Implantable Cardiac Devices and the Acute Care Management of Decompensated Heart Failure

The use of implantable cardiac devices in patients with chronic heart failure is on the rise. These devices perform a number of functions including pacing, defibrillation, and data collection. While referral for consideration of such devices can occur on an outpatient basis, an encounter in the acute care setting may be the one opportunity for getting an appropriate patient to the right device therapy. Thus, we will briefly discuss the indications for the various implantable cardiac devices. We will also discuss the data that can be extracted from implantable devices and describe how this information can assist with the diagnosis and treatment of acutely decompensated heart failure.