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The hazards and risks from electricity
Published in John M. Madden, Electrical Safety and the Law, 2017
If the casualty is suffering ventricular fibrillation, the only effective way to restore normal heart rhythm is by the use of a defibrillator. In that respect, the increasing availability of automatic external defibrillators in some places of work, and in public places such as shopping centres and railway stations, is a welcome development. Unfortunately, in most accident scenarios, a defibrillator is not immediately available. The first aider should therefore summon the emergency services and carry out cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until either the casualty recovers or professional assistance arrives.
Nonatmospheric Hazardous Conditions: The Role of Confined Energy
Published in Neil McManus, Safety and Health in Confined Spaces, 2018
Ventricular fibrillation is the uncoordinated, asynchronous contraction of the ventricular muscle fibers. An electrical shock passing through or across the chest can cause ventricular fibrillation. The victim becomes unconscious in less than 10 seconds, because blood circulation stops. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, promptly administered, can provide some circulation of oxygenated blood to the brain and heart until a defibrillator can be used (NIOSH 1986a). The only way to restore heart rhythm is to use a defibrillator. A defibrillator applies a pulse shock to the chest.
Safe working, tools and hazard management
Published in Tom Denton, Electric and Hybrid Vehicles, 2020
This is because AC has a greater tendency to throw the heart into a condition of fibrillation, whereas DC tends to just make the heart stop. Once the shock current is halted, a stopped heart has a better chance of regaining a normal beat pattern than a fibrillating heart. This is why defibrillating equipment is used by first aiders. The jolt of current supplied by the defibrillator is DC, which stops fibrillation and gives the heart a chance to recover.
Simulating cardiac arrest events to evaluate novel emergency response systems
Published in IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering, 2020
Greg Lancaster, Jeffrey Herrmann
Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with over 350,000 out-of-hospital cases each year in the United States alone (Benjamin et al., 2018). Cardiac arrest survival requires a rapid intervention with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation. For each minute from the onset of cardiac arrest until treatment, the likelihood of survival decreases by 7 to 10% (Larsen et al., 1993)(About Cardiac Arrest, 2018). If not treated within the first 10 to 15 min, the outcome is nearly always fatal. The overall survival rate in the United States is about 10% (Abrams et al., 2013). Although a few communities have achieved significantly higher survival rates, many cities and rural areas are much lower.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality during CPR practice versus during a simulated life-saving event
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2018
The defibrillation of the patient was not part of this study. Early defibrillation within 3–5 min of the cardiac arrest improves the probability of survival [6,9]. This may also be a limitation, as it was not included in the resuscitation.