Ventricular fibrillation, known as V-fib, is a type of heart arrhythmia, i.e. abnormal heart rhythm. It is a medical emergency that keeps the heart from pumping blood properly. Precisely speaking, during ventricular fibrillation, the heart signals get disorganized and irregular causing the lower heart chambers, called ventricles, to twitch uselessly which leads to the heart’s inability to pump blood to the rest of the body. Without immediate medical treatment, it can be lethal.

That said, learning about the basics of V-fib can be pretty useful so that one could identify the symptoms early and get medical help on time. So, let’s learn more about ventricular fibrillation.

V-fib Symptoms

Although there aren’t any exact symptoms preceding ventricular fibrillation, apart from fainting, the symptoms of ventricular tachycardia (VT), which can lead to V-fib, are identifiable. Common VT symptoms include:

• Fast heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Nausea
• Dizziness

Also worth mentioning, the worst result of having a V-fib is sudden cardiac arrest. There are two main signs of cardiac arrest including not responding when someone is touching or speaking to you, and having serious breathing issues such as gasping for air or not breathing.

V-fib Causes and Risk Factors

Even though doctors haven’t been able to identify the exact cause of ventricular fibrillation, it is known that certain situations are related to it some of which include a heart attack. Other ventricular fibrillation causes and risk factors include:

• Certain heart medicines
• Some genetic diseases
• Cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscle)
• Electrolyte imbalance in the blood
• Prior heart attack
• Issues with the aorta
• Extremely low blood pressure
• Drowning
• Electrical shock
• Drug toxicity
• Sepsis (severe infection)

V-Fib Diagnosis

There are several key elements that doctors should examine and check to be able to provide a diagnosis. In general, these elements can tell whether a person is in V-fib:

• Overall health
• Physical exam
• Symptoms
• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• Blood tests
• Imaging tests (X-rays, CT scans, MRI, etc.)

V-fib Treatment

As already noted, ventricular fibrillation requires immediate and fast treatment which includes these three key steps: cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to keep blood flow, defibrillation to improve heart rhythm, and medication to keep heart rhythm stable.

In addition, since defibrillation is needed, we can easily conclude that professional medical care is crucial as they are the ones having defibrillators. These lifesaving machines are divided into three types:

• Automated external defibrillator (AED) – the most commonly used one with the paddles placed on the chest to shock the heart and cause it to beat properly.
• Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) – a device implanted into the chest or stomach which delivers high- or low-energy shocks to cause a normal heartbeat.
• Wearable cardioverter defibrillator (WCD) – similar to ICD except for not being implanted inside the body but using wires to connect sensors on the skin to a device wearable under clothes.

V-fib Complications

Unfortunately, the arrhythmia itself as well as its prompt treatment can lead to certain complications that can be quite serious. Such complications include:

• Skin burns from the use of an automated external defibrillator
• Injuries from CPR
• Injury to the heart muscle
• Brain injury as a result of lack of oxygen
• Death

V-fib Prevention

Fortunately, even though one cannot completely prevent V-fib, several things can help you reduce the risk of having a ventricular fibrillation episode significantly. Here’s what could help:

• Arrhythmia medications to control abnormal heart rhythms
• Defibrillators to correct these abnormal heart rhythms
• Catheter ablation surgery to control abnormal electrical signals