FYI: Defibrillators don’t start the heart, they stop it.
The heart doesn’t stop in many heart attacks. Instead it just beats erratically and in a way that doesn’t pump blood well. Shocking the heart to stop it (what a defib does) causes the nerve cells to “reboot” and start beating regularly again.
Shocking a victim who’s heart has stopped is useless and automatic defibrillators won’t go off until they’ve detected the arrhythmia.
When I was a teenager my computer survived years of percussive maintenance. All I’m saying is, have doctors tried beating the shit out of their patients?
Yes, thank you, I’m glad you mentioned it here, it doesn’t happen often enough. I mean, it’s even in the name, right? Defibrillator gets rid of fibrillation - the erratic beating!
CPR, however, can restart a stopped heart. And a defibrillator will hopefully be involved in CPR because if CPR brings the heart back with arrhythmia, a defib can fix it.
Doctors going on about how defibrillation doesn’t start a heart is the same tier of useless factoid as astronomers smugly pointing out that the earth doesn’t orbit the sun; it orbits the center of mass of the solar system.
FYI: Defibrillators don’t start the heart, they stop it.
The heart doesn’t stop in many heart attacks. Instead it just beats erratically and in a way that doesn’t pump blood well. Shocking the heart to stop it (what a defib does) causes the nerve cells to “reboot” and start beating regularly again.
Shocking a victim who’s heart has stopped is useless and automatic defibrillators won’t go off until they’ve detected the arrhythmia.
Hearty restarty
It’s essentially the “have you tried turning it off and back on again” of cardiology.
When I was a teenager my computer survived years of percussive maintenance. All I’m saying is, have doctors tried beating the shit out of their patients?
Precordial thump
Mind blown! 🤯
I blame House MD for this common misconception
Yes, thank you, I’m glad you mentioned it here, it doesn’t happen often enough. I mean, it’s even in the name, right? Defibrillator gets rid of fibrillation - the erratic beating!
And hippos aren’t buoyant.
CPR, however, can restart a stopped heart. And a defibrillator will hopefully be involved in CPR because if CPR brings the heart back with arrhythmia, a defib can fix it.
Doctors going on about how defibrillation doesn’t start a heart is the same tier of useless factoid as astronomers smugly pointing out that the earth doesn’t orbit the sun; it orbits the center of mass of the solar system.
Fun at parties?