Describe what is meant by a shock box.

• A. No ATP, VT1 or VT2- VF zone only 40J across the board
• B. All ATP and VT therapies are enabled
• C. Box is used to store patient data
• D. Box contains the device firmware chip

Answer: (A)

A shock box is a programming mode in an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator/defibrillator setup where only fixed-energy shocks are delivered, and pacing therapies or zone-specific therapies are disabled. In this mode, any detected tachyarrhythmia triggers a shock at a single energy level, here 40 joules, with no ATP pacing and no VT/VF zone interventions. This describes a simplified, uniform-shock behavior used for testing or demonstration, rather than a full therapeutic strategy.

So the description matches having no ATP, no VT1 or VT2-VF zone therapies, and using 40 J shocks across the board. The other options refer to storing patient data, hardware firmware, or enabling therapies, which aren’t what a shock box denotes.