Quality of life in younger persons with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Although a life-saving device for people with potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias, the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) also imposes numerous limitations. This is especially true for active younger people who will have many more years of trying to cope with the limitations the device imposes. The authors report how younger people with ICDs describe the quality of their life, and suggest ways nurses can help these individuals manage with an ICD.