Guidant Defibrillator

AEDs Guide The User With Instructions

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.

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 ...

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.

Manual defibrillators can either be external or internal. External types work with electrocardiogram readers, which allow the clinician to diagnose a cardiac condition. Then, basing on previous knowledge and experience, the clinician will deliver the appropriate charge in joules through pads or paddles on the patient’s chest. Doing so requires detailed medical knowledge, and for this reason, these units are usually found only 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.

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.

For emergency purposes, automated external defibrillators are available. These units rely on computer technology to analyze the heart rhythm and advise whether a shock is needed. AEDs can be used by lay persons, who call for little training. Generally, they are held by qualified personnel who will attend incidents or are PADs or public access defibrillators that can be found in airports, hotels, shopping centers, and corporate or government offices, among others.

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.

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.

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.

Medtronic Defibrillator Lead Recall Attorneys - Medtronic Violated ...Medtronic Defibrillator Lead Recall Attorneys - Medtronic Violated ...
Medtronic, maker of defibrillators and pacemakers, knowingly violated a patent for artificial spinal discs, alleges a lawyer for a unit of Synthes Inc....