Cardiology Team at St. Luke's Hospital implants first Intra Cardiac Defibrillator

The first Intra-Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD) was implanted in Malta on Saturday, May 22^nd 1999, by the Department of Cardiology in St. Luke's Hospital.

The Cardiology team at St. Luke's Hospital and the Angio-Suite staff implanted the device ina man in his 60's who had suffered three cardiac arrests within a short while three days previously. The patient was placed to recover in the CCU Department and went home two days later.

The ICD is a device that speeds the heart up when it slows down, slows it down when it races, and delivers electric shocks to revive it when it stops.

The Department of Health approved the purchase of the device which was flown to Malta within 48 hours.