Editing Brugada syndrome (section)

=== Implantable defibrillator ===
In people felt to be at higher risk of sudden cardiac death, an [[implantable cardioverter-defibrillator]] (ICD) may be recommended.<ref name=Pri2013 />  These small devices implanted under the skin continuously monitor the heart rhythm.  If the device detects a potentially life-threatening arrhythmia it can give the heart a small electric shock, stunning the heart back into a normal rhythm.<ref name="Rickard_2016">{{cite journal | vauthors = Rickard J, Wilkoff BL | title = Advances in implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy | journal = [[Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy]] | volume = 14 | issue = 3 | pages = 291–9 | date = 2016 | pmid = 26653411 | doi = 10.1586/14779072.2016.1131124 | s2cid = 6423194 }}</ref> An ICD can also function as a [[Artificial cardiac pacemaker|pacemaker]], preventing abnormally slow heart rates that can also occur in people with Brugada syndrome.

Implanting an ICD is a relatively low-risk procedure and is frequently performed as a day case under [[Local anesthetic|local anaesthetic]].<ref name="Rickard_2016" /> However, complications such as infection, bleeding or unnecessary shocks can occur, which can sometimes be serious.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Olde Nordkamp LR, Postema PG, Knops RE, van Dijk N, Limpens J, Wilde AA, de Groot JR | title = Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator harm in young patients with inherited arrhythmia syndromes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of inappropriate shocks and complications | journal = Heart Rhythm | volume = 13 | issue = 2 | pages = 443–54 | date = February 2016 | pmid = 26385533 | doi = 10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.09.010 }}</ref> Because of the small risk associated with implanting an ICD, as well as the cost of the devices, ICDs are not recommended for all people with Brugada syndrome but are instead reserved for people deemed at higher risk of sudden cardiac death.<ref name=Pri2013 />