The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has been proven to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death through the termination of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and life-threatening ventricular tachycardia (VT)

Introduction, materials and methods The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) has been proven to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death through the termination of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and life-threatening ventricular tachycardia (VT). Defibrillation threshold (DFT) testing has traditionally been an integral component of ICD implantation [1]. Electrical shocks delivered by ICDs arise from the discharge of the capacitors through the heart via the high energy electrodes. The main determinant of success of defibrillation is the magnitude of the electric field generated across the heart. Although the magnitude may be very hard to determine because of its dependence on numerous factors, it is usually proportional to the spatial derivative of the voltage. The simplest measure of defibrillation effectiveness is the DFT, defined as the lowest delivered IMPLANTATION OF AN ICD AND DFT TESTING IN PATIENT WITH PERSISTENT LEFT SUPERIOR VENA CAVA