Please note this question was answered in 2013. The coding advice may or may not be outdated.
Pacing AICD without Pacing Function
Date: Dec 16, 2013
Question:
The patient has a pacing defibrillator with the tachycardia detections turned off for several years. The underlying rhythm is complete heart block, so he relies on the pacing function, and the device is at elective replacement indicator status. He comes in to get this replaced with a dual chamber pacemaker. Leads are atrial and ventricle, and only the generator was changed. Would you recommend coding it as a downgrade from AICD to pacemaker or as a pacemaker change?
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