Paladin Roaming

The Bionic Man

Or as one friend noted, I now classify as a Cyborg.

In my heart there is a Medtronic Sprint Quattro, pictured left. This little toy is under a half inch in length and a tenth of an inch in diameter. It was inserted into a vein in the collar area, down into the heart, and embedded into the interior; dragging it's wires with it. Those wires were then connected to a Medtronic Secura VR, pictured right is the DR version, of lesser battery capacity. This thing is about 2" by 2" by 1/2" and is implanted under the skin near and below the left collarbone. The combination is refered to as an "Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator."

The ICD has several functions -- if my heart beat drops too low it will step in and kick it back up, too fast and it will slow it down. If my heart goes into fibrillation, the defibrillator will kick in. I am now far less likely to die of heart failure.