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Yes. It's called ATP. AntiTachycardia Pacing. It's used to prevent shocks and works well for VT. how the device is programmed will determine how many rounds of ATP the device will give prior to shocking. Slower VT episodes are usually programmed for more rounds of ATP before shocking than faster VT episodes as they are usually less symptomatic and have a lesser incidence of syncope thus allowing more time to reduce the possibility of a shock. Some devices are also programmed to give 1 round ATP while charging for shock (usually for VF or really fast VT). If the ATP while charging works the shock is never delivered. If it doesn't work no harm done because there was no delay in shock treatment. The goal is to only shock if absolutely necessary, as in the long term shocks can increase mortality.

I agree with the other posts. The EP doc is going to be making the decision on which device he or she is going to use. Each of the major three (St. Jude, Boston, and Medtronic) have different programming options and sizes and battery life. A good EP specialist is going to choose which is the best for each individual patient. For a good resource for electrophysiology information the leading source is the Heart Rhythm Society at www.hrsonline.org