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1. Any agent or measure, e.g., an electric shock, that arrests fibrillation of the ventricular muscle and restores the normal beat. 2. The machine designed to administer a defibrillating electric shock.
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de·fi·bril·la·tor (')dē-'fib-rə-.lāt-ər, -'fīb- n an electronic device used to defibrillate a heart by applying an electric shock to it
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n.
the apparatus used for issuing a measured electrical current to a patient's heart in defibrillation. Several types of defibrillator exist, including those that are semi- or fully automated to recognize abnormal rhythms and to deliver the appropriate shock, those that are fully operator-dependent, and those that are implanted into the patient's body in a similar manner to a pacemaker. Different types can deliver DC or AC currents.
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de·fib·ril·la·tor (de-fib″rĭ-laґtər) an electronic apparatus used to counteract atrial or ventricular fibrillation by the application of brief electroshock to the heart, either directly or through electrodes placed on the chest wall.Medical dictionary. 2011.