Trident Medical Center Physician Uses Latest Technology to Combat Sudden Cardiac Death

photo provided

CHARLESTON, S.C./ Aug. 11, 2010 – A Trident Medical Center physician is the first in the Lowcountry to use an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a new medical device implanted in the body to help regulate the heart’s rhythm.

ICDs monitor the heart’s rhythm for very fast and potentially dangerous rhythm disorders and then deliver therapy when they detect abnormal heart rhythms. The ICD features advanced battery technology and circuitry that allows for the smallest device footprint in the industry and rapid charge times, without any compromise in device longevity or power.
 
Dr. Harold Stites, cardiac electrophysiologist with Arrythmia Specialists of Charleston, highlights the ICDs life-saving energy as an important medical tool.
 
“In some patients, conventional ICDs don’t provide enough energy to reliably defibrillate patients who are experiencing cardiac arrest,” Dr. Stites says. “In these instances, we have had to implant additional shocking coils or patches, often requiring a thoracotomy approach. St. Jude’s latest generation ICD (the Fortify VR) is smaller, yet it provides more energy than has ever been available before.”

The Fortify ICD can deliver 40J of energy, the highest of any ICD available today. This high-energy capability is particularly important for patients who have an enlarged heart, low ejection-fraction, advanced heart failure or previously demonstrated a high defibrillation threshold (the amount of energy required to shock the heart back to a normal rhythm).

The Fortify ICD’s narrow shape allows surgeons to implant the device using a smaller incision. This leads to a more efficient procedure and a reduced scar for the patient. This procedure also reduces the number of set screws and connections between the defibrillation lead and the device, which can improve patient comfort by reducing the bulk of wires in the patient’s chest.

ICD’s are an advanced implantable device that treats potentially lethal, abnormally fast heart rhythms (ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation), which often lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD). About 325,000 people per year in the U.S. die suddenly of SCD.

Trident Health System is an HCA hospital system comprised of two acute care hospitals – Trident Medical Center and Summerville Medical Center – as well as Moncks Corner Medical Center.  Accredited by The Joint Commission, Trident Health System is committed to providing quality health services along with wellness information and opportunities to the communities it serves. For more information about Trident Health System, please visit our website at www.tridenthealthsystem.com or call 843.797.7000.