Life-threatening medical conditions such as strokes, cardiac arrest, and heart attacks require urgent treatment and medical attention such as Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS). One of the life-threatening conditions which can lead to cardiac arrest is ventricular fibrillation (VF). VF is a heart condition characterized by uncoordinated and unsystematic electrical activity in the human heart. Uncoordinated electrical activities result in a condition known as cardiac arrhythmia. An unbalanced rate of electric activities in the heart makes the ventricles of the heart contract and expand abnormally, which causes the vital organs such as the liver, lungs, and brain to have oxygen debt. VF also makes the heart unable to pump blood in a rhythmic flow which leads to rupture in some arteries (Stupca et al., 2023)
The main symptoms of VF include; loss of consciousness in the patients. Less circulation of blood to all parts of the body and the brain makes the patients feel dizzy and become unconscious until proper blood circulation is restored in the body. Patients also experience loss of pulse in their veins, because of low pressure in the blood. Low pressure is attributed to weak valves in the ventricles. Petersen et al. (2023), posit that inability of the ventricles to contract and expand rhythmically causes ischemia and hypo-perfusion which results in low cardiac output.
Patients with ventricular fibrillation should get a quick intervention to restore proper circulation of blood in the body. Mitsuhara et al. (2023) agree that Physicians can restore cardiac rhythm by performing defibrillation. It is appropriate for health practitioners to first identify shockable rhythm. Defibrillation is appropriate for only excess electrical activity in the heart that leads to low pumping and cardiac arrest. Healthcare providers should only subject patients with low pulse and unresponsiveness to defibrillators. The environment where defibrillation is conducted should be free of fluids and any materials that could bring harm to the patient.
Healthcare providers place the electrode pads on the patient’s chest to ensure the shocks are transmitted to the heart. According to Calipari et al. (2023), the care provider should ensure maximum contact between the skin and the pads by minimizing any impedance that can be caused by clothes and poor position. In addition, nurses should select the appropriate energy level to charge on the pads as per the clinical recommendations, this minimizes chances of causing harm to the patients. Caregivers should also ensure safety by verbally making the personnel in the surroundings stand alert before the delivery of the shock.
The lifestyle of patients with ventricular fibrillation should change to prevent cases of heart attack and promote healthy heart conditions. Lifestyle change includes one of the therapies that VF patients undergo. Some of the practices of the lifestyle change include; reducing the smoking of tobacco. Tobacco substances increase the chances of heart attack and trigger arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation. Secondly, patients can maintain a healthy weight to reduce stress and strain on the heart. Patients can adopt routine exercises with a culture of taking a balanced diet, to reduce the effects of obesity and risk factors for developing heart diseases (Callipari et al., 2023).
Lastly, patients with underlying health conditions such as high cholesterol in their body should seek appropriate medication in time, by checking blood pressure regularly to reduce the risk of ventricular fibrillation (Petersen et al., 2023). In addition, quality sleep is also a therapy aimed at reducing risks of heart-related diseases; good sleep which ranges between seven to nine hours of sleep reduces stress and makes the heart function properly. By engaging in the above lifestyle changes, patients with ventricular fibrillation reduce the chances of experiencing recurrent attacks. Every patient should have an individualized plan, aiming at maintaining healthy heart conditions.
References
Callipari, C., Stone, M., John, D., Keceli, M., & Giles, R. A. (2023). Intra-Cardiac Arrest Use of Stellate Ganglion Block for Refractory Ventricular Tachycardia. The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 64(5), 628-634. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073646792300152X
Mitsuhara, C., Umemura, Y., Yamakawa, K., Watanabe, A., Ogura, H., & Fujimi, S. (2023). Impact of the hybrid emergency room on resuscitation strategies and outcomes in ventricular fibrillation. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 73, 20-26. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735675723003832
Petersen, W., Häner, M., Guenther, D., Lutz, P., Imhoff, A., Herbort, M., … & Achtnich, A. (2023). Management after acute injury of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), part 2: management of the ACL-injured patient. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 31(5), 1675-1689. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00167-022-07260-4
Stupca, K., Scaturo, N., Shomo, E., King, T., & Frank, M. (2023). Esmolol, vector change, and dose-capped epinephrine for prehospital ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 64, 46-50. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073567572200715X
write