Wednesday, September 19, 2019
AFib is the abbreviation for Atrial Fibrillation. This happens during rapid unpredictable and often irregular heartbeats. A heart that twitches is not effective in pumping blood. This can cause clots in your heart and also cause strokes in your brain and can happen at any age but especially in the elderly and those with preexisting conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure.
Now Automated External Defibrillators can help recognize when a condition exists of irregular or deadly heart rhythms that can lead to cardiac arrest. These devices have computer algorithms that will analyze and deliver electric shocks to those that with ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia. The great thing is that the devices have made is simple for first responders to treat and deliver the initial steps in reviving an individual in an emergency situation. This can reduce the likelihood of death when used with cardiopulmonary resuscitation also know as CPR.
Now a quick note is that Atrial Fibrillation or Afib is different from Ventricular Fibrillation or Vfib according to healthline.com in that while Afib is an irregular heartbeat it may not be an immediate life threatening event while Vfib means the heart will not pump blood any longer and is considered a medical emergency if not treated immediately. Afib occurs in the upper two chamber of the four chambers of a human heart while Vfib occurs in the two lower chambers. The upper parts two chambers are known as the atria while the lower two are know as ventricles. Afib is still a serious medical condition regardless. Vfib means no blood can exit the heart into the rest of the body. This second condition requires an electrical shock to get the heart functioning properly again.
AED’s help by delivering an electric current to that stuns the heart and halts twitching and allows the heart the ability to resume a normal beat.
Often cardiac arrest is associated with no response from a person and breathing. There is no movement and the heart stops beating. It is not always necessary to administer an AED. Only in ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. These devices need to be used as soon as possible for the best chance of survival rate and are safe for trained individuals to operate.
It is essential to stay healthy and watch your weight, diet and cholesterol levels before you get to this point and avoid chemicals that can impair your body. Be safe.
Our site doesn’t give official medical advice and just restate some common terms you might find elsewhere to get you some information. Please consult a medical expert for further information. Make sure you are prepared to help a family or friend if accidents happen. Being prepared in good times and bad times and ready is essential to good health and financial wealth.
