Implantation of cardioverter-defibrillators is an effective method that helps prevent cardiac arrest due to arrhythmia (ventricular fibrillation and flutter).
Israeli cardiac surgeons use several methods for installing defibrillators, including subcutaneous implantation. The cardioverter-defibrillators used meet all international safety requirements and reliably protect the heart muscle from shocks.
Methods of Defibrillator Implantation at Top Ihilov Clinic
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are functionally opposite to implantable pacemakers. While the latter are designed to accelerate the heart rate using electrical discharges, ICDs deliver an electrical shock to the heart only when the heart rate is too high and poses a life threat.
Both ventricular fibrillation and flutter are life-threatening. Just a few seconds of such a condition is enough for a person to lose consciousness and for cardiac arrest to occur. The ICD monitors the heart rate – when it increases to unacceptable levels, the device delivers an electrical impulse to the heart, which effectively "restarts" the heart rhythm and normalizes it. The use of cardioverter-defibrillators in Israel has saved thousands of lives.
Structurally, a defibrillator can be divided into two parts – the generator housing with built-in power elements and electronic components, and flexible electrodes through which the impulse emitted by the generator reaches the heart. Defibrillator implantation in Israeli clinics is performed using two methods – traditional and subcutaneous.
Traditional Implantation Method
The patient, who is conscious, is given a sedative. Under local anesthesia, a small incision is made in the chest area, through which an electrode (or several electrodes, depending on the type of device and the disease) is introduced into a large vein. The electrode is guided through the vein to the heart wall (usually to the right ventricle, as arrhythmias in the ventricles lead to life-threatening situations).
The generator block is implanted in a subcutaneous pocket in the chest area and stitched up. The charge of the power elements in it is sufficient for the uninterrupted operation of the device for 5 years or more. After this period, the device is removed and replaced with a new one.
The disadvantages of this method include increased complexity of the operation and the need for radiographic control over the electrode's placement in the heart via the vein (which may result in the patient receiving an unjustifiably high radiation dose).
Subcutaneous Implantation Method
In recent years, the subcutaneous method of implanting cardioverter-defibrillators has become increasingly popular. The operation is performed under general anesthesia, with three small incisions made: one on the side of the chest for subcutaneous placement of the generator block and two in the frontal plane of the chest for placing and connecting the electrode to the generator block subcutaneously. All structural elements of the ICD are located under the patient's skin. This approach ensures ease of device installation, eliminates complications associated with electrode placement in veins (such as thromboembolism), and increases the efficiency of the ICD (with subcutaneous electrode placement, the device can send an impulse to the heart that is 2.5 times stronger than with electrodes placed in veins).
Clinical trials of ICDs implanted using the subcutaneous method have shown an effectiveness close to 100%.
Life with an ICD
After the implantation of the defibrillator, the patient spends some time in the intensive care unit, where specialists from our clinic monitor changes in their vital signs. If they are normal, the patient is discharged soon.
People who have had cardioverter-defibrillators implanted can lead a full life. Depending on individual health conditions, they may never experience sensations associated with the device's activation – their lives simply do not create conditions that threaten cardiac arrest. Other patients may feel the device's action from one to several times a year. Some feel almost nothing, while others report sensations similar to a jolt in the chest.
People with defibrillators can engage in almost any type of physical activity – modern ICDs can distinguish between natural tachycardia caused by running or exercise and pathological tachycardia that can lead to cardiac arrest. ICD holders just need to follow a few rules – for example, avoid strong magnetic and electromagnetic fields. As a result, patients with ICDs are contraindicated for MRI diagnostics, although manufacturers of medical equipment have now learned to make defibrillators for which magnetic resonance imaging is not contraindicated.
Implantation of a defibrillator in Israel, according to patient reviews, has saved thousands of lives.
Defibrillator Implantation in Israel – Prices
The cost of defibrillator implantation in Israel is significantly more advantageous than the installation of a similar device in clinics in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and the USA. The cost of the devices themselves and their implantation at Top Ihilov Medical Center is lower by 15-25%.
Why choose Top Ihilov Center?
- Our clinic employs cardiologists and cardiac surgeons with immense clinical experience. They restore patients' health, improve their quality of life, and often simply save lives. Defibrillator implantation in Israel, according to many people's reviews, has restored their confidence in the future and allowed them to return to an active lifestyle.
- At Top Ihilov Center, only the most modern types of cardioverter-defibrillators are implanted, which are not only capable of performing their primary function but can also act as pacemakers and record data on heart function (which may be useful, for example, in further diagnostics).
- The cardiac surgeons at our medical center have mastered the modern and promising method of subcutaneous defibrillator implantation, available only in a small number of the largest clinics worldwide.
- Preoperative preparation and monitoring of the patient's condition after defibrillator implantation are conducted using the latest diagnostic equipment, which captures even the slightest changes in heart muscle function.
- Patients with cardiovascular diseases need peace. The rooms in our medical center provide a cozy and calm atmosphere, and the clinic's staff does everything possible to ensure that the patient feels comfortable, like at home. Interaction with doctors, resolving everyday issues, and translating medical documentation is handled by a personal curator-translator.