A device that emits electrical impulses and is used to treat arrhythmia by overloading the heart with electricity, upsetting the abnormal impulses, and allowing normal impulses to resume.
An apparatus used to apply an electric impulse to the heart to make it beat regularly.
A medical device that delivers an electric shock to the atria or ventricles of the heart to restore normal heart rhythm; may be an internal or external device.
A device used to administer an electric shock to the heart to stop an uncontrolled, rapid, and ineffective heartbeat. Such a heartbeat, which can develop after a heart attack, is known as ventricular fibrillation. Left untreated, it may lead to brain damage or sudden death. A defibrillator is thought to stop the heart briefly and allow a normal heartbeat to resume when the heart starts up again. The sooner a defibrillator is used after ventricular fibrillation sets in, the more likely it is to be effective in preventing brain damage or death.
Apparatus that delivers a controlled electric shock to restore normal heart rhythm in patients whose hearts have developed ventricular fibrillation or have stopped beating. The shock is delivered by electrodes placed on the chest wall or directly to the heart after the chest has been surgically opened. Defibrillators are a standard item of equipment for paramedical staff in ambulances, and some airlines now routinely carry the apparatus. They may also be available in large public areas such as shopping malls.
A device that delivers an electrical shock that completely depolarizes the myocardium, producing a brief period of asystole. The goal of defibrillation is to let the sinoatrial node recover control of the heart’s electrical activity and terminate potentially fatal heart rhythms, such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.
An apparatus designed to administer an electric stimulus directly to the cardiac muscle by means of the thoracic barrier, with the intention of reinstating a regular and healthy rhythm of the heart.