FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA - Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center is among the first hospitals in Orange County to implant the Boston Scientific S-ICD® System, the world's first and only commercially available subcutaneous implantable defibrillator (S-ICD) for the treatment of patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

Sudden cardiac arrest is an abrupt loss of heart function. Most episodes are caused by the rapid and/or chaotic activity of the heart known as ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. Recent estimates show that approximately 850,000 people in the United States are at risk of SCA and are candidates for an ICD device, but remain unprotected.

The S-ICD System is designed to provide the same protection from SCA as traditional transvenous implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). However, the entirety of the S-ICD System sits just below the skin without the need for thin insulated wires - known as leads - to be placed into the heart itself. This leaves the heart and blood vessels untouched, providing a less invasive solution for both physicians and patients.
Brea resident and occupational therapist Jennifer Bobier, 29, was one of Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center's first patients to receive the S-ICD. The procedure was successfully performed by Dr. Thuy Le, a cardiac electrophysiologist at the MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center, on May 22, 2014. Having suffered from mitochondrial disease since childhood and having tragically lost her brother Bradley, 20, in 2011 due to complications from the disease, Jennifer decided to meet with a geneticist who discovered a rare gene called the KCNE1 that confirmed she had Long QT syndrome. Long QT is a rare inherited heart condition that increases the risk of suffering from episodes of an irregular heartbeat that may lead to palpitations, fainting, and sudden death. Jennifer's brother Chris, 26, followed his sister's lead and met with a geneticist who discovered the same gene confirming that he too has Long QT syndrome. Dr. Le successfully performed his S-ICD procedure on June 12, 2014 and he was released from the hospital the next day.

Prior to her receiving the S-ICD, Bobier had undergone two unsuccessful ICD procedures to treat her condition. One ICD programming issue caused her to be rushed to Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center's Emergency Department. While in the hospital, she was referred to Dr. Le who removed the failed ICD and successfully implanted an S-ICD. Bobier was released from the hospital the next day and is slowly returning to the activities she has always enjoyed. "After undergoing two failed ICD procedures, I am so grateful to have found Dr. Le because I feel like my brother and I have regained control of our lives," explains Bobier.

More HCB News