Overview Of Cardioversion

Cardioversion is a vital medical procedure. It restores a patient's normal and healthy heartbeat! Doctors will use electric shocks or medication in this procedure to achieve their goal. The good news is that it is an outpatient procedure. This means that patients receive it in the hospital, but do not need to stay overnight!

This medical procedure is a common arrhythmia treatment. It is most commonly used as a treatment for fibrillation! However, it is also an effective treatment for tachycardia. Patients need intravenous medication for cardioversion. In addition, individuals require treatment for blood clots before this procedure if they have any. In most cases, they must take anticoagulants for blood clots!

Chemical Versus Electrical Cardioversion

There are two types of cardioversion: chemical and electrical! Both procedures share the same goal. They seek to restore a patient's heart rhythm to normal! Chemical cardioversion uses specific medication to achieve this goal. This form of the procedure treats several arrhythmias. The most common type is atrial fibrillation, which happens when an individual's atria quiver rather than beat. The result is an increased risk of stroke!

Patients do not need to be sedated for chemical cardioversion. It is also less traumatic than the electrical type! Thus, doctors often try chemical cardioversion first. The risks of this procedure are lower, though the results take longer! It is not as effective as electrical cardioversion, either. However, undergoing the chemical procedure first increases the success rate of the electrical shock! As expected, electrical cardioversion uses electrical shocks to restore a patient's heart rhythm.

Uncover the reasons that this procedure is performed now.