Ventricular fibrillation is a serious form of heart disease that can lead to death if not properly treated. In a normal heart, electrical impulses are sent through the heart; with ventricular fibrillation, however, those impulses are abnormal, causing the bottom chambers of the heart (the ventricles) to beat quickly and out of rhythm. As a result of the distortion, the heart pumps very little or no blood at all. It is considered a form of cardiac arrest.
What Causes Ventricular Fibrillation?
The main factor contributing to ventricular fibrillation is a loss of blood to the heart. This can be the result of a number of things:
? Coronary Artery Disease. Coronary artery disease occurs when the coronary arteries, or the heart’s arteries, are narrowed due to plaque build-up within the arteries. This plaque build-up is made from LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and fatty deposits. As the arteries narrow, the blood flow to the heart is reduced and can eventually be cut off completely, resulting in many problems, ventricular fibrillation being one of them.
? Electric shock. Most deaths that result from electric shock happen due to ventricular fibrillation. The high levels of electricity in the shock distort the body’s normal electrical impulses, and ventricular fibrillation occurs, cutting off the supply of blood to the heart.
? Low Blood Pressure: Very low blood pressure results in a lowered supply of blood to the heart, which can in turn cause ventricular fibrillation. Low blood pressure is caused by a number of things, including some medications.
Symptoms
Ventricular fibrillation happens suddenly. The symptoms of a person who is experiencing ventricular fibrillation are very serious and include:
? Unconsciousness. This usually happens within a few seconds.
? Seizures. If left untreated, seizures will usually follow unconsciousness, followed by brain damage within minutes, as the blood supply is cut off from the vein.
? Cardiac arrest. When a person experiences cardiac arrest, he or she collapses suddenly, turns white, and has no pulse or heartbeat.
Treatment
Ventricular fibrillation is treatable, but resuscitation must begin immediately. Upon unconsciousness or cardiac arrest, CPR should begin immediately. Usually, it is followed by defibrillation, in which the heart is shocked back into rhythm or activity. If CPR and defibrillation occur within 5 minutes of ventricular fibrillation and the patient does not have other heart conditions, 95% of people recover.
Once released from the hospital, people with ventricular fibrillation are often prescribed a number of anti-arrhythmic drugs. In addition, he may implant a defibrillator within the chest so it can detect when the heart goes out of rhythm and shock it back into place. In addition, if heart disease is the cause of the ventricular fibrillation, he or she will also most likely recommend a number of lifestyle changes, including:
Diet. A diet that is high in fat and cholesterol can lead to high cholesterol and high blood pressure, two large factors in the development of heart disease. Eating a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables, protein, and whole grains can reduce the likelihood of developing high blood pressure.
Exercise. A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to weight gain and obesity, a contributing factor in the onset of coronary artery disease. Excess weight causes the heart to constantly work harder than normal to pump blood throughout the body.
Smoking. The link between smoking and high blood pressure has been shown to increase a smoker’s chance of developing coronary artery disease by more than four times that of a nonsmoker. Chemicals in nicotine also reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood, thereby reducing oxygen needed by the heart.