What is the process of shocking a fibrillating heart with electric current called?

Defibrillation is the process of delivering an electric shock to a heart that is experiencing chaotic electrical activity, such as ventricular fibrillation. This condition prevents the heart from effectively pumping blood, which can lead to cardiac arrest. The electric shock delivered during defibrillation aims to disrupt this disorganized electrical activity, allowing the heart to reset and hopefully restore a normal rhythm.

It’s important to note that defibrillation is specifically used in cases of life-threatening arrhythmias where the heart is not pumping effectively, and it is typically performed in emergency settings using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) or a manual defibrillator. This distinguishes it from cardioversion, which is used for certain arrhythmias that are not emergent and allows for synchronized shocks.

Ablation refers to a procedure that destroys problematic tissue in the heart to correct arrhythmias, while stimulation typically involves pacing the heart to correct slower rhythms rather than addressing fibrillation.