A wearable cardioverter defibrillator is worn by patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.
It allows time to assess arrhythmic risk and make appropriate plans.
The life vest is lightweight and easy to wear, allowing patients to return to their activities of daily living, while having the peace of mind that they are protected from sudden cardiac arrest.
It consists of two main components – a garment and a monitor.
The garment, worn under the clothing, detects arrhythmias and delivers treatment shocks.
The monitor is worn around the waist or from a shoulder strap and records the arrhythmias.
It continuously monitors the heart and, and if a life-threatening heart rhythm is detected delivers a treatment shock to restore normal heart rhythm.
The time it takes from detecting a life-threatening arrhythmia to delivering a treatment shock, usually occurs in less than a minute.
Timely defibrillation is the single most important factor in saving a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s life.
A treatment shock must be delivered within a few minutes after an event to be effective.
With each passing minute, a patient’s chances of survival drops 10 percent.
A wearable cardioverter defibrillator does not require bystander intervention and has a 98 percent first treatment shock success rate for resuscitating patients from sudden cardiac arrest.
May be prescribed for patients at high risk of sudden cardiac arrest following a heart attack, before or after bypass surgery or stent placement, as well as for those with cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure that places them at particular risk.
A therapeutic option, along with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), in the management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death.
Utilized for patients at risk of cardiac arrest, including: Primary prevention for ejection fraction (EF) ≤35% and myocardial infarction, Non Ischemic Cardiomyopathy (NICM), or other Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)] including: After recent MI, before and immediately after CABG or PTCA , Listed for cardiac transplant, New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class IV heart failure, terminal disease with life expectancy of less than one year, ICD indications when patient condition delays or prohibits ICD implantation