In With The New, Out With The Old

My husband had his Medtronic ICD removed last week, and a new St. Jude ICD called Fortify was implanted in its place.


Unfortunately just prior to surgery, the surgeon discovered my husband was in atrial fibrillation.  What was hoped to be a routine procedure turned into more. Now he has to be on blood thinners for six weeks, go through a tranesophageal echocardiogram to check for clots, be treated for the a-fib (a shock was mentioned) and then go back under to have the new ICD and his old lead tested so the surgeon can sign off on it.


The surgeon couldn't test the unit upon implantation, because he has no idea how long my husband has been in a-fib or what the clot situation is.

My husband's primary concern before the surgery was the lead - it had been recalled a few years ago but many cardiologists, including his, agreed it should stay in place. But since a new device was being installed, the surgeon was going to closely inspect the old lead and replace it if necessary.


There was another surprise - my husband's heart rate dropped to 30 when they disconnected the old ICD. He'll follow up with his regular cardiologist on all this next week.