A single shock during an episode of ventricular tachycardia: is the device working properly?

Jesus Jimenez-Lopez1, Miguel A Arias, Finn Akerstrom

  • 1Cardiac Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology Unit, Department of Cardiology, Hospital Virgen de la Salud, Toledo, Spain.

Insights

Emergency department admissions for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks require thorough evaluation. This case highlights an unexpected finding during the analysis of a patient

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Medical Devices
  • Electrophysiology

Background:

  • Emergency department admissions for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks represent a significant patient cohort.
  • Proper evaluation necessitates a review of device system integrity and intracardiac electrogram analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a case of a patient admitted with a single ICD discharge due to sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia.
  • To report an unexpected finding during the diagnostic workup of this patient.

Main Methods:

  • Review of patient's medical records.
  • Analysis of stored intracardiac electrograms from the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
  • Clinical assessment of device system integrity.

Main Results:

  • The patient experienced a single ICD discharge attributed to sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia.
  • An unexpected finding was identified during the electrogram and system integrity review.

Conclusions:

  • Evaluation of ICD shocks requires comprehensive analysis of device function and intracardiac recordings.
  • Unexpected findings can occur during the assessment of patients presenting with ICD discharges.

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