What are follow up visits?

You will be given a schedule of regular follow-up visits in your doctor's office for the routine surveillance of your ICD. Your doctor will use the programmer to communicate with the pulse generator and:

• verify that the leads are functioning properly,

• check the battery voltage,

• determine whether the ICD has treated any arrhythmia.

Your doctor will also question and examine you to a) record which drugs you are taking and determine whether they might interfere with the proper function of your ICD, b) detect any change in your heart condition since your last visit. Depending on your condition and the information retrieved, the settings of your ICD may be reprogrammed with the external programmer.

For more information on Living with your ICD, please click here

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