Pacemaker Vs. Defibrillator
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Both Are Internal
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Both pacemakers and ICDs are surgically implanted inside patients.
Monitoring
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Both pacemakers and ICDs contain components that monitor the heart to detect irregularities in heartbeat.
Electricity
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Both pacemakers and ICDs use electricity to maintain heartbeat regularity.
Complexity
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ICDs are more complex devices than pacemakers, which are relatively simple.
Strength of Electricity
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Although both pacemakers and ICDs use electrical impulses to maintain heartbeat regularity, an ICD is capable of delivering much more powerful shocks than a pacemaker.
Heart Attacks
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In case of a heart attack, an ICD is capable of delivering large shocks that can help to keep a patient alive. Although a pacemaker can help to reduce the likelihood of a heart attack, it is not going to save a patient from a heart attack already in progress.
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