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Updated: May 23, 2026

A New Single Chamber Implantable Defibrillator with Atrial Sensing: A Practical Demonstration of Sensing and Ease of Implantation
Published on: February 28, 2012
A plea for delivery of high-voltage shocks during implantable cardioverter-defibrillator replacement or system
Christian Sticherling1, Beat Schaer, Michael Kühne
1Division of Cardiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland. csticherling@uhbs.ch
Abstract:
We report the case of a faulty lead that led to failure to defibrillate during defibrillation threshold testing at the time of elective generator replacement. Standard lead measurements failed to detect the malfunction. Many centres perform neither defibrillation threshold testing nor commanded high-energy shock delivery. Even changes in the position of the lead in relation to the generator may cause problems that will go undetected without high-voltage shock delivery. We therefore caution against the wholesale abandonment of high-voltage shock testing in patients with pre-existing implanted leads.
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