Enrico Adornato, Elena Maria Fernanda Adornato, Pasquale Monea, Antonio Pangallo, Virgilio Pennisi.
Divisione di Cardiologia, Azienda Ospedaliera “Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli”, Reggio Calabria, Italy
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The effectiveness of ICDs for the termination of VTs
and the prevention of sudden cardiac death has been well established; however, after
ICD implantation a series of problems, requiring an accurate identification, may occur.
The evolution of diagnostic capabilities, in particular stored EGMs, provided in the
present generation of ICDs, must be considered the most important technological
features; in fact they allow the monitoring of the implanted device activity, the
identification of the arrhythmic events leading to device intervention, the evaluation
of the appropriateness of the device in detecting and treating VTs, the assessment of
the ICD problems encountered during the patient follow-up. In addition, the analysis
of stored EGMs may contribute to the knowledge of the pathophysiological mechanism
responsible for the initiation of VTs leading to sudden cardiac death in men. ICDs Holter
function allows to analyse the RR intervals before, during and after the occurring
arrhythmias and the RR variability that characterizes the state of autonomic influence
on the cardiovascular system.
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