Microshock
Encyclopedia
Microshock is a risk in patients with intracardiac electrical conductor
Electrical conductor
In physics and electrical engineering, a conductor is a material which contains movable electric charges. In metallic conductors such as copper or aluminum, the movable charged particles are electrons...

s, such as external pacemaker
Pacemaker
An artificial pacemaker is a medical device that uses electrical impulses to regulate the beating of the heart.Pacemaker may also refer to:-Medicine:...

  electrode
Electrode
An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit...

s, saline
Saline
Saline may refer to:* Salinity, the salt content of a solution** Saline water, water containing significant concentration of salts* Soil salinity, salt content of soil* Saline , a liquid with salt content to match the human body...

 filled catheter
Catheter
In medicine, a catheter is a tube that can be inserted into a body cavity, duct, or vessel. Catheters thereby allow drainage, administration of fluids or gases, or access by surgical instruments. The process of inserting a catheter is catheterization...

s, or weak or old heart tissue within the heart. A current as low as 10uA (microampere) directly through the heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...

, may send a patient directly into ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation
Ventricular fibrillation is a condition in which there is uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle of the ventricles in the heart, making them quiver rather than contract properly. Ventricular fibrillation is a medical emergency and most commonly identified arrythmia in cardiac arrest...

. Modern devices include protections to limit current in cardiac-connected circuits to safe levels. However, microshock continues to be a concern in any condition where electrical conductors are run into the body in proximity of the heart i.e. cardiac catheterizations; precautions are taken to ensure current is not introduced through these conductors but should be regarded as a high degree of risk nontheless.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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