• @yesman
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    442 months ago

    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.

    • @Ultraviolet
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      232 months ago

      It’s essentially the “have you tried turning it off and back on again” of cardiology.

    • @angrystego
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      42 months ago

      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!