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CPR and Defibrillation
This may be a bit of a silly question, but I was just interested in why it is the case that CPR and Defibrillation can "bring someone back to life" (I'm not sure of the medical term, I'm guessing resuscitation but again not sure).
For example two people are dying or an infection, CPR and Defibrillation are applied in a cardiac emergency, but one patient is stabilized, while the other is not and dies.
I'm sort of looking for a more in depth explanation here, I'm guessing its got something to do with the chemistry in the heart or the nerves that control it? Thank you.
For example two people are dying or an infection, CPR and Defibrillation are applied in a cardiac emergency, but one patient is stabilized, while the other is not and dies.
I'm sort of looking for a more in depth explanation here, I'm guessing its got something to do with the chemistry in the heart or the nerves that control it? Thank you.
No I'm aware of what going on at the point where there a problem. The heart is either not beating properly leading some of the cells in the heart and other areas of the body being oxygen starved (in this case what I was taught is that you use the defib) and thus to death, or the heart has stopped completely, in which case you use CPR until you can induce a "shockable" rhythm.
My question is more about in the case of say, a very serious viral infection that causes cardiac arrest, why are some patients able to be resuscitated while others are not? Is it simply that the heart of the person who can not be resuscitated has been so deprived of the nutrients/energy/chemicals it needs to be able to function at all, while the other patient must have some of these left over, since they are able to be resuscitated.
Essentially, why can cardiac arrest induced by systemic infection be reversed in some patients, while not others. Whats the difference in the two?
My question is more about in the case of say, a very serious viral infection that causes cardiac arrest, why are some patients able to be resuscitated while others are not? Is it simply that the heart of the person who can not be resuscitated has been so deprived of the nutrients/energy/chemicals it needs to be able to function at all, while the other patient must have some of these left over, since they are able to be resuscitated.
Essentially, why can cardiac arrest induced by systemic infection be reversed in some patients, while not others. Whats the difference in the two?
....for some reason, the board deleted ".... kind of like pressing Control, Alt, Del on a PC...
I can give you a layman's explanation. It all about resetting the electrical circuit within the heart. There are occasions and instances when the heart muscle, for various reasons will begin to quiver and will not beat in a normal fashion. The chambers of the heart will not beat in the proper sequence, and this leads to low or possibly no flow of blood into it or out of it. Loss of consciousness quickly occurs. If left unchecked, death follows. Defibrillation delivers a short dose of electrical energy to the heart. This jolt depolarizes the heart muscle, and usually terminates the jumbled up beating, and allows normal sinus rhythm to be reestablished by the natural pacemaker within the heart. Kind of like pressing , on a PC....
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