Defibrillator Monitor

Strong Electrical Or Magnetic Fields Affect Devices

Defibrillator: Its Different Forms and Uses

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Medtronic gets defibrillator lawsuit dismissed - MSN MoneyCentralMedtronic gets defibrillator lawsuit dismissed - MSN MoneyCentral
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - 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 ...

Medtronic: Fidelis Lawsuits Tossed On Riegel Precedent - CNN MoneyMedtronic: Fidelis Lawsuits Tossed On Riegel Precedent - CNN Money
Medtronic Inc. (MDT) said a Minnesota federal court dismissed with prejudice a series of lawsuits relating to one of its defibrillator products, saying such an issue falls under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration. The decision comes ...