How is the ICD powered?
ICDs are powered by batteries and last for five years or more. An ICD that delivers many shocks will wear out sooner than one rarely activated. Checking the battery is an important part of your child’s routine follow-up. A clinic visit to the electrophysiologist or cardiologist usually includes a device check-up. A piece of equipment called a programmer is used to “ask” the ICD to show its battery voltage and settings, as well as any rhythm disturbances it has detected and therapy it delivered since the last visit. Long before the battery is ready to expire and long before the performance of the ICD changes in any way, a check-up will show that the time is approaching to consider a replacement ICD. At that point, a brief hospital stay is arranged — typically no more than one or two days — to remove the old ICD and replace it with a new one. Replacement procedures often are simpler than original implantations and take less time.
