defibrillate
[dee-fahy-bruh-leyt, -fib-ruh-]
- to arrest the fibrillation of (heart muscle) by applying electric shock across the chest, thus depolarizing the heart cells and allowing normal rhythm to return.
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Origin of defibrillate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
defibrillation
- med the application of an electric current to the heart to restore normal rhythmic contractions after the onset of atrial or ventricular fibrillation
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for defibrillation
n.
1940, in reference to heartbeat, from de- + fibrillation "a beating in an abnormal way," from Modern Latin fibrilla, diminutive of fibra "fiber," in reference to the muscle strands of the heart that contract irregularly in this condition.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
defibrillation
(dē-fĭb′rə-lā′shən, -fī′brə-)- The stopping of fibrillation of the heart muscle and the restoration of normal contractions using drugs or electric shock.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
defibrillation
[dē-fĭb′rə-lā′shən]
- Termination of fibrillation of the heart muscle and restoration of normal heart rhythm, especially by one or more electric shocks administered by paddles applied to the chest.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.