What attitudes and understandings did ICD recipients have towards deactivation?
ICD recipients had a highly varied attitude towards deactivation. Some recipients were not aware that their ICDs could be deactivated, with their doctors not discussing this with them. Other recipients had misconceptions about the effect of deactivation, perceiving it to be equivalent to euthanasia or assisted suicide, leading to immediate death. Some recipients reported that they would not consider living without their ICD as they believed it was keeping them alive. Similarly, some recipients felt that their ICD should never be deactivated when it could extend their life, regardless of the circumstances. Some people were scared to deactivate. Other ICD recipients felt that they would deactivate their device when their quality of life was so low that they were bedridden or unable to engage in daily activities, if they were in a lot of pain and had received numerous shocks, or if they were elderly and felt they may be ready to die soon. Some family members and healthcare professionals reported similar sentiments about deactivation being appropriate in these circumstances.