Hi Vikki,
During an EP study a catheter is run thru a vein into the right side of your heart. This is the side where all the electrical impulses originate. With this catheter in place they can record the electrical impulses as they take place. Sometime during this study they will try to induce an arrythmia and immediately they will try to stop it with an electrical charge. Don't worry about
any of this as you will be awake but not know it. I don't remember anything about
it other than the initial getting on the table part and a short conversation with the EP doc and his helpers.
If they can induce an arrythmia then an ICD can be placed with its own lead or leads. They put mine in while I was still on the table. For this they knocked me out completely. All in all it was pretty easy with an overnight hospital stay and some soreness at the incision site for the ICD placement.
I go to the EP doc every 3-4 months and have it "interrogated". This absolutely painless and very interesting in that my ICD records any and all events. All of this info is printed out at every interrogation visit. If they can monitor and then control your arrythmias with an ICD you will feel alot better physically and mentally. At least I did. My doctor has used my ICD to help determine what kinds of arrythmias I have and then to prescribe medication to control those arrythmias.
I feel very fortunate to have gotten one of these. It hardly every enters my mind anymore as I take it for granted that it will do its main job when it has to.
Good luck again.
Steve
I had a massive heart attack on May 4, 2003. Thru the course of diagnosis while in ER and catheterization it was determined that I had 3 arteries 100% blocked, 1 artery at 98% blocked and 1 artery at about 85% blocked. I have EJ fraction around 20 and have had numerous echo-cardiograms to monitor heart function. I lost 60% of my heart that night. I cannot do what I used to but feel great. In September of 04 I had an AICD implanted more or less to act as a saftey net for when my heart stops and have developed alot of arrythmia problems. I also have two aneurysms. One is on my ascending aorta and is distorting the aortic valve. The other is an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Both of which need to be repaired.