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Glossary
AED
automatic external defibrillator
AHA
American Heart Association
ALS
advanced life support
arrhythmia
irregular rhythm of the heart muscle
cardiac arrest
cessation of the heart muscle
CPR
cardiopulmonary resuscitation
defibrillation
high-energy pulse of electricity (shock)
delivered to the heart muscle to restore normal
cardiac activity
ECG
electrocardiogram
electrocardiogram
curve traced by an electrocardiograph
electrocardiograph
instrument used to record electrical currents
associated with heart muscle activity
fibrillation
rapid twitching movements that replace the
normal rhythmic contraction of the heart and
may cause a lack of circulation and pulse
Joule
The amount of energy delivered during
defibrillation, related to the intensity of the
shock delivered.
Log
list of ECG samples and time-stamped system
events
non-shockable rhythm
patient heart rhythms that are not a candidate
for defibrillation pulse
NSR
normal sinus rhythm
RF
radio frequency
SCA
sudden cardiac arrest
self-test
automatic test performed at system power-up to
check readiness of battery, internal circuitry,
main processor, and defibrillator
Shock
defibrillation electrical pulse
shockable rhythm
abnormal heart rhythm which is a candidate for
defibrillation pulse
tachycardia
an abnormally fast heart rate