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VT, sudden cardiac arrest and cardiomyopathy survivor here. I also have an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) like the subject in the article. From a
by justinstephen 9y ago
VT, sudden cardiac arrest and cardiomyopathy survivor here. I also have an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) like the subject in the article. From a technological standpoint it's an incredibly interesting thing. On one hand I have this fantastic piece of implanted technology that has on different occasions saved my life. It has a 10 year battery life, supports wireless communication and at regular check ins provides a wealth of data to the electrophysiologist about ongoing heart activity (I'd love to have my own API with at least read access to the device).
On the other hand he does a great job describing the PTSD the accompanies the torture and pain the device can deliver. There's something psychologically unique to the fact that this device is embedded inside you, capable of delivering a horrific blow enough to knock you off your feet at a moments notice. From a PTSD standpoint it's as if your assailant is always with you, but permanently implanted within. You can't ever escape it, there's no opportunity to remove yourself from the environment or the factors causing the PTSD. You have to learn to come to grips with that, I've found that makes the recovery much more complicated.
Beyond that, glad to see the cardiac risks of extreme athletics start to get some public attention. There is a certain pull in extreme athletic circles to chase numbers, a sort of oneupmanship to push the limits of what the human body is capable of. Unfortunately at times it's not pretty when some find exactly what those limits are.
Edit: To give it some perspective, I was 31 years old when I had my device implanted.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- paddedsmokes 9y agoI started to understand the realities of potential PTSD with a particular patient. When I was a resident, we admitted a guy whose ICD started firing while he was feeling fine and mowing his lawn. He freaked out, stripped his shirt off and ran screaming up his neighborhood street until he found some help. He told the story in an almost comical way, and I nearly started giggling because of how I imagined this would seem to an onlooker. But I quickly realized how absolutely fucking terrified he would feel. I don't think I can fully grasp the long-term emotional impact this might have on somebody who forever knows they've always got that thing in their chest and that it's statistically the most likely way they'll exit he world. Seems you have some idea of how to cope with that, but I bet a lot of people don't have those facilities.
- JshWright 9y ago> I started to understand the realities of potential PTSD with a particular patient. When I was a resident, we admitted a guy whose ICD started firing while he was feeling fine and mowing his lawn. He freaked out, stripped his shirt off and ran screaming up his neighborhood street until he found some help. My _first_ priority (in the back of an ambulance) with someone who had an AICD fire is to get some significant sedation on board. I've seen multiple patients where the the anxiety of anticipating another discharge is amping up their SNS enough trigger their arrhythmia (triggering another shock).
- brianwawok 9y agoShould they have a Bluetooth connection to my phone to allow shutting off the stupid thing?
- JshWright 9y agoNo, for a variety of reasons... For starters, there _are_ ways to disable it externally, but they use a fairly specialized magnet. Secondly, even if they could shut it off, the patient isn't really in a position to know if it's shocking them for a legitimate reason or not. Shutting it off may simply shut their heart off... Finally, the security properties of Bluetooth aren't exactly up to the standards I would like to see for a "can deliver a fatal shock to someone's heart" type device.
- jrnichols 9y agoVersed is wonderful in that case. I got a little jolt when a patient knew hers was going to go off... so she grabbed my arm just before it happened. ZoT :/
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- adamsbriscoe 9y agoIn reference to the psychological comorbidity of dealing with this issue, there are psychiatrists who are now specializing in post shock depression and anxiety. Not uncommon for cardiologists to refer all of their device patients to a mental health provider.