getting heart back in rythem

[wedge542]

Can you tell me step by step whats involved in getting shocked back into rytham,what do they install on your body,how are you placed on a table,are you asleep?     thanks

[wedge542]

what are pain pills for, what kinda pain are you talking about, the guy i seen was shocked back into rythem and they put him to sleep.

[researcher09]

For AF, the patient will have time to fast and will be sedated so it depends on the arrhythmia.  For VT or VF, there will be no wait and sedation may cause problems (food going into air pipe for example).  The sites of where the paddles contacts the skin may have burn pains and meds will be for that.

[researcher09]

It also depends on how long you have been in AF before the cardioversion.  You may have to be anti-coagulated before the procedure to minimize the stroke risk.  There is no need to be sedated but you will be given pain pills if you want.

[Drake3851]

If your talking about being cardioverted (shocked), it all depends on the situation and how quickly it needs to be done. I was recently cardioverted in the ER with no time to be sedated.

In a perfect world the patient can be given meds for correct the rhythm but in many situations they need to be shocked back into rhythm. If time allows, patients are usually sedated first but in situations like mine, they just quickly do it and the pain is over quickly.

The whole process is typically done with patches that are placed on your body and are connected to a monitor or defibrillator.