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Different Types and Uses of a Defibrillator

A defibrillator plays a very important role in the field of medicine. It is used to restore a normal heart rhythm through sending an electrical shock to the heart when heartbeat becomes dangerously fast due to ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. Both conditions may be life-threatening, and could lead to cardiac arrest, and even cardiac death. Other conditions that require defibrillation are long QT syndrome, cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia and survivors of sudden cardiac death.

Defibrillation is the ultimate treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. To deliver a therapeutic jolt of electrical energy to the affected heart, a defibrillator is used. Such treatment restores normal heart rhythms before cardiac arrest occurs. It works by depolarizing a critical mass of the heart muscle, stopping the arrhythmia, and reestablishing normal sinus rhythm.

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 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 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.

Defibrillator base sought | YoughalOnline.comDefibrillator base sought | YoughalOnline.com
By Christy Parker Photo: Michael Hussey (YoughalOnline.com) [caption id=attachment_3349 align=aligncenter width=500 caption=Youghal Lifeboat.

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.

ICDs or implantable cardio-verter defibrillators are another form. Such units are implantable (patient’s chest), and can perform the same function as pacemaking. ICDs regularly check on the patient’s heart rhythm, and if required, also corrects arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythm based on the device’s programming. The pacemaker can be used together with ICDs for events that involve treating 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.

Medtronic gets defibrillator lawsuit dismissed - ForbesMedtronic gets defibrillator lawsuit dismissed - Forbes
Medtronic Inc. said Tuesday a U.S. District Court dismissed with prejudice lawsuits over lead wires to an implantable defibrillator on the grounds that Food and Drug Administration approval protects the makers from lawsuits. In October of 2007 ...

Implanted Defibrillators Benefit Older People - National Womens Health Information CenterImplanted Defibrillators Benefit Older People - National Womens Health Information Center
TUESDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), which deliver an electric shock to prevent sudden death when a heart stops beating properly, improve survival in people 75 and older, new research suggests. The finding ...