What is the Difference Between Fibrillation and Defibrillation

The key difference between fibrillation and defibrillation is that fibrillation is responsible for increased pulse rate, while defibrillation is responsible for decreased pulse rate during abnormal heart conditions.

The main function of the heart is to pump blood throughout the body, transporting gases and other essential elements for the function of the body. During a normal and healthy heartbeat, the muscular walls tighten and contract to force the blood flow out of the heart around the body. Then the heart muscle relaxes, so the heart fills up with blood again. This process gets disrupted due to various clinical conditions. Fibrillation is such a condition that it increases the heart rate and heartbeat abnormally. Defibrillation is a treatment procedure to bring back the abnormally functioning heart to its normal rhythm.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Fibrillation
3. What is Defibrillation
4. Similarities – Fibrillation and Defibrillation
5. Fibrillation vs Defibrillation in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Fibrillation vs Defibrillation

What is Fibrillation?

Fibrillation is a heart condition involving an irregular and abnormally fast heart rate. In this condition, the heart rate gives considerably higher beats – higher than 100 beats per minute. Fibrillation causes dizziness, tiredness, and shortness of breath. A person suffering from fibrillation also notices heart palpitations, where you feel that the heart is pounding or beating irregularly for a few seconds or minutes. During fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart, known as atria, contract randomly and sometimes even faster, preventing the heart muscle from relaxing properly between contractions. This reduces the performance and efficiency of the heart.

Fibrillation usually results from abnormal electrical impulses starting from the atria. These impulses disturb the natural pacemaker of the heart and disturb the control of the heart rhythm. As a result, the pulse rate increases. Causes for fibrillation are unclear; however, it is triggered by situations such as high alcohol consumption or smoking. Fibrillation is common among older people and people with chronic heart conditions such as heart diseases, high blood pressure, and obesity. This condition is not usually life-threatening and is treated by medicines that prevent strokes and control heart rate, cardioversions, and catheter ablation.

What is Defibrillation?

Defibrillation is a treatment for threatening heart conditions such as cardiac arrests or severe arrhythmias. It usually involves the administration of electric shocks to the heart to reset the normal heartbeat or rhythm. This process depolarizes a majority of the heart muscle, and this, in turn, ends dysrhythmia. The natural pacemaker of the heart in the sinoatrial node re-establishes normal sinus rhythm. Defibrillators are external, transvenous, or implants depending on the type of device needed.

There are many types of defibrillators, and the main types are automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Physicians use AEDs mainly during emergencies such as cardiac arrests. ICDs help in treating patients with high risks of arrhythmia, which has the potential to impair the heart. ICD consists of a shock generator and electrodes. They deliver electric shocks to the heart to re-establish the normal rhythm. This phenomenon is a type of cardioversion.

What are the Similarities Between Fibrillation and Defibrillation?

• .Fibrillation and defibrillation cause abnormal heart rates.
• Both conditions are related to cardiac arrest and endangered heart function.
• They change the pulse rate.

What is the Difference Between Fibrillation and Defibrillation?

Fibrillation causes increased pulse rate, while defibrillation causes decreased pulse rate during abnormal heart conditions. Thus, this is the key difference between fibrillation and defibrillation. Moreover, fibrillation increases the chance of cardiac arrest, while defibrillation decreases the chance of cardiac arrest.

Besides, fibrillation does not involve any devices, but in defibrillation, there are two major devices: automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are involved.

The below infographic presents the differences between fibrillation and defibrillation in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Fibrillation vs Defibrillation

Fibrillation is a heart condition that causes irregular and abnormally fast heart rates. The heart rate considerably gives higher beats than 100 beats per minute in fibrillation. Defibrillation is a treatment for threatening heart conditions such as cardiac arrests or severe arrhythmias. It is usually involved in the administration of electric shocks to the heart to reset the normal heartbeat or rhythm. There are many types of defibrillators, and the main types are automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). So, this summarizes the difference between fibrillation and defibrillation.

Reference:

1. “Defibrillation.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. 31 May 2022.
2. “Atrial Fibrillation.” NHS choices. NHS. 31 May 2022.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Atrial Fibrillation” By BruceBlaus – File:Atrial_Fibrillation.png (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Blausen 0543 Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Inside Leads” By Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014”. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia