Defibrillation

Defibrillation delivers an electrical shock to terminate life-threatening arrhythmias, especially ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. It can allow the heart’s natural pacemaker activity to restore an organized rhythm.

Ventricular fibrillation: A chaotic ventricular rhythm that prevents effective pumping of blood. Defibrillation is used to terminate this immediately life-threatening rhythm.
Automated external defibrillator: A portable device that analyzes heart rhythm and can deliver a shock for a shockable cardiac arrest rhythm. AEDs make early defibrillation possible outside hospitals, including by trained members of the public.
Cardiac arrest: The sudden loss of effective heart function, causing blood circulation to stop. Defibrillation treats certain electrical causes of cardiac arrest, not every form of arrest.
Chain of survival: A sequence of coordinated actions that improve outcomes after cardiac arrest. Early defibrillation is a central link in the response to shockable arrest.
Pulseless ventricular tachycardia: A rapid ventricular rhythm without a detectable pulse or effective circulation. This shockable rhythm is another principal indication for defibrillation.
Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator: An implanted device that detects dangerous heart rhythms and delivers therapies, including shocks. It provides ongoing detection and treatment for people at risk of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.
Pulseless electrical activity: Organized electrical activity without a palpable pulse or effective circulation. It is treated differently from shockable rhythms because defibrillation does not correct its underlying problem.
Sudden cardiac death: An unexpected death caused by loss of heart function, often following a ventricular arrhythmia. Rapid defibrillation can prevent some arrhythmia-triggered deaths.
Cardiac action potential: The time-varying electrical signal that triggers contraction in heart muscle cells. A shock affects the electrical activity underlying coordinated cardiac contraction.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: Emergency chest compressions, often combined with rescue breaths, to support circulation during cardiac arrest. CPR maintains some blood flow while defibrillation is arranged and delivered.

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