Cardioversion: Low-voltage electrical cardioversion
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Cardioversion: Low-voltage electrical cardioversion
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Electrical cardioversion often returns the heart to a normal rhythm. After giving you a sedative, a doctor places paddles or patches either on your chest or on your chest and back, depending on your doctor's preference.
The paddles or patches send a low-voltage electrical current to the heart. The electrical current stops the heart momentarily. When it resumes beating, the heart usually starts in a normal rhythm, demonstrated in the regular line tracings seen in the normal electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG).
Credits
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Laurence Epstein, MD - Cardiac Electrophysiologist |
| Last Updated | January 18, 2007 |
| Last updated: | January 18, 2007 |
|---|---|
| Reviewed By: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Laurence Epstein, MD - Cardiac Electrophysiologist |
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