Ventricular fibrillation is a critical, life-threatening emergency often diagnosed during or after cardiac arrest, as it causes the arrest.
Our emergency care team will work first to stabilize you and then will work as quickly as possible to determine the cause of your cardiac arrest. One or several of the following tests may be used.
After a patient has experienced ventricular fibrillation, an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is typically performed as the first step in diagnosis. This test records the electrical activity in the heart through electrodes attached to the body and connected to a machine with wires. In most cases, people with ventricular fibrillation have a heartbeat ranging from 300 to 400 beats per minute.
This test uses a catheter, contrast dye and X-rays to evaluate the structure and condition of blood vessels in the heart. It also looks for blockages that may reduce blood flow to the heart.
These tests can help detect the cause of ventricular fibrillation. Blood tests can also find proteins in the heart that indicate a heart attack has caused damage to the heart muscle.
A type of ultrasound, an echocardiogram (echo) shows the function and structure of the heart. It can also detect blood clots.
During this test, a cardiologist uses catheters to send electrodes to the heart to gauge its electrical activity or stimulate an arrhythmia to discover its origin.
These tests can determine if harmful substances or drugs are present and could have played a role in the ventricular fibrillation.
