General Questions
What does AED stand for?
AED stands for automated external defibrillator (or automated external defibrillation).
What's an AED?
An AED is a device used to administer an electric shock through the chest wall to the heart. Built-in computers assess the patient's heart rhythm, judge whether defibrillation is needed, and then administer the shock. Audible and/or visual prompts guide the user through the process.
How does an AED work?
A microprocessor inside the defibrillator interprets (analyzes) the victim's heart rhythm through adhesive electrodes (some AED models require you to press an ANALYZE button). The computer analyzes the heart rhythm and advises the operator whether a shock is needed. AEDs advise a shock only to ventricular fibrillation and fast ventricular tachycardia. The electric current is delivered through the victim's chest wall through adhesive electrode pads.
Why are AEDs important?
AEDs are important because they strengthen the Chain of Survival. They can restore a normal heart rhythm in victims of sudden cardiac arrest. New, portable AEDs enable more people to respond to a medical emergency that requires defibrillation. When a person suffers a sudden cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 7% to 10% for each minute that passes without defibrillation. AEDs save lives!
Who can use an AED?
Most AEDs are designed to be used by nonmedical personnel such as police, firefighters, flight attendants, security guards, and other lay rescuers who have been properly trained. Having more people in the community who can respond to a medical emergency by providing defibrillation will greatly increase sudden cardiac arrest survival rates.
Why does someone having a heart attack need an AED?
When a heart attack becomes a full cardiac arrest, the heart most often goes into uncoordinated electrical activity called fibrillation. The heart twitches ineffectively and can't pump blood. The AED delivers electric current to the heart muscle, momentarily stunning the heart, stopping all activity. This gives the heart an opportunity to resume beating effectively.
Will an AED always resuscitate someone in cardiac arrest?
The AED treats only a heart in ventricular fibrillation (VF), an irregular heart rhythm. In cardiac arrest without VF, the heart doesn't respond to electric currents but needs medications. The victim needs breathing support. AEDs are less successful when the victim has been in cardiac arrest for more than a few minutes, especially if no CPR was provided.
AED Use
Is an AED safe to use?
An AED is safe to use by anyone who's been trained to operate it.
In this lab, I took two recordings of my heart using an electrocardiogram. An electrocardiogram, EKG pg. 628 Y and pg. 688 D, is a recording of the heart's electrical impulses, action potentials, going through the heart. The different phases of the EKG are referred to as waves; the P wave, QRS Complex, and the T wave. These waves each signify the different things that are occurring in the heart. For example, the P wave occurs when the sinoatrial (SA) node, aka the pacemaker, fires an action potential. This causes the atria, which is currently full of blood, to depolarize and to contract, aka atrial systole. The signal travels from the SA node to the atrioventricular (AV) node during the P-Q segment of the EKG. The AV node purposefully delays
In a healthy individual receiving a general anaesthetic, the anaesthetist must be aware of the causes and treatment of acute onset AF, both intra-operatively and peri-operatively. Patients with AF often develop a decline in left ventricular performance and other hemodynamic instabilities including reduced diastolic filling and tachycardia mediated cardiomyopathy1, all of which can reduce cardiac output and pose difficulties for the anaesthetist.
This machine used an intravenous drip which was hooked up to the patient. The IV would start dripping a solution of saline. When the patient was ready they pushed a button and this solution would stop dripping. At this time the machine would release a drug called thiopental, better known as sodium pentothal, a general anesthesia for sixty seconds. After this the patient would be in a coma. A timer would stop the first drug and the release the next one called potassium chloride. This drug will cause a heart attack and the patient will die in their sleep. (Gibbs, McBride-Mellinger; PBS.org.
The American Heart Association gives sufficient evidence for the need of change by acknowledging that sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death (2012). These fatalities affect both adult and child victims. Statistics also show that 70% of people feel helpless during a cardia...
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), over 350,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of hospitals every year. Every second that a heart doesn’t beat dramatically decreases a person’s survival rate. CPR is a simple way to keep blood pumping through the body until medical personnel arrive. Only 46 percent of cardiac arrest victims receive CPR, primarily because most bystanders don’t have the proper training. Fortunately, schools are in a unique position to greatly improve that statistic.
We tend to help the paramedics with lifting assistance if the patient is a larger person. We also go to CPR calls to help try to make the chances of survival higher. One of the worst parts of the medical portion is overdoses. An overdose can be with prescription drugs or usually heroin. We canister the patient with narcan to possibly bring them
Imagine finding your child pulse less and not breathing. What a terrifying thought! Would you know how to save your child’s life? The number of parents that do not know CPR is astounding. Simply knowing CPR could make a dramatic difference in the lives of you and your loved ones.
An implantable pacemaker is used to assist the normal contraction rhythm of the heart when the heart’s own generated electrical impulses become impaired which is caused by heart block – delay or no conduction between atria and ventricle.
While it is not necessary to look at the precise mechanics of a pacemaker, it must be understood, first, that a pacemaker is an electronic device that is implanted in a patient’s chest and which regulates the beating of the heart through electric stimulus of that organ. The ethical dilemma involved in deactivating such a device can therefore be a life or death issue, since it is possible that deactivating a pacemaker in a patient with a weak heart could result in the death of that patient. However, the outcome of deactivation is not that certain. Bevins identifies three possibilities in the event of deactivation: "no discernible clinical consequences," immediate death, and "new symptoms that may accelerate death" (2011, p. 108).
will deliver an electric shock to the heart to try to get it to stop the ventricular fibrillation which is when your heart rate increases and does not produce enough blood to the brian or other organs. A defibrillator was used in the case of Wes Leonard, but unfortunately it was not enough. As of right now I do not believe that there is a clear answer that would prevent the sudden cardiac arrests that athletes are suffering.
Arrhythmia I am doing my report on Arrhythmia. It affects the cardiac muscle, the heart. Arrhythmia causes three types of problems. It causes the heart to pump too slowly (bradycardia), it causes the heart to pump too fast (tachycardis), and it causes the heart to skip beats (palipations).
The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body. The blood in the heart provides a person’s body with oxygen and nutrients. The electrical system of the heart is in control of when the heart pumps the blood. The heart’s electrical system is made of the sinoatrial node, the atrioventricular node, and the His-Purkinje system. When dealing with the electrical activity of the heart, voltage, current, and resistance are used. Receiving an electrical shock is very dangerous, and there are risks that come with it. Electric shocks can affect the chest, the nervous system, and the skin, which can all cause problems with the heart. Cardioversion and defibrillation are two procedures that can be done to the heart. These procedures have similarities and differences. Cardioversion should be used when a patient is suffering from a weak pulse, due to an electric shock.
Cardiac dysrhythmias come in different degrees of severity. There are heart conditions that you are able to live with and manage on a daily basis and those that require immediate attention. Atrial Fibrillation is one of the more frequently seen types of dysrhythmias (NIH, 2011). The best way to diagnosis a heart condition is by reading a cardiac strip (Ignatavicius &Workman, 2013). Cardiac strips play an chief part in the nursing world allowing the nurse and other trained medical professionals to interpret what the heart is doing. In a normal strip, one can clearly identify a P wave before every QRS complex, which is then followed by a T wave; in Atrial Fibrillation, the Sinoatrial node fires irregularly causing there to be no clear P wave and an irregular QRS complex (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). Basically, it means that the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, are contracting too quickly and no clear P wave is identified because of this ‘fibrillation’ (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013).
The different types of shock, as stated before are hypovolemic, distributive, cardiogenic, and obstructive. However, in regards to the cardiovascular system, there is cardiogenic shock. Cardiogenic shock “is caused by ineffective pump function of the heart.” Most of the time a patient goes into cardiogenic shock due to myocardial infarctions. “Typically, when more than 40 percent of the left ventricle has been lost, cumulatively, because of damage from a heart attack, congestive heart failure, infection, or abnormal heart rhythms, the patient is prone to cardiogenic shock” (book 416). Cardiogenic shock is not as common as many of the other types of shock, but most of the time it is fatal if it is not treated in time. “If treated immediately, about half the people who develop the condition survive” (Mayo). Cardiogenic shock has many sign and symptoms some are rapid breathing, severe shortness of breath, sudden, rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), loss of consciousness, weak pulse, sweating, pale skin, cold hands or feet, and urinating less than normal or not at all. There is not much you can do in the field for someone in cardiogenic shock, you would just put them on oxygen and if a paramedic is available they may start them on some IV fluids. Since cardiogenic shock is very dangerous there are ways to try and prevent it. “The best way to prevent
First aid trained personnel and the first aid kit are the best tool to prevent further damage to the injured and make sure they are on the recovery path swiftly without any problems.