEFIB1 form that you would need to use to inform them.

The pros are:

• It has potentially saved my life hundreds of times by delivering therapy

• It has definitely saved my life a number of times by delivering a shock when the therapy did not work

• As Sturon said, you get preferential treatment at airports and should not use Induction Hobs.

An ICD is not offered lightly. If it has been suggested to you it will be for a very good reason.

[Chinkoflight]

As DaveTR said, it's a life saver. Either you're at risk of an SCA or have survived an SCA. Do you have dependent others? Being there for them may be a heart and head good reason to say to the cardiologist " how soon can you fit it".

[BeeBee79]

I have an ICD with pacing leads after an idiopathic sudden cardiac arrest. It takes a lot of getting used to but I couldn’t be without the peace of mind it brings.

[theonethatgotaway1]

Looks like I'll be getting one for a declining heart function last at 29%.

Has anyone who had this fitted seen any improvement to heart function?