Despite advances in medical system and in techniques of resuscitation, sudden death from cardiac arrest remains
a major public health problem. ICDs were originally developed to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients who have experienced life-threathening vebtricular arrhythmias such as VT or VF. ICDs has evolved from short-lived nonprogrammable device requiring a thoracotomy for lead insertion into a multiprogrammable antiarrhytmia device implanted almost exclusively without thoracotomy, capable of treating bradycardia, VT, VF, and atrial tachycardia. Nowadays the ICD evolved from a therapy of last resort for patients with recurrent cardiac arrest to a management standard for use in primary prevention and secondary prevention of potentially fatal arrhytmias in patients with coronary heart disease.Lihat disini
