What Is the Difference Between a Pacemaker and a Defibrillator?

A cardioverter defibrillator is a medical device that uses electrical pulses or shocks to help control some potentially arrhythmic devices.

Cardioverter defibrillator

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A cardioverter defibrillator is a medical device that uses electrical pulses or shocks to help control some potentially arrhythmic devices.

Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is a small and capable

The heart has its own electrical system to control the rhythm and speed of the heartbeat. With each heartbeat, electrical signals are conducted from the top of the heart to the bottom. And the transmission of these electrical signals will cause the heart to contract, so as to achieve the purpose of the heart transporting blood.

Electrical signals are usually produced by a cell population called the sinoatrial node. These signals control the timing of cell activity in various parts of the heart during transmission (from the top of the heart to the bottom of the heart). First, these electrical signals cause the two chambers (atria) of the upper heart to contract, which presses blood into the two chambers (ventricles) of the lower heart. These two ventricles are then contracting and delivering blood to the rest of the body. This combination of atrial and ventricular contractions is called a heartbeat.

For more information about the electrical heart system and how a healthy heart works, see the How the Heart Works section of the All Cow Forum.

Problems in any part of the heart's electrical system can cause arrhythmias. Arrhythmia manifests as fast, slow or irregular heartbeats. Failure of electrical signals in the heart can cause arrhythmias.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) often use electrical impulses or shocks to treat fatal arrhythmias that occur in the ventricles.

When ventricular arrhythmias occur, the heart loses its ability to pump blood efficiently, and the patient faints within seconds. If left untreated for several minutes, the patient may die. To avoid death, this symptom must be treated immediately by a shock to the heart. This treatment is also called "defibrillation".

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have several wires extending from them, and the other end of these wires is an electrode that can be connected to the heart chamber. This allows the ICD to continuously monitor the patient's heart rhythm. When the ICD detects an arrhythmia in the patient's ventricle, it releases a current pulse to the heart to restore its normal heartbeat. If this does not restore the patient's normal heart rhythm, or if the patient's ventricle begins to tremble (rather than a strong, normal contraction), the ICD will release high-energy electrical pulses (shocks) to the heart to achieve defibrillation.

Comparison of cardioverter defibrillator and pacemaker

Doctors also use another device called a "pacer" to treat arrhythmias. ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) is not only larger than a pacemaker, but also has other differences. For example, pacemakers can only release low-energy electrical pulses, so they are generally used for arrhythmias with mild symptoms (such as those that occur only in the atrium). At present, most new ICDs have both the functions of a pacemaker and ordinary ICDs.

The illustration on the left compares an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) with a pacemaker. Figure A shows the typical size and placement of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in the upper thorax. A wire with an electrode at one end is inserted into the heart through a vein in the upper chest. Figure B shows the usual size and implantation position of a bipolar pacemaker in the upper thorax, and a wire with an electrode at one end is also inserted into the heart through a vein in the upper thorax.