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Updated: Oct 20, 2026

A New Single Chamber Implantable Defibrillator with Atrial Sensing: A Practical Demonstration of Sensing and Ease of Implantation
Published on: February 28, 2012
Inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy due to the detection of premature ventricular complexes
J J Goldberger1, G Horvath, R Challapalli
1Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
Inappropriate shocks delivered by implantable cardioverter-defibrillators may occur in 15%-40% of patients treated with these devices. This article describes a rare cause for inappropriate shocks. Two patients received inappropriate shocks due to the presence of premature ventricular complexes during attempted reconfirmation of ventricular fibrillation. Knowledge of device algorithms for detection and reconfirmation of ventricular fibrillation, designed to have a high degree of sensitivity and therefore lower specificity, allows for reprogramming to avoid further inappropriate shocks.
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