Device monitoring is a technique used to track the activity of the heart and an ICD or pacemaker. This can be performed in the doctor’s office or from any location using special patient monitors.
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is battery-powered device placed under you skin. It is connected to you heart by one or more wires (leads) and keep track of your heartbeat. An ICD can sense dangerous and fast heart rhythms such as ventricular fibrillation. The ICD then sends electrical signals called antitachycardia pacing (or ATP) that pace you heart out of these dangerous rhythms. These signals will stop a short time after a normal heartbeat is restored.
The ICD records the activity of the heart and the ICD. This information can be accessed using remote monitoring devices placed over the location of the device. These devices can transmit data from the ICD to be analyzed by the doctor. This can be performed at the doctor’s office or it can be performed at home using a phone line to transmit the data.
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