Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!kitty!larry
From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Touching a "hot" connector
Summary: Fibrillation and CPR
Message-ID: <3328@kitty.UUCP>
Date: 11 Aug 89 04:28:07 GMT
References: <427@edai.ed.ac.uk> <880007@hpmtlx.HP.COM> <31069@coherent.com> <1989Aug9.175048.21910@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 23

In article <1989Aug9.175048.21910@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
> >... Once the heart starts
> >fibrillating, it will not tend to regularize itself; someone must apply
> >a pulse of current (>> threshold) in order to kick the oscillator out of
> >its unstable mode and back into a regular phased operation...

	In some cases of ventricular fibrillation, a sharp physical blow to
the mid-sternum ("precordial thump") will arrest ventricular fibrillation -
provided that the physical blow is administered within 60 seconds of the
onset of fibrillation.

> Something I've occasionally wondered about:  granted that practically
> nothing but a strong shock will get the oscillator functioning properly
> again, would CPR mechanically override the fibrillating heart muscle and
> keep blood flowing?

	Properly administered CPR will indeed maintain some level of cardiac
circulation even in the presence of ventricular fibrillation.

<>  Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp.
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