This document discusses, among other things, a combination
pacer/defibrillator that is tailored for bradycardia patients. In one
example, its shock-delivery specificity exceeds its sensitivity to
shockable ventricular tachyarrhythmias. In another example, its
specificity exceeds 95%, or 99%, or even 99.5%. Sensitivity is programmed
to a high desired sensitivity value, but only if it can be done without
decreasing the specificity below the desired specificity threshold value.
This can be conceptualized as "avoiding at all costs" delivering false
shocks, even at the expense of failing to deliver a shock to a treatable
ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Specificity enhancements include, among
other things, inhibiting shock delivery when the patient is breathing or
not supine, using multiple channels or a high rate VT/VF detection
threshold. The present pacer/defibrillator device could potentially save
the lives of bradyarrhythmia patients who are not presently clinically
indicated for a defibrillator/pacer, but who have an increased risk of
sudden cardiac death due to one or more risk factors.