Ventricular Fibrillation (VF)

by jeanne abayie

Ventricular fibrillation is called V-fib for short. This life threatening condition is the most serious cardiac rhythm disturbance. It is a severe form of arrhythmia. The lower chambers of the heart ( ventricles ) quiver with no useful contractions. Therefore the heart can't pump any blood and this causes cardiac arrest. Ventricular fibrillation needs immediate medical attention.

CAUSES

The heart pumps blood to the lungs, brain and other parts of the body. Interruption of heart beat for a few seconds can lead to fainting or cardiac arrest. Fibrillation is uncontrolled quivering of the heart muscles ( fibrils). When this occurs in the lower chamber of the heart, it is called ventricular fibrillation.

During ventricular fibrillation, the heart's lower chambers contract in a rapid, unsynchronized way. The ventricles flatter and the heart pumps little to no blood. Sudden cardiac death follows.

The cause of this condition is not always known. However the most common cause is a heart attack. VF may occur when the heart muscles don't get enough oxygen. Other conditions that can lead to VF include the following:

• heart injury
• congenital heart defect
• heart surgery
• narrowed coronary arteries
• heart muscle disease
• electrocution accidents

Most people who get ventricular fibrillation have no heart disease history but often have risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes. If you've had VF before, you are more likely to get it again.

SYMPTOMS

Lost of consciousness or collapse are usually the most common signs of ventricular fibrillation. Other symptoms that may be experienced earlier include

• chest pain
• rapid heart beat
• nausea
• shortness of breath
• dizziness

TEST AND DIAGNOSIS

Ventricular fibrillation is usually diagnosed after it happens. It is not likely to be diagnosed during a routine medical exam.

The doctor will monitor your heart beat and check your pulse. The doctor will do additional tests to find out the cause of your V - fib. These include

• Blood test
• Electrocardiogram
• Imaging tests such as chest x-ray, cardiac MRI, CT scan and echocardiogram
• Coronary catheterization (angiogram)
• TREATMENT

Ventricular fibrillation is a medical emergency and immediate treatment is needed to save the person's life. If a person has v fib episode at home, call an emergency number such as 911. While waiting for help, you needs to do cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to help restore blood flow to the rest of the body. Continue to do CPR until help arrives or person becomes alert.

Defibrillation may also be done to restore the heartbeat to a normal rhythm. This should be done immediately. It delivers quick electric shock to the chest using a defibrillator. This can be done by an emergency personnel or by stander using a public defibrillator. Most public places now have this machine.

Treatment may also be given to prevent future episodes. These include

• medications to control heart beat and function
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) may be implanted in the chest for people at risk for VF. It quickly sends an electrical shock when ventricular fibrillation occurs and prevents sudden cardiac death
• coronary angioplasty and stent placement to open blocked coronary arteries and improve blood flow
• ventricular tachycardia ablation to destroy tissue that blocks the electrical signal that travels through your heart to make it beat
• coronary bypass surgery to improve blood supply to the heart

PREVENTION

Adapting healthy lifestyle change can reduce your risk for v fib.

Quit smoking

Stay active

Eat heart healthy diet

Control high blood pressure

Maintain a healthy weight

Manage cholesterol

Atrial septal defect

by Wayne Strickland

An atrial septal defect (ASD) - oftentimes known as hole within the heart - is a kind of congenital heart defect where there's an unnatural opening up within the separating wall between the higher filling chambers in the coronary heart (the atria).

Generally ASDs are identified and dealt with properly with few or absolutely no troubles.

To comprehend this particular defect, it very first really helps to evaluate some fundamentals about the way a proper heart commonly operates.ital

The heart has 4 chambers: The 2 lower pumping chambers are known as the ventricles, and the two upper filling chambers are the atria.

In the healthy heart, bloodstream which returns from your body to the right-sided filling chamber (right atrium) is short of fresh air. This blood moves towards the right-sided pumping chamber (right ventricle), and subsequently to the lungs to get oxygen. The blood that is enriched with much needed oxygen comes back to the left atrium, then to the left ventricle. It is then moved out to the body with the aorta, a big blood vessel which carries the blood to the smaller blood vessels in your body. The right and left filling chambers are usually divided by a thin shared wall, called the atrial septum.

Children with an atrial septal defect come with an opening in the wall (septum) between the atria. Because of this, some oxygen rich blood from the left atrium runs through the hole in the septum into the right atrium, where it combines with oxygen-poor blood and boosts the entire quantity of blood that moves toward the lungs. The elevated blood circulation to your lungs creates a swishing sound, termed as a heart murmur. This heart murmur, together with other specific heart sounds which might be detected by a cardiologist, could be indications that a child has an ASD.

ASDs might be found in various places on the atrial septum, and so they might be various sizes. The signs or symptoms and medical care of the defect is dependent upon those factors. In certain rare cases, ASDs are part of more complicated forms of congenital heart disease. It is not clear why, but ASDs are usually more common in girls than in boys.

Treatment options assuming closure is required:

1) Least invasive 30 minute catheterization procedure is done percutaneously (through the skin). The device is attached to a catheter, which is inserted into a vein in the groin and advanced to the heart and through the defect, guided by X-ray and intracardiac echo. As the device is slowly pushed out of the catheter, it opens up to cover each edge of the defect, sealing it closed. Over time, tissue grows over the implant and it becomes part of the heart. This procedure requires patients to be on blood thinners for approximately six months.