Joaquin, Mark Cristoper B.

4-BSN4A
Defibrillator

- Defibrillation is a common treatment for life-threatening cardiac dysrhythmias and

ventricular fibrillation
- Defibrillation consists of delivering a therapeutic dose of electric current (often
called a countershock) to the heart with a device called a defibrillator.
This depolarizes a critical mass of the heart muscle, terminates the dysrhythmia,
and allows normal sinus rhythm to be reestablished by the body's natural
pacemaker, in the sinoatrial node of the heart.
- In a study of CPR and defibrillation for cardiac arrest under ideal conditions,
survival with normal neurological function occurred in 38%. Assuming survival
without defibrillation to be zero, this is equivalent to saving the life of 2 out of 5
people using defibrillation
- It is used for those people with:
o Pulseless Ventricular Tachycardia
o Ventricular Fibrillation
o Cardiac Arrest d/t or resulting in VF
- Insight
o Defibrillator is an important equipment in the ICU, it can save or deteriorate
a life of a patient. Save in such a way that it can repolarize the heart to beat
again or deteriorate if the person who will use it is not oriented on the proper
way of doing it. I believe that the use of defibrillator should be strongly
advocated due to its potential as a life saver from all the ICU equipments.
With the proper orientation of such equipment. This is a must to have in
every hospitals.