Getting back to daily life
Your TV-ICD or S-ICD system is designed to monitor and treat dangerously fast ventricular heart rhythms so you can lead a full and active life. You can find some general tips about resuming normal activities after your implant procedure below. But be sure to talk to your health care provider about what’s right for your specific situation.
Exercise and sports
Your health care provider may ask you to avoid strenuous activity, especially upper body activity, for a few months after the procedure to give you time to heal. After that, you will probably be able to do most of the things you did before your implant.
Your underlying heart condition and your TV-ICD or S-ICD device will factor into the type and amount of exercise you can do, so be sure to talk to your health care provider about what level of physical activity is best for you.
Your health care provider may recommend an exercise test to check the settings on your implanted device for the heart rate you achieve during activity. With the information from an exercise test, you and the people involved with exercise (coaches, gym instructors, etc.) can understand the physical activity and exercise targets you have.
Sexual activity
It’s common to be concerned about whether it’s safe to resume sexual intimacy after an ICD procedure. For most people with a TV-ICD or S-ICD, sexual activity is not a medical risk. This is because the natural heart rate increase that occurs during sex is the same as the heart rate increase when you exercise.
Testing at the hospital will help your health care provider program your device settings so you should not get a shock during sex. If you do receive a shock during sex, your partner may feel a tingling sensation. However, the shock will not harm your partner. Be sure to let your health care provider know if you receive a shock during sex so they can consider reprogramming your device.
Talk to your health care provider
Every patient’s situation is unique, so it’s important to talk to your doctor about ways to safely resume normal activities after your ICD procedure.