Time lapse of VF

[systemet]

Here's an interesting video from youtube, where they've compressed 5 minutes of VF into 15 seconds. Note how the right ventricle becomes distended as pressures in the arterial and venous system equilibriates, and blood returns to the RV without ejection into the pulmonary circulation.

One of the proposed mechanisms behind "5 mins of CPR before defibrillation" in unwitnessed arrests was that the physical dilation of the RV displaces the interventricular septum into the LV, and prevents effective contraction. The evidence to support CPR first remains shaky.

What's missing here, is the feeling of how the myocardium actually "thickens' and "hardens" during a prolonged arrest. It's a marked difference, sometimes referred to as "stoney heart".

[Aprz]

Awhile ago I tried figuring this out, and AHA only mentioned that there was insufficient evidence that delaying defibrillation for 2 minutes of CPR benefited the patient/increase likeliness of ROSC, which they still say, and that the medical director could put it in their protocols. I don't recall them mentioning that he right ventricle enlarges, but I guess now they do looking https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=riUAFkV7HCU.

Thanks for bringing this up. The right ventricle enlargement and stoney heart is a new one for me.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Aprz

[Jaymazing]

Very cool indeed!

There used to be more of these time-lapse hearts on youtube. I can't find them any more!

If you find some more, please share.