Automatic Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (AICD) is an older term for what is now commonly called an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator). The word “automatic” was included in the original terminology to distinguish these devices from external defibrillators that require manual operation, but the term has been largely superseded in modern clinical practice.
An AICD or ICD is a surgically implanted device that continuously monitors heart rhythm and delivers electrical therapy (pacing, cardioversion, or defibrillation) to correct life-threatening arrhythmias including [ventricular fibrillation](/glossary/ventricular-fibrillation/) and sustained [ventricular tachycardia](/glossary/ventricular-tachycardia/). See [Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator](/glossary/implantable-cardioverter-defibrillator/) for a full description of how the device works, who receives one, and what living with it involves.
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