How Does the LifeVest Wearable Defibrillator Work?

The LifeVest® wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) is a treatment option for patients at risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). LifeVest is designed to continuously monitor a patient’s heart, detect certain life-threatening rapid heart rhythms, and automatically deliver a treatment shock to restore normal heart rhythm. In a typical situation, the entire event, from detecting a life-threatening rapid heart rhythm to automatically delivering a shock, occurs in about one minute.

This presentation follows the course of events during an arrhythmic episode to show how the LifeVest WCD is designed to detect, record and respond to a potentially life-threatening rapid heart rhythm.

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LifeVest allows patients to return to most of their daily activities, while having the peace of mind that they have protection from SCD. LifeVest is a wearable defibrillator that, unlike an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), is worn outside the body rather than implanted in the chest.

The device is designed to alert a patient prior to delivering a treatment shock, and thus allows a conscious patient to delay the treatment. If the patient becomes unconscious, the device is designed to release a Blue™ gel over the therapy electrodes and deliver an electrical shock to restore normal rhythm.