Nocturnal phantom shock cessation with zolpidem

A 77 year old man with a biventricular ICD-pacemaker complained of painful, electric jolts disturbing him nightly from sleep. Extensive work-up including device interrogation revealed no defibrillations or arrhythmia, and he was subsequently diagnosed with phantom shocks (PS). His nightly PS symptoms terminated after starting zolpidem 10  mg each night. To date, literature review reveals fifteen articles reporting 163 phantom shock (PS) cases. PS affects 5–9% of ICD recipients. Risk factors include psychiatric disease, atrial fibrillation, NYHA functional status III or greater, prior shock storm, and intraoperative awareness duri ng ICD placement, with defibrillation threshold testing.

Source: Heart and Lung - November 8, 2017 Category: Intensive Care Authors: L. McLean House, Rachel E. McKay, John Thomas Eagan, Zachary L. McCormick Source Type: research