© 2001 by European Society of Cardiology
CASE REPORT
Avoiding inappropriate ventricular tachycardia detection due to T-wave oversensing in an implantable cardioverter defibrillator: a novel application of the electrogram width criterion
Cardiac Arrhythmia Unit, University Hospital of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
Appropriate sensing is an essential function of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). T-wave oversensing by an ICD can be a serious problem in some patients, causing overestimation of the heart rate, inappropriate tachyarrhythmia detection and therapy delivery. Decreasing the sensitivity or programming longer refractory periods can sometimes overcome T-wave oversensing, but these measures may interfere with the ability of the ICD to correctly detect tachyarrhythmias. This report proposes a novel application of the electrogram (EGM) width criterion using a recently introduced detection enhancement algorithm intended to improve the specificity of ventricular tachycardia detection, to avoid T-wave oversensing. Based on the course of a case with persistent T-wave oversensing and review of previously published reports, oversensing problems in ICDs and management strategies are discussed.
Key Words: T-wave oversensing, implantable cardioverter defibrillator, ventricular tachycardia, detection enhancement, electrogram width criterion
Correspondence: F
rat Duru, Cardiac Arrhythmia Unit, University Hospital of Zurich, Raemistr. 100, CH-8091, Zurich, Switzerland. E-mail: firat.duru{at}dim.usz.ch
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