When asked about the advantages of the subcutaneous implantable
cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD), Dale Yoo, MD, is quick to say there
are many. And, as a seasoned cardiac electrophysiologist on staff at
Medical Center of McKinney, Dr. Yoo would know.
✦
“This proce-
dure is groundbreaking in the sense that it is the world’s first and
only device that protects patients from sudden cardiac arrest without
“Ever since I met Dr. Yoo and I received the S-ICD
device nearly three months ago, I’ve felt like a huge
weight has been lifted from me.”
—Michael McDermott, cardiac patient
DEALING WITH DIABETES?
Read about four not-so-obvious ways
to protect your health.
SEE PAGE 4
Y
W W W . M E D I C A L C E N T E R O F M C K I N N E Y . C O M
●
9 7 2 - 5 4 7 - 8 0 0 0
●
F A L L 2 0 1 4
Standard
U.S. Postage
PAID
Platteville, WI
Permit No. 7
NEW
HOPE
for patients
affected
by sudden
cardiac arrest
device without accessing a patient’s blood
vessels or heart and without the need for
fluoroscopy, the use of x-rays,” Dr. Yoo says.
PEACE OF HEART, MIND AND SOUL
When Michael McDermott, a recent pa-
tient of Dr. Yoo’s, was asked about the ad-
vantages of the S-ICD procedure, his reply
was unequivocal, as well. Aside from the
obvious advantages of the S-ICD—that it
is smaller and does not require open heart
surgery or direct leads into the heart—
McDermott says it also provides him with
invaluable peace of mind.
Ever since 200, when McDermott ex-
perienced a heart attack at the age of 1
and was consequently diagnosed with
congestive heart failure, peace of mind
has been hard to find. “Ever since I met
Dr. Yoo and I received the S-ICD device
nearly three months ago, I’ve felt like a
huge weight has been lifted from me,”
McDermott says. “Aside from the psycho-
logical benefits the S-ICD has given me,
I’m also feeling much better physically.
There used to often be times when I felt
really bad. Now, I feel good and don’t see
myself as limited in any way. I’m very
thankful to Dr. Yoo and to this lifesaving
new technology. There’s no question the
S-ICD will save a lot of lives. I’m con-
vinced it saved mine.”
Dale Yoo, MD
Michael McDermott
(subcutaneously), rather than connected
directly into the heart. This small battery-
powered device constantly monitors a
person’s heart rhythm and can deliver a
therapeutic dose of electricity to restore
the rhythm when it senses the heart is
beating dangerously fast (tachycardia) or
chaotically (sudden cardiac arrest).
“During the S-ICD procedure, a lead is
implanted and tunneled underneath the
curvature of the left breast and up along
the sternum. Because the lead is placed
under the skin rather than through a vein
into the heart, we are able to implant the
touching the heart and vasculature—vessels
that supply and drain the heart,” Dr. Yoo
says. “The subcutaneous implantable
cardioverter defibrillator provides an
alternative for treating patients with life-
threatening heart arrhythmias for whom
the routine ICD placement procedure is
not ideal. I believe the S-ICD will poten-
tially change cardiology from this day
forward.”
WHAT THE S-ICD DOES
The S-ICD helps
restore regular heart rhythms with leads
that are implanted just under the skin
