"Shielded from death" : the lived experience of Maltese men who have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator

Abstract

An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is one of the most effective ways to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients who are at high risk of suffering from ventricular arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). Thus, an ICD is a small electronic device implanted into one’s chest which detects abnormal heart rhythms and sends an electric shock to the heart to restore the normal rhythm (Reiffel & Dizon, 2002). This study explored the lived experiences of people who went through an ICD procedure. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews, conducted to five male participants over the age of 18. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). From this analysis, five major themes emerged: ‘To live or to die; Life before implantation’ , “My new life”; Living with the ICD, “Keep calm and carry on”; Coping with the ICD’, ‘Finding Support’ and ‘The experience of an Improved Quality of Life: Benefits of ICD?’. This study revealed how after ICD, participants reported an improvement in their quality of life. However, they described negative emotions that arose post-procedure along with the various coping mechanisms used which included optimism, spirituality and overall acceptance of the device. Moreover, social and medical support were deemed as highly important both before and after the procedure. These findings were discussed in light of existing literature regarding the topic. Recommendations for future research in this area are also given.