What is defibrillation?

Defibrillators are medical devices that send an electric pulse to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat in
the event of an emergency. These devices are used to stop uneven heartbeats or to correct an arrhythmia. 

Defibrillation is done to correct serious  heart arrhythmias including ventricular fibrillation or pulse less
ventricular tachycardia. During an emergency, the device should be used as soon as the patient collapses,
loses consciousness and stops breathing. 

There are risks and potential complications with defibrillation include:

 Skin burns
 Myocardial necrosis (death of heart muscle tissue)
 Other cardiac arrhythmias including asystole (no heart rhythm, or “flatline”), ventricular
fibrillation after pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and other less serious arrhythmias