For healthcare practitioners that need to alter the heartbeat, both cardioversion and defibrillation are 2 methods they can use. Although they are two similar procedures, there are a few differences between the two pertaining to the purposes of each.
What is Cardioversion?
With cardioversion you will be delivering a certain amount of electrical energy to the chest of the patient. All of the equipment and techniques used with cardioversion are similar to defibrillation. You can find cardioversion defibrillators that do not fire any electrical pulses until the R wave is synched with the discharge. There are also implantable cardioversion defibrillators that will monitor the heart and deliver shocks whenever the heartbeat is out of sync. Typically these are inserted through surgical procedures and are administered to patients with irregular heartbeats.
What is Defibrillation?
This method of altering the heartbeat can be conducted at any point during the heart cycle. It is a life-saving treatment that is typically used in emergencies and there are 4 different types of defibrillators that you will find. The manual external defibrillator is normally in ambulances or hospitals, wherever a doctor is available to administer the treatment. Manual internal defibrillators are inside of operating rooms and are used during open chest surgery. To use these, paddles are placed directly on the heart to alter the rhythm. Automatic external defibrillators can be used by untrained professionals because the device will monitor the heart rhythm on its on and deliver a shock when necessary. Finally, the wearable cardiac defibrillator is worn 24/7 by heart patients and will deliver a shock when the heartbeat is out of sync.
The Differences Between Cardioversion and Defibrillators
1. Cardioversion will be done to the patient while they are sedated, whereas defibrillation can be used without the need for anesthesia.
2. Cardioversion can result in arrhythmias and is typically recommended if there are inevitable threats to the heart. It is also a common cause of pulmonary edema.
3. One main concern with defibrillation is myocardial necrosis, the death of the tissues in the heart. This is typically as a result of high levels of shock being pushed into the heart in order to knock the heartbeat back into its proper rhythm.
4. There are a variety of different types of defibrillators that can be used to a patient both in and out of surgery. Healthcare practitioners should only administer some types whereas the average person can administer others.
