by Carolyn Thomas    ♥    Heart Sisters (on Blue Sky)

Here’s how I defined implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD)  in my patient-friendly, jargon-free glossary:  small battery-operated electronic device that’s surgically inserted into the chest to treat life-threatening heart rhythm problems.  An implanted ICD is almost like having a tiny Emergency Department at the ready, right inside your own chest, capable of delivering a shock strong enough to restore a struggling heart’s normal rhythm, thus helping to prevent sudden cardiac arrest.

But what happens when the ICD patient is not dying from a heart rhythm problem – but from a terminal medical condition?     Continue reading “Implantable cardiac defibrillator shocks vs. “careful and kind” end-of-life care” →