Cardiac device troubleshooting in the intensive care unit: an educational review

Numerous patients with a cardiac implantable electronic device are admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU). When taking care of these patients, it is essential to have basic knowledge of potential device problems and how they could be tackled. This review summarizes common issues with pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization devices and provides a framework for troubleshooting in the ICU. In addition, specific aspects of intensive care that might interfere with cardiac devices are discussed.