Overview
An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a device designed to quickly detect a life-threatening, rapid heartbeat coming from the bottom chamber of the heart. It converts the abnormal rhythm back to normal by delivering an electrical shock to the heart.
Review Date 10/5/2022
Updated by: Thomas S. Metkus, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.