Why YSK: TV has lied to you. If a cardiac arrest happens and you have an AED defibrillator at hand you might still need to do chest compressions.
- When you open up the AED there will be instructions on how to apply the electrodes as well as any other procedure needed to get started.
- The machine will first analyze the heart’s rhythm to find out if a shock can restore the heart.
- If the machine doesn’t find anything it will instruct you to perform CPR. After a while it will then instruct you to stand by as it does another analysis.
- It will once again either deliver a shock or instruct you to go back to CPR. Do this routine indefinitely until medical services has arrived. You will be tired. Switch out with another person if there are other people who can help.
- Some AED’s are automatic and will warn you to stand back and deliver a shock. Others will need you to press a button to deliver the shock yourself. Make sure not to touch the person as the machine delivers the shock.
The way a defibrillator works with a stopped heart is by analysing, and it that way it does “help it beat again”. But it won’t shock a stopped heart. The name says it all; it de-fibrillates. The heart has to be fibrillating for it to be de-fibrillated; the shock can only correct an archaic rythmn, not the absence of rythmn.
If there’s no electric activity, the person needs meds like epinephrine, not a shock.
The thing with TV shows, is that they often show a flat line on an ECG monitor and then shock the patient, which is basically useless except at burning the patient’s skin and stopping effective compressions during CPR. The kind of ECG we should see during a shock is atrial fribrillation (a-fib) and ventricular fibrillation (v-fib). Those should have a very wavy ECG line.
Source: am nurse (edit: a better nurse corrected me on some differences between shocking for a defibrillation and for a cardioversion, go read their comment)
Just to clarify your post because there is enough confusion as it is. Atrial fibrillation is not a rhythm we defibrillate. While it can be dangerous it is not a deadly rhythm but could definitely deteriorate into one if there is unchecked rapid ventricular response. Even then we don’t defib afib, we cardiovert it or use medical management. Underneath the mess there is an intrinsic heart beat you don’t want to disturb. If you defib afib you will likely cause more harm than good
The only rhythms we defibrillate are ventricular fibrillation and pulseless vtach.
We do not use any electricity for asystole or pulseless electrical activity.
We cardiovert afib and supraventricular tachycardia.
Shock is a term used loosely but I wanted to further clarify so people won’t run around shaking their fist that no one is defibrillating their afib.
Source: also nurse
Thanks for clarifying! I’m at the end of my cert. for arythmias and sometimes the cardioversion and defib get jumbled up since they’re both electrical processes (albeit at very different strength).
No problem! I’ve worked ICU for 10 years and have zapped patients in just about every way possible lol.