Asystole

Common card · No. 222257

Asystole (from New Latin, from Greek a- 'not', 'without' + systolē 'contraction') is the absence of ventricular contractions in the context of a lethal heart arrhythmia, in contrast to an induced asystole on a cooled patient on a heart-lung machine, and general anesthesia during surgery necessitating stopping the heart. Asystole is the most serious form of cardiac arrest and is usually irreversible. Also referred to as cardiac flatline, asystole is the state of total cessation of electrical activity from the heart, which means no tissue contraction from the heart muscle and therefore no blood flow to the rest of the body. Asystole should not be confused with very brief pauses below 3 seconds in the heart's electrical activity that can occur in certain less severe abnormal rhythms. Asystole is different from very fine occurrences of ventricular fibrillation, though both have a poor prognosis, and untreated fine VF will lead to asystole. Faulty wiring, disconnection of electrodes and leads...

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