Aed Defibrillator Training

Defibrillators Raise The Quality Of Life

Different Types and Uses of a Defibrillator

A defibrillator is one very essential medical device. When a patient experiences ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia and thus dangerously fast and chaotic heartbeat, defibrillation is done to restore a normal heart rhythm. Also, patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, cardiomyopathy, QT syndromes and survivors of sudden cardiac death need defibrillation. Using defibrillators help prevent cases of cardiac arrest and cardiac death.

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.

Hallmark Health awards defibrillator to SHS (Saugus Advertiser)Hallmark Health awards defibrillator to SHS (Saugus Advertiser)
Hallmark Health System recently awarded five local organizations including the Saugus High Athletic Department with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), a device that can often mean the difference between life and death.

Defibrillators have several forms and sizes. Manual defibrillators or defibrillator paddles are what you see in a clinical setting such as the hospital. They can only be used by trained and skilled healthcare professionals. Automatic external defibrillators or AED can be used by lay people with only less training, which makes it perfect for emergency instances where no healthcare professional is present. ICDs or implantable cardioverter defibrillators are implanted in the patient’s chest.

There are both internal and external manual defibrillators. The clinician diagnoses a cardiac condition through external units that work in conjunction with electrocardiogram readers. After the diagnosis, the clinician then decides on the charge in joules to deliver to the patient’s chest, and sends the shock through pads or paddles. Medical knowledge and experience is needed to perform this treatment, thus they are only generally found in hospitals and some ambulances.

Manual internal defibrillators are just about identical to the external version. The difference is that the charge is delivered through internal leads attached to the heart. The leads are used to detect when the heart is experiencing a rhythm that demands a shock, and to deliver the shock. Generally, you can find these units exclusively in operating rooms, where the chest is likely to be open, or can be quickly opened by a surgeon.

For emergency cases where no healthcare professional is around, AEDs are available. Automated external defibrillators are based on computer technology to study the heart rhythm and advise whether a shock is necessary. Unlike manual types, AEDs can be used by lay persons with less training. PADs or public access defibrillators are AEDs that can be found in public places including airports, hotels, and shopping centers. There are also some AEDs which are held by trained 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 the different types and uses of a defibrillator. But although they are different in shape and size, all of them have a specific goal. That is to convert an unhealthy cardiac rhythm into a more normal rhythm. And whether, it is used by medical professionals or lay men, external or internal, automatic or manual, it helps lessen incidences of cardiac arrest or cardiac death.

Hallmark Health awards defibrillator to SHS - Abington MarinerHallmark Health awards defibrillator to SHS - Abington Mariner
Hallmark Health System recently awarded five local organizations including the Saugus High Athletic Department with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), a device that can often mean the difference between life and death. The devices were ...

Report of Michael Jackson defibrillator denied - Chicago Sun-TimesReport of Michael Jackson defibrillator denied - Chicago Sun-Times
LOS ANGELES -- A spokesman for Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, denied Sunday that the superstar's home was equipped with a defibrillator. ''If there had been a defibrillator there, it would have been used," said the spokesman ...