Delivery of an electrical current timed for delivery during the QRS complex is called defibrillation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Synchronized cardioversion is the delivery of a shock to the heart by means of a defibrillator to terminate a rapid dysrhythmia. A synchronized shock means that the shock is timed to avoid the relative refractory period of the cardiac cycle. On the ECG, this period occurs during the peak of the T wave to approximately the end of the T wave. Defibrillation is the delivery of an electrical current across the heart muscle over a very brief period to terminate an abnormal heart rhythm. Defibrillation is also called unsynchronized countershock or asynchronous countershock, because the delivery of current has no relationship to the cardiac cycle.

Delivery of an Electrical Current Timed for Delivery During the QRS