Brugada Syndrome & S-ICD
What is Brugada Syndrome?
Brugada syndrome is an arrhythmia heart condition that causes a disruption to the natural rhythm of the heart due to the sodium ions entering the heart. It causes the heart to beat dangerously fast and can lead to irregular life threatening heartbeats in the heart's lower chambers. If untreated, the irregular heartbeats can cause fainting, difficulty breathing and sudden cardiac death.
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Brugada syndrome usually becomes apparent in adulthood and is predominantly diagnosed in men, although it can develop any time throughout life to both male and females. Symptoms related to Brugada Syndrome, including sudden cardiac death, can occur from early infancy to late adulthood and research suggests the linkage between sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and Brugada Syndrome althogh it is extremely rare to be diagnosed in babies.
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ICD in babies
Darcie has a Boston Scientific Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) placed in her abdomen. The ICD leads are attached to the outside of her heart, both front and back due so the device could deliver appropriate shocks. Adults would usually have their ICD implanted beneath their collarbone or underarm and would have the leads within their veins.
She'll need to have ICDs throughout her life and is expected to have another 2 operations before she reaches adulthood dependent on the battery life and lead length. Our hospital are keen to use Darcie's device for groundbreaking research and monitor her to see if they can detect in advance when she'll have abnormal heart rhythm.
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