Born with a congenital heart defect, Taiwanese singer Tank was hospitalized on Wednesday for an operation to implant a cardioverter defilbrillator in his chest. The device will work to save his life in moments of attack. According to reports, Tank's family has a history of heart disease; In 2006, his elder sister died in her dreams from heart failure when she was just 27 years old; not long later, his aunt also died of sudden heart attack. Tank, who was diagnosed with arrhythmia or irregularity in rhythm of heartbeat, suffered an attack in 2007 from overworking. Having brushed shoulders with death, Tank decided to go for an operation before his 27th birthday this year. According to the specialist, the device will be implanted under the skin on his left chest and then wired to the heart. Depending on his artery condition, the surgeon will decide whether to connect the wires to the atrium or the ventricle of the heart. When fixed, the defilbrillator will be able to detect unusual palpitations or trembles and work to save his life. The whole operation is said to take about one to two hours and only requires him to be on local anesthetic. However, Tank was especially sensitive to the kind of anesthetic he would be given and asked many questions when he was checking into the hospital. He revealed to have also went through local anesthetic for an operation to implant a heart cath when he was still in college and he could feel the device and circuit in his body during the operation, increasing his fears this time round. The estimated cost of the operation is S$25,000 and Tank has to remain under observation in the hospital for a week after his operation on Thursday. Source: Yahoo News SG
