The most common indications for synchronized cardioversion are
unstable atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia, and supraventricular tachycardias
. If medications fail in the stable patient with the before mentioned arrhythmias, synchronized cardioversion will most likely be indicated.
What are the indications for cardioversion?
- Supraventricular tachycardia (atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia [AVNRT] and atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia [AVRT])
- Atrial fibrillation.
- Atrial flutter (types I and II)
- Ventricular tachycardia with pulse.
When do you do synchronized cardioversion?
Unlike defibrillation, which is used in cardiac arrest patients, synchronized cardioversion is performed
on patients that still have a pulse but are hemodynamically unstable
. It is used to treat both hemodynamically unstable ventricular and supraventricular rhythms.
Who is a candidate for cardioversion?
Your doctor
may decide that you are a good candidate for cardioversion if: You have had an arrhythmia for a short time. This means you are more likely to stay in a normal rhythm after cardioversion. Your atria (upper chambers) are not enlarged.
What rhythms require synchronized cardioversion?
Synchronized cardioversion is used to treat other arrhythmias, including
atrial fibrillation (AF)
, atrial flutter, and stable ventricular tachycardia when medications have failed to convert the rhythm, or when the patient is becoming unstable and the rhythm must be immediately terminated.
What are the 3 shockable rhythms?
Shockable Rhythms: Ventricular Tachycardia,
Ventricular Fibrillation
, Supraventricular Tachycardia.
What is the difference between synchronized and unsynchronized cardioversion?
Defibrillation or unsynchronized cardioversion is indicated in any patient with pulseless VT/VF or unstable polymorphic VT, where
synchronized cardioversion is not possible
. Synchronized cardioversion is utilized for the treatment of persistent unstable tachyarrhythmia in patients without loss of pulse.
What is the difference between cardioversion and shock?
There is an important distinction between
defibrillation
and cardioversion: Defibrillation — Defibrillation is the asynchronous delivery of energy, such as the shock is delivered randomly during the cardiac cycle. Cardioversion — Cardioversion is the delivery of energy that is synchronized to the QRS complex.
What are the risks of cardioversion?
Major risks of cardioversion include:
Dislodged blood clots
. Some people who have irregular heartbeats have blood clots in their hearts. Electric cardioversion can cause these blood clots to move to other parts of your body.
Is cardioversion a permanent fix?
It might not work:
Cardioversion doesn’t always fix a fast or irregular heartbeat
. You may need medicine or a pacemaker to control things. It might make things worse: It’s unlikely, but there’s a small chance that cardioversion could damage your heart or lead to more arrhythmias.
Is ablation better than cardioversion?
Conclusion: In patients with AF, there is a small periprocedural stroke risk with ablation in comparison to cardioversion. However, over longer-term follow-up,
ablation is associated with a slightly lower rate of stroke
.
What should you not do after cardioversion?
As you have been given a short general anaesthetic for the procedure, you should not drive for the next 24 hours (your insurance will not cover you). For the next 24 hours: do not go to work •
do not operate machinery
• do not make important decisions • do not sign legally binding documents • do not drink alcohol.
What rhythms are Cardioverted?
The most common of these are
atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter
. Cardioversion is also used to correct ventricular tachycardia, which is a very fast, life-threatening heart rhythm that starts in the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles).
What percentage of Cardioversions are successful?
The success rate of cardioversion with atrial fibrillation is generally better
than 90 percent
. Chances of success are lower when the atrial fibrillation has been present for more than several months or when the left atrium is very enlarged. In general, there are two ways that a cardioversion procedure for AF can fail.
What is the drug of choice for atrial fibrillation?
Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers
are the drugs of choice because they provide rapid rate control. 4,7,12 These drugs are effective in reducing the heart rate at rest and during exercise in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Will stopping alcohol stop AFib?
In the first study looking at cessation of alcohol consumption and atrial fibrillation (AF) risk, UC San Francisco researchers have shown that
the longer people abstain from drinking alcohol
, the lower their risk of AF.
