Defibrillation

Shorter shocks to avoid tissue damage

Ventricular fibrillation is a dangerous arrhythmia in which the heart practically stops pumping. Defibrillation, the only available therapy, is effective but the electrical fields applied can cause permanent damage to the cardiac tissue. During defibrillation, a strong electrical shock is applied to the heart via electrodes that are placed on the chest.

We are testing a new type of defibrillation, in which the applied shocks are more than a thousand times shorter, and tissue damage can be almost completely avoided.