Care journey
Mr. Suyanto's Story.
For years, Mr. Suyanto felt perfectly well and never had any heart complaints. It was a routine yearly health check that revealed a heart rhythm problem needing further care.
A Finding from a Routine Check-Up
Mr. Suyanto had made a habit of having a medical check-up every year. At one of these check-ups, his electrocardiogram (ECG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity, showed an unusual pattern. Further tests found that he had an arrhythmia, a heart rhythm disorder, diagnosed as Brugada syndrome.
Brugada syndrome is a disorder of the heart's electrical system that can trigger very fast, irregular rhythms in the lower chambers of the heart. In some people it causes no symptoms at all, yet it carries a risk of sudden cardiac arrest. "It turned out there was a problem with my heart, an arrhythmia that could make it stop suddenly," Mr. Suyanto said.
Weighing the Decision with His Family
His doctor recommended an S-ICD (subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator), a small device placed under the skin that monitors the heart's rhythm and delivers an electrical shock if a dangerous rhythm occurs. Unlike a conventional ICD, the S-ICD lead sits under the skin rather than inside the heart. Its purpose is protection: the device stands guard in case the heart develops a rhythm that could lead to cardiac arrest.
Mr. Suyanto did not agree straight away. "At first, I actually refused," he admitted. Feeling healthy and free of symptoms, he needed time to understand why the device was necessary, so he asked his family for their views. Once he understood the doctor's explanation about the risk of his heart stopping suddenly, he decided to go ahead. Although it was not an easy decision, he saw it as a precaution.
Receiving and Living with the S-ICD
The S-ICD was implanted at Heartology on 9 March 2024. For Mr. Suyanto, the process was less complicated than he had imagined, and he felt the device did not require any special care in his daily life.
When the video was recorded, Mr. Suyanto said he was feeling well and thanked the Heartology team for helping him deal with the problem. His experience shows that heart rhythm disorders do not always give warning signs, and that routine check-ups can help find them early.
His message to you is simple: do not wait for symptoms before getting checked. "If you want to know your body's condition, have a routine check-up every year," he said. If your results show anything unusual, talk to a cardiologist about the follow-up tests that suit you.
Every journey is different. This is a personal experience. Each person's condition, treatment options, and outcomes may differ.
Hear it directly
The Story in Their Own Words.
S-ICD Implantation for a Patient with Brugada Syndrome: Mr. Suyanto's Story
Watch the experience the patient shared on Heartology's channel. Length 2 minutes 20 seconds.
Watch on YouTube The video opens on YouTube in a new tab.
