“Can I use this if I have an implanted defibrillator?"”
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This is a tricky question and it has a relatively complex answer however I will try and keep it as short as possible. To put it simply my suggestion would be no, do not use this particular device if you have an ICD a.k.a. an implanted defibrillator. The reason being is because an ICD is constantly monitoring your heart at all times and can have anywhere from 1 to 3 leads that go into the ventricles and if the device notices your heart going above or below the limits that have been set then it will discharge. There are other ICD‘s that will discharge small or static amounts when you become tachycardic and it tries to break the tachycardia before a full on defibrillation is required. Because as you know this device is used for when you have a normal rhythm, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation or supraventricular tachycardia. It is also not as simple as just a monitoring device… It is constantly comparing various rates of the ventricles versus the atria and has various algorithms in place on when and how much to shock. Defibrillation is not very common but almost all I CDs come with a warning and a contra indication warning of electronic devices because the ICD is not just giving a charge to your heart if needed, it is using various electric signals to monitor the various activities that the heart is experiencing every minute of every day. Back in 2016 however they did make a I CD that is not contra indicated by MRIs or magnetic resonance. In theory it would not cause any issues if you had one of these type of devices. So I would consult with your physician and just double check and see what kind of ICD 10 you have and whether you need to be careful around electromagnetic equipment . The other reason why I personally would not suggest this is because it only has one lead. Lead number two is actually the most important one for monitoring in your particular case. As lead number two is more of a rhythm monitor. Lastly the one thing I did want to share is that this does not diagnose or indicate myocardial infarction a.k.a. a heart attack. It does not indicate ventricular fibrillation. It will indicate bradycardia a.k.a. low heart rate and it will indicate tachycardia a.k.a. high heart rate. If anything I would look at the six lead device that this company makes it’s about $60-$70 more but it will be a lot more accurate. (In all honesty, this device is not going to do much for anyone really, let alone someone with a heart condition lol.)However like I said double check about whether or not you need to stay away from certain electrical devices because an ICD is an important and potentially life-saving device and I would not want anything to potentially disturb that. Best of luck to you. The other thing you can do by the way is contact the manufacturer however they will most likely not be of much use because most of this is clinical information and they will just refer you back to your provider but it might be worth a try.
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