heart and blood vessel disorders
Cardioversion Defibrillation
Introduction
There are many Causes (arrhythmias). Some arrhythmias are harmless and do not need treatment. Sometimes arrhythmias stop on their own or with changes in lifestyle, such as avoiding alcohol, Cardioversion-defibrillation involves giving an electrical shock to the heart. Sometimes this shock can stop a fast arrhythmia and restore normal rhythm. The shock briefly stops the heart from beating and, after a second or two, it starts beating again on its own. Often, it starts back in a normal rhythm but sometimes the arrhythmia starts again. However, electrical shocks cannot restart a heart that has no electrical activity at all (asystole). Giving the heart such an electrical shock is called cardioversion, or defibrillation, depending on the type of abnormal rhythm for which it is used. is giving an electrical shock timed (synchronized) to a specific part of the heart beat. It may be used for arrhythmias starting in the atria (such as Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter ) or the ventricles (such as is giving an electrical shock during Ventricular Fibrillation . During ventricular fibrillation, there is no organized electrical activity in the heart to which the shock can be timed. The machine that delivers the shock is called a defibrillator, even though it is used for both defibrillation and cardioversion. Defibrillators can be used by a team of doctors and nurses, by paramedics, or by firefighters. Automated External Defibrillator: Jump-Starting the Heart None 