When the heart goes into ventricular fibrillation, you're right, it is very erratic and does not pump blood very efficiently. The purpose of the defibrillator is to attempt to get the "electrical system" of the heart back into a normal sinus rythm. It may very well stop the heart first, the next time I see my Doctor, I'll have to ask him. I think it may work either way. Sometimes the heart does go into asystole (flat line) and drugs are given to stimulate the heart muscle along with CPR. I've also seen the rythm improve to life sustaining but critical condition. I'm not an EMT any more, but it was rather gratifying to have a "save". Oh well, off the original topic, but this is my justification for my two cents worth.
Mike Cantwell, PE At 08:15 AM 11/26/96 EST, you wrote: >A PS to your note on defibrillators. I believe that a defibrillator STOPS the >heart, not starts it. When the heart goes into fibrillation, it has an erratic >and quite rapid pulse, it is fibrillating rather than pumping in rythm, and no >blood gets pumped. The heart fibrillation then needs to be stopped which is >where the defribrillator comes in. It puts out the current through the heart , >stops it dead, and then hopefully the heart will start up again either on its >own or with manipulation. > >Regards, > >Gabriel Roy >Hughes Network Systems >MD > > *******************************+********************************** * Mike Cantwell, PE ! Compliance Engineer * * P.O. Box 740 ! Bio-Rad Laboratories * * 21 Park Street ! 237 Putnam Avenue * * Pepperell, MA 01463 ! Cambridge, MA 02139 * * Tel: (508) 433-6907 ! Tel: (617) 234-7248 * * Fax: (508) 433-0699 ! Fax: (617) 234-7199 * ******************************************************************
