Forgotten concepts in cardiology : Over drive pacing | Dr …

It is one of the greatest innovation in medicine . . . that is . . . electric current being used as a drug to treat disorders of heart . Of course , it is not a surprising finding when we know heart is an electro mechanical organ , and electricity can be used to treat various disorders of heart by delivering it in an optimal dosage and site.

Devices that help administer electric current in cardiac disease.

What is the difference between cardioversion and pacing ?

Cardioversion is reverting a tachycardia with a electric shock that is delivered diffusely throughout the heart This electrical wavelets traverse the focus of tachycardia and the adjoining myocardium which is called critical electrical mass (Usually reentrant) .This depolarises the cells responsible for tachycardia and extinguishes the abnormal electrical activity.

Defibrillation is same as cardiversion except that it is a high energy shock and delivered without synchrony with qrs complex . In VF, we defibrillate in all others we cardiovert .

What are the disadvantages of cardioversion ?

Eventhough it is a very successful modality for treating cardiac arrhythmias it also has some issues.

What is difference between cardioversion applied externally on the chest wall and intracardiac cardiversion as in Implantable cardiovertor defibrillator(ICDS) ?

The underlying principle is same except that the energy required is a fraction of that applied in the chest wall . The average energy required is up to 20 joules . while it requires up to 300 joules

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Forgotten concepts in cardiology : Over drive pacing | Dr ...