A standard storyboard from a medical series: “We're losing it!”, A thin, straight line on the monitor, a tough doctor is already “rubbing” the defibrillator in his hands, “Shock!”, The patient's back arches from the impact, the strip zigzags, life is saved, everyone is happy. But in real life, it's not like that.
In fact, applying electrodes to the chest of a patient with a complete absence of cardiac contractions (the medical term is asystole) cannot be saved. Moreover, the thousands of volts of electricity that this device produces can burn a lifeless organ.
As the name implies, a defibrillator relieves fibrillation - a condition when individual muscles of the heart lose their adjusted rhythm and contract chaotically. That is, it does not restart the stopped heart, but reboots the run-down program of this muscle organ. To "start the engine", doctors use artificial respiration and chest compressions.
The actual function of a defibrillator may not be as dramatic as it appears on the screen, but since the middle of the last century, this device has saved countless lives. So how does it work?
The built-in battery generates a powerful current pulse. This electrical energy passes through two wires, each of which ends with an "iron" - an electrode. The doctor applies them to the patient's chest. Where exactly is the decisive moment in saving the life of a dying person.
The film industry version has an iron on each side of the chest. Correct - above and to the left, below and to the right, or behind and in front of the heart. It is these positions that ensure the movement of the impulse strictly through the desired organ. Before the procedure, the doctor lubricates the skin or the smooth surface of the electrodes with conductive gel, and also disconnects all the sensors from the patient's body.
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Today, people with cardiac arrhythmias are implanted with portable defibrillators directly into the chest, where they monitor the work of their "ward" day and night. These devices are similar in size to a pocket watch. Implants send an impulse to the muscle mass of the heart when they notice that the heartbeat becomes unstable.
In addition, today the State Duma is considering a bill that would allow Russians to provide first aid in case of sudden cardiac arrest using defibrillators. Special devices are proposed to be installed in public places, which is already practiced in some countries of the world.
An attentive viewer has long noticed that in medical series, only half of the truth is. Medicines heal faster, diseases progress at an unimaginable rate, and the hospital itself becomes a place of romantic encounters. It is worth remembering that this is only a show, and you should not shine with erudition, giving out the knowledge gleaned from the series. This is dangerous not only for reputation, but also for health.