• Find a doctor
  • Same-day care
  • Locations
My account
Welcome
My account

  • Appointments
  • Billing
  • Help paying your bill
  • Medical records
  • How to choose Sharp

  • Find a doctor
  • Same-day care

    • View all locations

    • Doctor's offices
      • Sharp Rees-Stealy
      • Sharp Community
      • SharpCare

    • Urgent and walk-in care
      • Sharp Rees-Stealy
      • Sharp Community
      • SharpCare
      • Same-day virtual care

    • Emergency rooms
      • Sharp Chula Vista ER
      • Sharp Coronado ER
      • Sharp Grossmont ER
      • Sharp Memorial ER

    • Hospitals
      • Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center
      • Sharp Coronado Hospital
      • Sharp Grossmont Hospital
      • Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns
      • Sharp McDonald Center
      • Sharp Memorial Hospital
      • Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital

    • View all services

    • Everyday care
      • Laboratory services
      • Primary care
      • Radiology and imaging
      • Urgent and emergency care

    • Specialties
      • Cancer treatment
      • Heart and vascular care
      • Mental health
      • Orthopedics
      • Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)

    • Programs
      • Global patient services
      • Hospice
      • Weight management

    • Does Sharp accept my insurance?
      • Understanding health insurance
      • View all accepted plans

    • Shop plans
      • Sharp Health Plan
      • Covered California
      • Medicare

    • What are medical groups?

    • Sharp Rees-Stealy
      • About Sharp Rees-Stealy
      • Accepted insurance plans
      • Locations
      • Urgent care centers

    • Sharp Community
      • About Sharp Community
      • Accepted insurance plans
      • Urgent care and walk-in clinics

    • SharpCare
      • About SharpCare
      • Accepted insurance plans
      • Urgent care and walk-in clinics
  • Classes and events

Need help?

  • Contact us
  • Weekdays, 7 am to 7 pm

  • 1-800-827-4277

    Weekdays, 7 am to 7 pm
    View phone directory

  • Español

Need help?

  • Contact us
  • Weekdays, 7 am to 7 pm

  • 1-800-827-4277

    Weekdays, 7 am to 7 pm
    View phone directory

  • Español
Patients and families
  • Sharp app and account
  • Visitor information
  • Billing
  • Price transparency
  • Help paying your bill
  • Policies and procedures
  • View all resources
Our organization
  • About
  • Donate
  • News
  • Jobs
  • Sharp Health Plan
Employees and partners
  • Employees
  • Physicians
  • Interns and fellows
  • Instructors and students
  • Media
  • Vendors
  • Volunteers

Follow us

Get health tips, recipes and more in your inbox

Sign up for email updates

*
Stay up to date on health information and events

By clicking “Subscribe,” I agree to receive emails from Sharp HealthCare and understand that I may opt out at any time. Read our Terms of Use.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Sharp is not-for-profit and relies on fundraising. © 2025 Sharp HealthCare. All rights reserved.

Privacy policy|Terms of use
HomeHeart and vascular care
Heart-and-vascular-duplex-hero-3840x2160

Subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator device

At Sharp, we're proud to offer the latest treatment options and surgical procedures for those at risk for sudden cardiac arrest — including S-ICD, or a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator device.

  • Conditions
  • Treatments
  • Clinical trials
  • Classes
  • Locations
  • Doctors

Find a heart specialist near you

Choose the San Diego cardiac provider who's right for you.

View more heart specialists

A breakthrough treatment option for patients at risk for sudden cardiac arrest, the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) is an innovative system designed to provide the same protection from sudden cardiac arrest as transvenous ICDs.

About the S-ICD procedure

The S-ICD system sits just below the skin and without the need for thin, insulated wires — known as electrodes or "leads" — to be placed in the heart. Instead, an electrode — located just under the skin near the chest bone — delivers a lifesaving jolt to the heart if it suddenly stops. The procedure to implant the device is less invasive than that for the traditional defibrillator implant.

The system has two main components:

  • The electrode, which enables the device to sense the cardiac rhythm and deliver shocks when necessary

  • The pulse generator, which powers the system, monitors heart activity and delivers a shock if needed

Patients who suffer from congestive heart failure are constantly at risk for an accelerated heart rate to the point that the heart can no longer maintain blood circulation. Approximately 8,000 San Diegans are currently in need of a heart defibrillator implant.

San Diego heart care locations

We offer the S-ICD procedure at the following Sharp hospitals.

Sharp Grossmont Hospital
Sharp Grossmont Hospital Burr Heart & Vascular Center
UX0658-SMH-exterior-duplex-3840x2160
Sharp Memorial Hospital
UX0658-SCV-exterior-duplex-3840x2160
Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center

Read our heart health stories

Read more heart stories