Defibrillator

People Should Take AED Training To Be Prepared

Different Types and Uses of a Defibrillator

In the field of medicine, a defibrillator plays a very essential role. When heartbeat becomes dangerously fast and chaotic due to ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia, defibrillators deliver an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm. Using it helps prevent cardiac arrest and cardiac death from happening. Patients with cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, QT syndrome or survivors of sudden cardiac death require defibrillation.

For life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, defibrillation is the definitive treatment. In this treatment, a defibrillator is used to deliver a therapeutic dose of electrical energy to the affected heart. Before the affected heart suffers from sudden cardiac arrest, defibrillation works to restore normal heart rhythms. It depolarizes a critical mass of the heart muscle, ends the arrhythmia, and reestablishes normal sinus rhythm.

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Defibrillators come in various shapes and sizes. What you commonly see in the hospital are called manual defibrillators or defibrillator paddles, and they are used by healthcare professionals. The AED or automatic external defibrillators are those that allow lay people to operate it with only minimal training. This is perfect for emergency uses. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators or ICDS are implanted in a patient’s chest.

There’re two types of manual defibrillators: external and internal. External units work together with electrocardiogram readers. Through the device, the clinician can diagnose a cardiac condition, decide on the right amount of charge in joules, and send the shock through pads or paddles. However, such process necessitates thorough medical knowledge and experience. Because of that, you can only see these units in hospitals and some ambulances, generally.

Manual internal defibrillators are similar to manual external defibrillators. Only, internal leads which are in direct contact to the heart are used to deliver the shocks. The leads function both ways: either to detect an abnormal rhythm or to deliver the actual shock. Usually, you can find such units in operating rooms, where the chest is likely to be open, or can be easily opened by a surgeon.

REVIEW ARTICLE: Current Concepts: Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators after Myocardial Infarction (New England Journal of Medicine)REVIEW ARTICLE: Current Concepts: Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators after Myocardial Infarction (New England Journal of Medicine)
Patients with a history of myocardial infarction and a reduced ejection fraction are at increased risk for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Which of these patients are the most appropriate candidates for implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy is unclear. Factors influencing the decision are discussed.

Automated external defibrillators are available for emergency purposes. They are preprogrammed units using computer technology that are designed to analyze the heart rhythm and advise whether a shock is required. Lay persons can operate AEDs with minimal training. They are either PADs or public access defibrillators and can be found in corporate or government offices, hotels, airports and shopping centers. Or, they could be held by skilled personnel who will attend incidents.

Implantable cardio-verter defibrillators or ICDs are another type. They are implanted in the patient’s chest, and could function similarly to pacemaking. ICDs continuously observe and monitor the patient’s heart rhythm, and if necessary, also correct an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) depending on the device’s programming. A pacemaker can also be used in conjunction with an ICD to treat complex arrhythmias.

Those are some of the various forms and uses of a defibrillator. Although they vary in shapes and sizes, all of them aim to convert an unhealthy cardiac rhythm into a more standard rhythm. It plays a significant role in saving lives of people, whether the unit is automated or manual, internal or external, or used by medical professionals or lay men.

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