Causes, Risks, Symptoms and Treatment for Ventricular Fibrillation

Ventricular Fibrillation (V-fib) is one of the most dangerous types of arrhythmias which affects the heart’s ventricles. An arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat that starts in the ventricle is called ventricular fibrillation which occurs when the electrical signals that tell your heart muscle to pump cause your ventricles to quiver (fibrillate) instead which means your blood is not pumping blood out to your body. V-fib may happen several times a day in some people. Sustained V-fib requires immediate medical attention as it can lead to cardiac arrest and death.

Causes- V-fib can occur during certain medical conditions although the cause is not always known. It most commonly occurs during an acute heart attack or shortly thereafter. Heart muscle can become electrically unstable when it does not get enough blood flow thus causing dangerous rhythms. A ticker damaged by a heart attack or other heart muscle damage is susceptible to V-fib. Some of the other causes include electrolyte abnormalities like low potassium, certain medicines, and certain genetic diseases that affect the ticker's ion channels or electrical conduction.

The most common risk factors are prior heart attack, a weakened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy), genetic diseases like Long or Short QT syndrome, Brugada disease, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, certain medicines that affect function of ticker, electrolyte abnormalities. The symptoms include near fainting or transient dizziness, acute shortness of breath, fainting and cardiac arrest.

A cardiac arrest victim would require immediate treatment for survival. The most appropriate treatment for handling out-of-hospital cardiac emergencies efficiently is proper application of the CPR procedure and defibrillator use. The CPR procedure comprise chest compressions and rescue breaths. Defibrillation use is taught in the CPR classes itself. For training, choose a certified training site such as the acclaimed CPR Nashville in Tennessee. Both theoretical and practical training are imparted to the students. Become certified at the end of the training classes.

V-fib Diagnosis:

A healthcare provider considers an individual’s vital signs like blood pressure and pulse, assesses one’s overall health and medical history, conducts a physical exam, consider tests of heart function, such as an electrocardiogram and a description of symptoms that an individual has to diagnose ventricular fibrillation.

Treating V-fib:

When it comes to treating V-fib, there are two stages where first tries to stop your V-fib immediately to restore a blood pressure and pulse whereas the main focus of the second stage is on reducing your chances of developing V-fib in the future.

CPR- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be the first response to V-fib that’ll keep your blood moving.

Defibrillation- This is required during or immediately after the ventricular fibrillation that involves application of an electric shock through an Automated External Defibrillator device that can correct the signals that are telling your heart muscles to quiver instead of pump.

Medication- Drugs may be given by your healthcare provider to help you control and prevent another episode. Additional medications may also be prescribed to control arrhythmia and reduce your risk over time.

Catheter Ablation- The main objective of this rarely used procedure for ventricular fibrillation is to eliminate electrical triggers of V-fib.

Join a CPR program today and gain the benefits. For more information or to register for a class, contact CPR Nashville on 615-397-9316.