Defibrillator Grant

Defibrillator Delivers A Shock To Patient

Defibrillator: Its Different Forms and Uses

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.

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 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.

Similar to the external version are manual internal defibrillators. However, for these units, the charge is sent by internal leads in direct contact to the heart. When the heart is experiencing an abnormal rhythm, the leads detect it and deliver the required electrical shock. Typically, you can see these units in operating theatres where the chest is likely to be open.

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.

A defibrillator can come in various forms and uses. However, no matter how different they are in shape and size, they all aim to restore an unhealthy cardiac rhythm into a more normal rhythm. So, whether it’s automatic or manual, internal or external, or used only by medical professionals or lay men, it plays a significant role in saving lives of people.

Medtronic gets defibrillator lawsuit dismissed - BusinessWeekMedtronic gets defibrillator lawsuit dismissed - BusinessWeek
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 ...

Judge Dismisses Lawsuits Against Medtronic - Eflux MediaJudge Dismisses Lawsuits Against Medtronic - Eflux Media
A federal judge in St. Paul has dismissed dozens of patient lawsuits against Fridley-based Medtronic in connection with a recall of the company's Sprint Fidelis defibrillator leads in 2007. The ruling comes on the heels of the controversial February ...