has anyone had a defibulator go off accidently

To Answer Your Question

by Grateful Heart - 2017-11-11 22:56:29

No.  I have had a defibrillator for almost 9 years.  I have never had it go off accidentally or on purpose.

Accidental shocks can happen but are rare. 

Do you have a pacemaker or defibrillator?   Your bio states pacemaker.

Grateful Heart

I haven't, but....

by donr - 2017-11-13 21:13:59

... I know of at least two hosts who have - one in Colorado & the other in Houston.  Some years sgo. I vaguely recall severtal others, but no details.

It is extremely rare.  We have a friend in Atlanta who has had hers fire three times in her total experience.  cannot recall if it was needed or not.  If you get the real thing it will knock you for a loop.  Friend recalled it as like being kicked in the chest by a mule.  Don't know how she came up w/ that simile, because I do not think she had ever been kicked in the chest by one.

Both victims I know of (I corresponded w/ them frequently after the events) had what is called a storm - the ICD fored several times at short intervals. Not fun

Donr

ICD Shocks

by Hoosier Daddy - 2017-11-28 23:50:22

The published rate of INAPPROPRIATE shocks from ICDs is as high as 15%, but this includes experiences with devices going back more than a decade. Newer devices have better and better leads (SENSING accuracy) as well as newer software controlling what conditions warrant a high voltage discharge.

In my line of work, I deal with perhaps 30-35 new patients each week, and I come across someone with a defibrillator perhaps once a month; extrapolate this over more than 25 years. Among those patients, I virtually ALWAYS ask them, "Has it ever discharged on you?"

Keep in mind, there are APPROPRIATE discharges, too, meaning a high voltage discharge for ventricular fibrillation (or, on older devices, for sustained ventricular tachycardia). If a person is shocked for VF, they WILL NOT be conscious to tell the story of how it felt. If they were in sustained VT, they may or may not be conscious to tell about the experience. 

Having said that, I will tell you that virtually ALL of my patients with an ICD HAVE BEEN SHOCKED WHILE CONSCIOUS to tell about it. I ABSOLUTELY stand by this, albeit anecdotal, data base. But, not being able to interrogate their devices, I cannot distinguish which of these shocks were "appropriate" versus "inappropriate". 

Final note, newer devices aren't even equipped with TONES to alert the patient or bystanders that a high voltage discharge is imminent. This is because ICD devices are now incoporating awesome features such as anti-tachycardia pacing. 

Consider that with the exception of a full blown electrocution event, virtually NOBODY deteriorates from a stable rhythm directly into VF. Rather, we go from our baseline rhythm into V tachycardia, sometimes with several interim "bad" yet perfusing rhythms, and eventually that devolves into VF. Newer devices detect the V tach and treat it by overdrive pacing or by "synchronized cardioversion". Overdrive pacing doesn't "kick you in the chest like a horse", but cardioversion does. 

Incidentally, I have personally been present for synch cardioversions (typically for A flutter or A fib) well over a hundred times. You DON'T want to be fully conscious for a cardioversion for ANY rhythm. But if your device overdrive paces you, I'll bet you wouldn't even feel it; you would be more symptomatic (light headed, short of breath) from your V tach.

PS: November 9th at my pacer clinic visit, they assessed the capture of my leads by intentionally overdrive pacing me. I sat there and watched the EGM (electrogram - the internal cardiac recording of rhythm from the actual leads) AND I FELT NOTHING.