In 2001, Vice-President Dick Cheney had a battery operated defibrillator implant put into his chest to help correct his heart problem. Implants like the one in the Vice-President shock the heart back into a normal rhythm when it's beating irregularly. Doctors may recommend this treatment after a patient has suffered a heart attack or has the potential for one because of irregular rhythms.

A defibrillator implant continually monitors the patient's heart rate and applies a treatment when an abnormal rate is detected. One of the heart rate problems that defibrillator implants treat is a rhythm that is too fast. When the heart beats too fast, not enough blood enters the ventricles between pumps, essentially rendering the heart's pumps ineffective. A defibrillator does not cure heart problems, but it does provide a sort of safety net for individuals at risk for cardiac arrest or rapid heart rates.

Research on implants suggests that these devices save lives. In the past, medical professionals used external defibrillators to shock the system during a heart attack. New advances, however, have created ways of implanting similar devices within the body for individuals at high risk for hearth problems.

Although defibrillators can be implanted soon after a heart attack, studies show that benefits are greater for long term treatment. One study suggests that patients should wait for several months after a heart attack to have a defibrillator implanted. However, more research is needed on both long and short term effects and treatment to fully understand a defibrillator's influence.

Many individuals who have had a defibrillator implant report positive changes in their health, including not feeling dizzy or fainting as frequently. Patients also say that they feel more comfortable leaving their homes and engaging in daily activities like they used to before heart problems interrupted their lives. Rather than being confined to their homes or towns in case something went wrong, patients can now travel with the confidence that the defibrillator will help keep their heart working properly.

Individuals with heart problems should continue with regular medical treatment and appointments after the implant. Some systems come with portable monitors that doctors can use to track heart rhythms and find potential problems.

If you suffer from a heart condition or have had a heart attack in the past, you should discuss with your doctor whether a defibrillator implant is right for you. Not everyone needs an implant or will find one helpful. However, for others the implant will give them their life back.