Defibrillators Can Cause Emotional Damage

ByABC News
May 22, 2002, 3:46 PM

May 23 -- Imagine living with a device, day in and day out, that could mean the difference between life and death.

The implantable defibrillator is exactly that for the cardiac patients who wear it. But it's a medical miracle that also carries with it some serious emotional baggage.

Most Americans first heard about the device last June, when Vice President Dick Cheney became one of the roughly 50,000 heart disease patients last year to have one implanted.

The pager-sized defibrillator is implanted under the skin of cardiac patients and connected by wire leads to the heart. It detects rhythmic disturbances of the lower heart chambers that can cause sudden cardiac death. And when it does, it jumps into action, shocking the patient's heart back to normal with a jolt of electricity.

Insurance Policy

Pete Dorton, 34, is grateful for his own internal insurance policy. Just three weeks ago, he thought he had the flu. But it turned out to be something far more serious. A virus had attacked his heart, and as a result he had to have a defibrillator implanted.

"I basically would have dropped dead," says Dorton. "You hear about it all the time, athletes, young guys, you know, at the gym suddenly dropping dead of a heart attack, cardiac arrest."

Now the device brings him peace of mind. But it also brings concerns.

"When I first had it put in, I thought, 'Did they set it right? Did they turn it on? Is the battery working?' All those fears go through your head," he said.

Overcome With Anxiety

For some patients, it's when the device actually does function properly that they have problems.

Take 72-year-old Lorraine Flood, for example. Flood suffered a heart attack 12 years ago, and years of irregular heart rhythms lead her doctor to implant a defibrillator in her chest.

She describes what it felt like the first time her implantable defibrillator delivered its shock: "It happened in my sleep, and I thought the house caved in on me. I didn't expect the intense pain."