How long can you live with ventricular fibrillation?
Survival: Overall survival to 1 month was only 1.6% for patients with non-shockable rhythms and 9.5% for patients found in VF. With increasing time to defibrillation, the survival rate fell rapidly from approximately 50% with a minimal delay to 5% at 15 min.
What is the best treatment for ventricular fibrillation?
External electrical defibrillation remains the most successful treatment for ventricular fibrillation (VF). A shock is delivered to the heart to uniformly and simultaneously depolarize a critical mass of the excitable myocardium.
Can you recover from ventricular fibrillation?
Refractory ventricular fibrillation happens when ventricular fibrillation continues even after three successive shocks from a defibrillator. Ventricular fibrillation is considered difficult to treat, but research is ongoing on how to overcome this complication.
How can you prevent ventricular fibrillation?
How can ventricular fibrillation be prevented?You should eat a heart-healthy diet.You should stay active, such as by walking 30 minutes per day.If you smoke, start thinking about ways to help you quit. ... Avoid drinking excess alcohol, which can put extra stress on your heart.More items...•
Can you live with ventricular fibrillation?
Ventricular fibrillation is life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. CPR and defibrillation can restore your heart to its normal rhythm and may be life saving. Medications and cardiac procedures after an episode of ventricular fibrillation can prevent or reduce the chances of another episode.
Can pacemaker treat ventricular fibrillation?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first of a new type of pacemaker that paces both ventricles of the heart to coordinate their contractions and improve their pumping ability.
Why is ventricular fibrillation more serious than atrial?
Ventricular fibrillation is more serious than atrial fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation frequently results in loss of consciousness and death, because ventricular arrhythmias are more likely to interrupt the pumping of blood, or undermine the heart's ability to supply the body with oxygen-rich blood.
What causes sudden ventricular fibrillation?
Ventricular fibrillation happens when the electrical signals in your heart go haywire. This causes a ventricle to quiver (fibrillate) instead of pumping blood through your body. Without medical treatment right away, V-fib can be deadly. In fact, it's the most common cause of sudden cardiac death.
Can stress cause ventricular fibrillation?
Out of the 96 studies related to psychosocial aspects of arrhythmic risk conducted among different populations, 92% of the studies demonstrated positive correlation between psychosocial stressors and arrhythmias [10]. Emotional stressors can lead to ventricular ectopic beats and ventricular tachycardia.
What is the first line treatment for ventricular fibrillation?
If the patient remains in ventricular fibrillation, pharmacological treatment should begin. Epinephrine is the first drug given and may be repeated every 3 to 5 minutes. If epinephrine is not effective, the next medication in the algorithm is amiodarone 300 mg.
Can your heart stop and restart on its own?
Sometimes, if the heart is stopped completely, the heart will restart itself within a few seconds and return to a normal electrical pattern. Abnormal heart patterns that cause the heart to fire extremely fast usually originate from cells that are outside the normal electrical pathway.
What drugs can cause ventricular fibrillation?
The following drug classes may cause monomorphic ventricular tachycardia: anesthetics, antiarrhythmics, anticancer drugs, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, anti-manic medications, antiplatelet, antipsychotic, beta agonists, ergot derivatives, herbs, cocaine, inotropes, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, sympathomimetics, ...
What is ventricular fibrillation?
Ventricular fibrillation (V-fib) is a dangerous type of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. It affects your heart’s ventricles. Your heart is a muscle system that contains 4 chambers; the 2 bottom chambers are the ventricles. In a healthy heart, your blood pumps evenly in and out of these chambers. This keeps blood flowing throughout your body.
What causes ventricular fibrillation?
The cause of ventricular fibrillation is not always known but it can occur during certain medical conditions. V-fib most commonly occurs during an acute heart attack or shortly thereafter. When heart muscle does not get enough blood flow, it can become electrically unstable and cause dangerous heart rhythms.
How is ventricular fibrillation treated?
There are 2 stages of treatment for V-fib. The first tries to stops your V-fib immediately to restore a blood pressure and pulse. The second stage focuses on reducing your chances of developing V-fib in the future. Treatment includes:
What are the complications of ventricular fibrillation?
Complications include the possibility of repeat episodes of fainting or near fainting. V-fib can be fatal.
Can ventricular fibrillation be prevented?
Prevention focuses on diagnosing and treating the underlying medical conditions that cause V-fib. Certain medicines can be used to reduce the risk of recurrence. Implantable cardiac defibrillators are devices that are implanted within the body that can shock the heart back to normal rhythm within seconds if V-fib is present.
How can I manage ventricular fibrillation?
If you have had V-fib, or are at high risk for it, follow your healthcare provider's recommendations for taking medicine to control arrhythmia. It's also helpful to discuss other more invasive options, such as an implantable defibrillator, or surgery, to prevent V-fib.
When should I call my healthcare provider?
It is extremely important to make sure that people around you know what to do in an emergency. Someone should call 911 immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms of V-fib:
Overview
Ventricular fibrillation is a type of abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). During ventricular fibrillation, disorganized heart signals cause the lower heart chambers (ventricles) to twitch (quiver) uselessly. As a result, the heart doesn't pump blood to the rest of the body.
Symptoms
Collapse and loss of consciousness is the most common symptom of ventricular fibrillation.
Causes
In a normal heart rhythm, electrical signals travel from the heart's upper chambers (atria) to the heart's lower chambers (ventricles), causing the ventricles to contract and pump blood. In ventricular fibrillation, rapid, irregular electrical signals cause the ventricles to quiver uselessly instead of pumping blood.
Risk factors
Things that may increase your risk of ventricular fibrillation include:
Complications
Without immediate treatment, ventricular fibrillation can cause death within minutes. The condition's rapid, erratic heartbeats cause the heart to abruptly stop pumping blood to the body. Your blood pressure drops suddenly and significantly. The longer the body lacks blood, the greater the risk of damage to your brain and other organs.
What Is Ventricular Fibrillation?
Ventricular fibrillation, or V-fib, is a dangerous problem with your heart rhythm (called an arrhythmia) that keeps your heart from pumping blood the way it should. It is a medical emergency.
Ventricular Fibrillation Causes and Risk Factors
Doctors don’t know for sure what causes ventricular fibrillation. But they do know some situations have a link to it. For instance, it happens most often during or right after a heart attack. That may be because the heart’s electrical signals can become unstable when there isn’t enough blood flow.
Ventricular Fibrillation Diagnosis
Your doctor will look at several things to learn whether you’re in V-fib. These may include:
Ventricular Fibrillation Treatment
V-fib comes on quickly and needs treatment just as fast. If you get medical care right away, here’s what may happen:
Ventricular Fibrillation Prevention
You can’t completely prevent an episode of ventricular fibrillation. But there are a few ways to make it less likely:
Diagnosis and Tests
Ventricular fibrillation is usually confirmed by an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), especially after a person has been resuscitated from cardiac arrest. This is also useful to determine the heart’s ability to function going forward.
Management and Treatment
The condition is a life-threatening medical emergency and every minute counts. The following actions can help save the life of someone who has gone into sudden cardiac arrest because of ventricular fibrillation:
Frequently Asked Questions
Atrial fibrillation is similar to ventricular fibrillation, but it’s happening in the upper chambers of the heart, called the atria. When the atria fibrillate, they beat very fast (sometimes several hundred times per minute). This can cause blood to collect in the atria and over time, this can cause the atria to stretch and enlarge.
Causes
Irrespective of the cause of cardiac arrest, the most important interventions are early recognition and calling for help—including appropriate management of the deteriorating patient—early defibrillation, high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with minimal interruption of chest compressions, and treatment of reversible causes. 6
Treatment
Ventricular fibrillation falls under the ACLS Adult Cardiac Arrest Algorithm and is the most important algorithm to know for adult resuscitation. 1 Ventricular fibrillation treatment starts with early and effective CPR with the application of oxygen and monitor/defibrillator placement.
Diagnosis
A thorough physical exam, medical history and testing are required to diagnose ventricular tachycardia.
Treatment
Mayo Clinic doctors deliver specialized care to treat ventricular tachycardia using advanced treatment technologies.
Clinical trials
Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Coping and support
If you have a plan in place to deal with an episode of a fast heartbeat, you may feel calmer and more in control when one occurs. Talk to your doctor about:
Preparing for your appointment
Whether you first see your family doctor or get emergency care, you'll likely be referred to a doctor trained in heart conditions (cardiologist) for one or more appointments for a complete evaluation.
Treatment for AFib
AFib happens when there’s a problem with the electrical signals your heart creates to control its rhythm. Doctors use medicine, surgery, or other types of procedures to target the problem.
A Healthy Life With AFib
Along with treatment your doctor prescribes, there are many ways you can take care of your heart to live a long and active life with AFib. The right habits make you less likely to have other health problems, or complications, because of AFib. Make sure you:
Diagnosis
- Ventricular fibrillation is always diagnosed in an emergency situation. A pulse check will reveal no pulse if sudden cardiac death occurred. Tests to diagnose and determine the cause of ventricular fibrillation include: 1. Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This quick and painless test measures th…
Clinical Trials
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiestesting new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Lifestyle and Home Remedies
- Lifestyle changes that help keep your heart as healthy as possible include the following: 1. Eat a healthy diet.Heart-healthy foods include fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as lean protein sources such as soy, beans, nuts, fish, skinless poultry and low-fat dairy products. Avoid added salt (sodium), added sugars and saturated fats. 2. Exercise regularly.Get at least 150 min…
Coping and Support
- Some abnormal heart rhythms can be triggered by emotional stress. Taking steps to ease stress and anxiety can help keep your heart healthy. Some types of complementary and alternative therapies may help reduce stress, such as: 1. Yoga 2. Meditation 3. Relaxation or mindfulness techniques Getting support from your loved ones also is key to managing stress.