Have you addressed this issue in your Advanced Health Care Directive?
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) differ from pacemakers, which control abnormal heart rhythms. Pacemakers prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate through electrical pulses, whereas ICDs monitor heart rhythms and shock the heart to prevent sudden cardiac arrest.
Older patients may face a difficult choice of when to stop using an ICD, especially if shocks become painful or it continues life longer than desired
Source: Implantable defibrillators may cause dilemmas for older patients
