What should I do now?
Call 911
Call 911 for collapse, fainting with racing, chest pressure, severe trouble breathing, or repeated ICD shocks. If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, follow the dispatcher's CPR/AED instructions.
Contact your care team
After one ICD shock with complete recovery, contact your device team promptly and follow your personal plan. Report recurrent racing or new symptoms.
Keep your care plan
Keep your treatment and follow-up plan. Bring questions, readings, and your medication list.
SECTION 6
Your follow-up plan and next steps
Your treatment plan should answer three questions: What caused my rhythm? How will we reduce future episodes? How will we protect me if another dangerous episode occurs?
Prepare for your visit
Bring:
- An updated medication list, including supplements.
- A record of symptoms, fainting episodes, or ICD shocks.
- Your device identification card, if you have one.
- Any outside hospital records or rhythm recordings.
- Your questions—and a family member or support person if helpful.
Questions to ask your cardiologist or EP
- Did I have VT, VF, or both?
- What caused the rhythm, and was any part of the cause reversible?
- How well is my heart pumping?
- Do I need an ICD? Which type fits my needs?
- What will my medications do, and what monitoring do they require?
- Could ablation reduce my episodes or ICD shocks?
- Would I still need medication or an ICD after ablation?
- When can I return to driving, exercise, and work?
- Should my relatives be evaluated for an inherited heart condition?
Leave with a clear plan
Before leaving, make sure you know:
- When your next appointment and any testing are scheduled.
- How to contact your cardiology and device teams.
- What to do after an ICD shock.
- Which symptoms require a call to the clinic and which require 911.
- How to use your remote monitor, if prescribed.
Ask for these instructions in writing and share them with the people closest to you.
Help your family prepare
Family members should know how to recognize cardiac arrest, call 911, begin CPR, and use an AED.
If someone is unresponsive and is not breathing normally—or is only gasping—call 911, start CPR, and use an AED as soon as one is available.
Updated October 2026. Educational information; your own care plan may differ. Heart illustrations and EKG examples are simplified for teaching.