The Nuts and Bolts of ICD Therapy

The number of ICD patients is increasing sharply, yet the number of electrophysiologists—physicians who specialize in the electrical system of the heart—is not increasing as dramatically. The result of this influx is that more and more ICD patients are being treated by physicians and staff with little or no ICD training. There are many fine books on device-based therapy for the heart, but most are written for the experts. Whether you read it from cover-to-cover or use it for reference (or both), it is written primarily with you in mind – for people who are actually involved in the clinical care of these patients. The Nuts and Bolts of ICD Therapy is specifically written for non-cardiologists. This book is written in a lively intelligent and easy to navigate style. It emphasizes real-life clinical practice and practical tips, including illustrations from actual clinical settings. Each chapter concludes with a checklist of key points from each subject (“Nuts and Bolts”).

Preface, vii  1 Sudden cardiac death, 1  2 The history of ICDs, 12  3 The ICD system, 16  4 Indications for ICD implantation, 20  5 Implant procedures, 26  6 Sensing, 37  7 Arrhythmia detection, 43  8 Arrhythmia therapy, 50  9 SVT discrimination, 62 10 Bradycardia pacing, 70 11 Electrograms, 77 12 Special features, 86 13 Diagnostics, 93 14 A systematic guide to ICD follow-up, 106 15 Troubleshooting, 115 Glossary, 123 Index, 137