Do shocks from an ICD hurt?
Most patients who have received shocks from their ICDs tell us that “hurt” is not the word they’d choose to describe the experience. We always hear from them that shocks are startling, jolting and unsettling — and it’s easy to understand why. To begin with, the ICD delivers a shock to prevent a dangerously fast heart rhythm from hurting a patient. That rhythm, then, must be present for the device to recognize before it does anything. All by itself, the rhythm may cause discomfort — dizziness, lightheadedness, palpitations, an “about-to-faint” feeling — and then, very suddenly, the ICD provides the shock to bring the rhythm back to normal. Naturally, this is startling. In addition, the jolt is a powerful one, selected specifically by the doctor to control the heart without delay.
