What is a Defibrillator

For those that have a heart condition or have a family member with a heart condition, one probable question is: what is a defibrillator? That is a very important question, especially for those that have a heart condition that may need attention due to arrhythmias. These types of cardiac events can be helped via the use of a defibrillator, but if you don’t know what they are or how to use them, they will not provide much help in a time of need. When it comes to a heart attack, time is of the essence, so it is very important to be prepared when and if the time comes. By asking yourself “what is a defibrillator?” now and seeking out the answer, you are a step closer to saving a life.

The Heart – What is a Defibrillator?

One of the most important organs to keep us alive and possibly the most important is the heart. It is an organ that beats, working to pump blood through our body. This blood is full of oxygen that we breathe into our lungs. Another important organ—the lungs—is the place for gas exchange in the blood, letting out carbon dioxide and letting in oxygen. Once this blood is “fresh” again with oxygen, it needs to be taken to all the places in our body to ensure we stay healthy and working. The heart is the organ that works to make this happen. We all know that it beats, but this beat is a very complicated process that involves the cardiac cycle and electrical impulses.

I won’t bore you with the details, but what you need to know is that when the electrical impulse telling your heart to beat gets disrupted (by say, a heart attack), your heart can go into fibrillation. This is essentially analogous to a car sputtering. The engine isn’t firing correctly. When this happens, you can use a defibrillator to ensure the heart gets started back again on the right track. The defibrillator sends an overriding electrical signal to the heart, essentially resetting the heartbeat. Hopefully, this can help to make sure the beat is restored to normal. Otherwise, the heart will stop beating completely.

The Machine – What is a Defibrillator?

The defibrillator itself can be the complicated kind you see on television shows or it can be a very simple device that you find in airports, gyms and small businesses. If you are in the market for a defibrillator, you will most likely need to get something called an AED, which stands for “Automatic External Defibrillator.”  This is the type of defibrillator to be used by those without expert medical knowledge. You don’t really have to know anything about normal heart rhythms, as the AED does all the monitoring and “shocking” for you. You just have to be there to hook the machine to the patient, turn the machine on and call for an ambulance. After that, you have done your job and hopefully your hard work has helped for a good outcome for your loved one.

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