Flutter meaning medical8/13/2023 In most cases you are only in hospital a few hours in total. The procedure takes approximately 10 minutes and once you are awake you will be transferred back onto the ward to recover fully before going home. Once you are asleep the nurse practitioner will use the defibrillator machine to deliver a controlled electrical current to your heart via the defibrillator pads. The ODP will place an oxygen mask over your nose and mouth and the Anaesthetist will give you a short acting general anaesthetic drug through the cannula so you will be asleep during the procedure. A cannula (a hollow plastic tube) will be placed into a vein in the back of your hand or in your arm. You will be attached to the defibrillator monitor and blood pressure machine so that your heart rhythm and blood pressure can be monitored throughout the procedure. You will lie on a trolley and the nurse practitioner will attach two large cold sticky pads (defibrillator pads) to your chest and back. The procedure is carried out by one of the cardiac nurse practitioners with an anaesthetist and an operating department practitioner (ODP). By returning the heart to a normal rhythm, we aim to make your heart work more efficiently which may help to relieve symptoms you are experiencing and, in some cases, it may be possible for the anticoagulant to be discontinued at a later date. Your doctor will have prescribed an anticoagulant (blood thinner) which stops the blood from clotting normally and reduces the risk of stroke. This can make the heart muscle less efficient and increases the risk of developing a blood clot in the heart chambers, which could cause a stroke. Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are abnormal heart rhythms in which the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) are not bearing normally. You will have been diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter which may or may not have been causing you symptoms. Why do I need a Direct Current Cardioversion? What is a Direct Current Cardioversion?Ī direct current cardioversion is a procedure which uses a defibrillator (a medical device) to deliver a controlled electric shock to your heart in order to try and return your heart rhythm (or beat) to normal. If after reading it you have any concerns or require further explanation, please discuss this with a member of the healthcare team. It is not intended to replace the discussion between you and the healthcare team, but may act as a starting point for discussion. Most of your questions should be answered by this leaflet. This leaflet has been produced to give you general information about the procedure known as direct current cardioversion. Need some help choosing a language? Please refer to Browsealoud Supported Voices and Languages. You can translate this page by using the headphones button (bottom left) and then select the globe to change the language of the page.
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