Cardiac Defibrillator
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It is so deadly, because the heart is so important. The heart is the organ that is responsible for the transport of nutrients around the body. These nutrients give our cells the ability to function and live, so without them, we would not survive. This is why the heart is such an important part of our body. Unfortunately, this is the organ that gives people many problems, including plaque buildup in the heart, as well as deterioration of the heart muscle. One of the problems patients face as they develop heart disease is the possibility of going into cardiac arrest. The precursor to cardiac arrest can be atrial or ventricular fibrillation, two common causes of cardiac events. To combat these problems, a cardiac defibrillator can be used. This is a tool that will allow for the heart to be given a kick start to begin working again.
How the Heart and a Cardiac Defibrillator Works
The heart works by pumping blood into our lungs, where it gets the oxygen we breathe in and the drops off the carbon dioxide that we breathe out. Then the blood flows back to the heart where it is pumped to the body to drop off the newly gained oxygen and pick up some carbon dioxide. This happens over and over again. The heart pumps about one time per second. The timing of this beat is controlled by the SA node, which is the pacemaker of the heart.
The SA node is made up of a group of pacemaker cells. When the heart muscle isn’t functioning properly, the pacemaker cells can die and/or misfire. This can lead to the heart not beating, and in some cases, death. This is where the cardiac defibrillator comes in. This is a machine that sends a “shock” of sorts to the heart to allow for the pacemaker cells to be reset and start beating properly again. This isn’t always going to work, but it can be very effective in some circumstances. It is a last resort and will sometimes save a person’s life.
Buying a Cardiac Defibrillator
When shopping for a cardiac defibrillator, a little knowledge can go a long way. You don’t want to go into the purchase blind. First, you should know that there are many different types of defibrillators. The kind you find in a hospital is going to be very expensive and require an extensive amount of medical knowledge. If you are looking to buy one to have at home or business for a loved one, you will not want to start with this type. The best kind for this purpose is an AED. This stands for “automatic external defibrillator.”
These are great machines, because they don’t require any technical knowledge of cardiac function. In fact, you don’t need any medical knowledge at all. You can just follow the pictured or audible instructions and you can potentially save a life. When the time comes and something happens, it is great to be prepared. Of the many different types of cardiac defibrillators, the AED is probably the cheapest and best for every day, in-home use.
