The Kielce Provincial Integrated Hospital has performed its first implantation of a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) using a new method that does not require general anesthesia. The patient does not have to be put to sleep or intubated.
Cardiologists at the Świętokrzyskie Cardiology Center have performed such procedures since 2024 and have about 50 to their name. Until now, however, they were done under general anesthesia. Now the doctors combine local anesthesia with regional anesthesia, which acts directly on the nerves at the surgical site. Dr. Maciej Kluk, head of the Implantable Devices Unit, explains that forgoing general anesthesia places much less strain on the patient. The anesthesia also lasts long after the operation, so the patient feels no pain after the procedure.
The method was developed by Prof. Michał Lewandowski of the National Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw. According to the Kielce hospital, only five centers in Poland perform such procedures. The next operation is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 29.
A subcutaneous cardioverter-defibrillator protects patients at risk of dangerous heart rhythm disorders. When needed, the device automatically delivers an electrical impulse that can save a life.
Source: Radio Kielce
KN
