Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is the resumption of a sustained heart rhythm that perfuses the body after cardiac arrest. It is commonly associated with significant respiratory effort. Signs of return of spontaneous circulation include breathing, coughing, or movement and a palpable pulse or a measurable blood pressure.
Commotio cordis (Latin, "agitation / disruption of the heart") is a rare disruption of heart rhythm that occurs as a result of a blow to the area directly over the heart (the precordial region) at a critical instant during the cycle of a heartbeat. [1] The condition is 97% fatal if not treated within three minutes. [2]
Defibrillation is often an important step in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). [6] [7] CPR is an algorithm-based intervention aimed to restore cardiac and pulmonary function. [6] Defibrillation is indicated only in certain types of cardiac dysrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (VF) and pulseless ventricular tachycardia.
The cardiac cycle is the performance of the human heart from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. [1] It consists of two periods: one during which the heart muscle relaxes and refills with blood, called diastole , following a period of robust contraction and pumping of blood, called systole . [ 1 ]
A defibrillator is a machine that produces a defibrillation: electric shocks that can restore the normal heart function of the victim. The common model of defibrillator out of an hospital is the automated external defibrillator (AED), a portable device that is especially easy to use because it produces recorded voice instructions.
The process involves cooling for a 24-hour period, with a target temperature of 32–36 °C (90–97 °F), followed by gradual rewarming over the next 12 to 24 hrs. [125] [126] There are several methods used to lower the body temperature, such as applying ice packs or cold-water circulating pads directly to the body or infusing cold saline.
(Defibrillation uses a therapeutic dose of electric current to the heart at a random moment in the cardiac cycle, and is the most effective resuscitation measure for cardiac arrest associated with ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. [1])
Often, more electricity is required for defibrillation than for cardioversion. In most defibrillation, the recipient has lost consciousness so there is no need for sedation. Defibrillation or cardioversion may be accomplished by an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Electrical treatment of arrhythmias also includes cardiac pacing.