UMSLBlues12 wrote: Fri Feb 14, 2020 10:41 am
According to the American Heart Association:
"An ICD is a battery-powered device placed under the skin that keeps track of your heart rate. Thin wires connect the ICD to your heart. If an abnormal heart rhythm is detected the device will deliver an electric shock to restore a normal heartbeat if your heart is beating chaotically and much too fast.
ICDs have been very useful in preventing sudden death in patients with known, sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Studies have shown that they may have a role in preventing cardiac arrest in high-risk patients who haven't had, but are at risk for, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.
The American Heart Association recommends that before a patient is considered to be a candidate for an ICD, the arrhythmia in question must be life threatening and doctors have ruled out correctable causes of the arrhythmia, such as:
Acute myocardial infarction (heart attack)
Myocardial ischemia (inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle)
Electrolyte imbalance and drug toxicity
Because many people do not understand their underlying condition – such as heart failure or genetic predisposition for risk of sudden cardiac arrest – and because ICDs are used primarily to prevent sudden cardiac death, they in turn may not understand the benefits versus the limitations of having an ICD implanted. If you are one of those people, you will find information and guidance here."
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/ ... llator-icd
So, the fact that he has this device indicates that they know that there is something wrong with his heart that caused him to have an irregular heartbeat, that its life threatening, and that its not "correctable". Not sure what this means for his future, but it doesn't seem good for him playing hockey again, IMO.
This article doesn't make it sound good as far as playing a contact sport with one of those devices:
https://www.tctmd.com/news/athletes-icd ... -reassures