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Shocking the heart, or electrical defibrillation to use its technical name, is well-established as the only effective therapy for cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT). The scientific evidence to support early defibrillation is overwhelming, the single most important determining factor for survival being the time between collapse to delivery of the first shock. During this period, basic life support helps to sustain a shockable rhythm, but is not a definitive treatment.
Strongly supported by the Resuscitation Council (UK), early implementation of defibrillation has become something that members of the public, with the appropriate training, can perform safely and effectively, due to recent developments in automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
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