Heart Devices
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Implantable heart devices help us diagnose, manage, and treat your heart rhythm disorders. Most of these heart devices require surgery to implant them.
Heart Devices: Monitoring
Holter Monitors & Event Monitors
Patients wear these monitors on the outside of the body to record the heart’s activity. They're not implanted.
- Holter monitor: Worn for a day or more
- Event monitor: Worn for a longer period of time (up to 30 days)
Loop Recorder
A doctor implants a loop recorder to record your heart’s rhythm for up to 3 years. We use data from the loop recorder to diagnosis heart rhythm disorders and determine treatment options.
Treatment with Heart Devices
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)
Used to treat dangerous heart rhythms from the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles), ICDs can both restore normal rhythm with painless pacing and, if necessary, provide an electric shock to prevent patients from dying suddenly from very fast heart rhythms. You may need an ICD if you’ve had:
- A life-threatening arrhythmia, like a ventricular arrhythmia
- Reduced heart function from a heart attack, previous viral infection, or other medical conditions that weaken the heart (heart failure)
Learn more about ICDs.
Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) Defibrillators
Cardiac resynchronization therapy is a biventricular pacemaker or defibrillator with three leads instead of one or two like standard ICDs. The CRT device paces both ventricles at the same time to improve heart function and reduce heart failure symptoms like shortness of breath. At UVA Health, we can use MRI to optimize the implementation of CRT and maximize our patients' quality of life.
You must qualify for CRT. Our doctors will help determine if you're a candidate.
Pacemakers
A doctor implants a pacemaker in the upper portion of the chest with one or more wires (leads) that pass through a vein into your heart. They help keep your heart from beating too slowly.
How Do Pacemakers Help Heart Rhythm Issues?
A pacemaker is implanted through a minor surgery and can help with an abnormally slow heart rate with fatigue, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, or passing out. See Pam Mason, MD, discuss what pacemakers can do for you.
a pacemaker is an implantable device
that treats very slow heart rhythm
abnormalities there are a variety of
reasons why patients heart rhythms can
get too slow but a pacemaker is a small
implantable device that prevents
patient's heart rates from getting too
low and even can help give them heart
rate response when they're exercising or
exerting themselves they usually go
under the skin of the left shoulder and
they watch patient's heart rhythms all
the time and when they the device
notices that the patient has a slow
heart rhythm it will begin to pace and
prevent them from getting too low our
heart rates there are a variety of
patients who can benefit from pacemakers
many of our patients are elderly
although not all of them but any patient
who has heart rhythms that are slow
enough that it's putting them at risk
for dizziness passing out or just having
low energy and fatigue can benefit from
a pacemaker the wonderful thing about
modern pacemakers is they don't limit
patients lifestyle at all pacemakers are
designed to get patients out there and
doing all the things that they want to
do and there's really very little
limitation that patients who have
pacemakers experienced the University of
Virginia pacemaker clinic provides
comprehensive care for these devices we
don't just implant them we also follow
them make sure that the the programing
of the device is adequate and should the
patient have any problems with their
pacemaker we're fully set up to deal
with any possible complications that can
occur
you
Device Management
Lead Removal
Sometimes if you’ve had a pacemaker or defibrillator for a long time, the wires or leads need to be removed. We’re one of a few centers in the state to do complex laser lead extraction (removal of the wires connected to an implanted device because of scarring, infection or damage).
Remote Device Monitoring
We check pacemakers and defibrillators during regular visits with your electrophysiologist or cardiologist.
Many pacemakers and ICDs are also monitored from home by phone or internet. This means you don’t have to make as many trips to the hospital or doctor. If we do see a problem, you may need to come in so we can take a closer look.
Heart Devices Patient Education Resources
September 4, 2025
01129 Spanish - Insertable Cardiac Monitor Implant Instructions
Document Description: Insertable Cardiac Monitor Implant Instructions (a.k.a. "ICM" or "Loop Recorder")(Spanish version) - To be given to patients when the procedure appointment is made. This handbook should be used as a guide to help patients through their procedure and answer questions that they may have.
September 4, 2025
01129 - Insertable Cardiac Monitor Implant Instructions
Document Description: Insertable Cardiac Monitor Implant Instructions (a.k.a. "ICM" or "Loop Recorder"). To be given to patients when the procedure appointment is made. This handbook should be used as a guide to help patients through their procedure and answer questions that they may have.