The entirely subcutaneous ICD successfully detected and converted all instances of induced ventricular fibrillation and treated all 12 episodes of spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmia.
Does an entirely subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator effectively detect and convert ventricular fibrillation in patients with an indication for ICD therapy?
An entirely subcutaneous ICD system is feasible and effectively detects and terminates both induced and spontaneous ventricular arrhythmias without the need for transvenous leads.
In small, nonrandomized studies, an entirely subcutaneous ICD consistently detected and converted ventricular fibrillation induced during electrophysiological testing. The device also successfully detected and treated all 12 episodes of spontaneous, sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmia. (ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT00399217 and NCT00853645.)
Bardy et al. (2010) studied this question. The entirely subcutaneous ICD successfully detected and converted all instances of induced ventricular fibrillation and treated all 12 episodes of spontaneous ventricular tachyarrhythmia.