What was wrong with Vice President Cheneys heart that led to his receiving an ICD?
A. After monitoring Cheney’s heart, his doctors discovered he had an abnormal rapid heartbeat or arrhythmia. Patients with arrhythmias like Cheney’s, who have had significant damage to the heart, including those with congestive heart failure, are at risk of sudden cardiac arrest. Q. Are there different kinds of arrhythmias? Do they all lead to sudden cardiac arrest? A. Arrhythmias are any abnormal heart rhythm: too fast, too slow or irregular. They are very common, but usually not dangerous. The most common arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation, which can cause fatigue, exercise intolerance, palpitations and stroke. The arrhythmias that cause a cardiac arrest are ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Q. What’s the significance of Cheney’s procedure for people with a history of heart problems? A. If your heart has been sufficiently damaged by a previous heart attack, then you should undergo monitoring of your heart rate. Those patients with rapid arrhythmias known as nonsusta
