Defibrillation for adult ventricular fibrillation

Ventricular Fibrillation. [Source]

Three-quarters of arrests are due to ventricular fibrillation. Only a small proportion is due to electromechanical dissociation (EMD), the rest being due to asystole.

EMD usually has a potentially reversible cause:

• hypovolaemia
• hypoxia
• hyperkalaemia
• hypokalaemia
• hypothermia
• tension pneumothorax
• tamponade
• toxicity due to drugs
• thromboembolism