Du Quoin Mayor Will Undergo Defibrillator Implant Wednesday

Du Quoin Mayor John Rednour remains a patient at the Prairie Heart Institute at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale where cardiologist Dr. Maria Falcone will perform a now-routine procedure to implant a small defibrillator as a safeguard.

The difference between a defibrillator and pacemaker is that pacemakers are more often temporary and are generally designed to correct bradycardia, while ICDs are often permanent safeguards against sudden arrhythmias.

Current state-of-the-art electronics and batteries have enabled an implantable device to deliver enough energy to defibrillate the heart without the need for a lead in or on the heart. This ICD is positioned just under the skin and outside the ribcage. It can be placed during a minor procedure under conscious sedation.

ICDs constantly monitor the rate and rhythm of the heart and can deliver therapies, by way of an electrical shock, when the heart rate exceeds a preset number.

Mayor Rednour enjoys generally good health, walks all the time and should be released from Memorial Hospital shortly after the procedure.