Wearable Defibrillators Helpful for Patients Not Suited for ICDs

The American Heart Association issues an advisory for the use of these life-saving devices, highlighting their effectiveness as short-term solutions.

Published: July 11, 2016

A wearable automatic defibrillator may be a very helpful alternative to implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) for a select group of patients with abnormal heart rhythms, according to the American Heart Associations (AHA) first-ever advisory on wearable defibrillators. The AHA says wearable defibrillators should be considered options for patients who need an ICD, but are not good candidates for ICD implantation.