How are defibrillators used in the ICU?

Defibrillators are machines that health care providers use to attempt to restore the heart to a normal rhythm. Defibrillators are used during emergency and elective situations.

The normal heart rhythm is called "normal sinus rhythm." The rhythm is determined by the EKG monitors that all ICU patients wear. When a heart beats in certain abnormal ways such as ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia shocking the heart with a defibrillator can sometimes restore the heart to its normal rhythm. Another use of the defibrillator is to cardiovert, which is another type of shocking, to restore a patients heart that is beating perhaps in an atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm. 

Shocking is a term used to describe the delivery of joules of energy to the heart. Patients during elective cardioversion/ defibrillation are generally sedated during the procedure. 

Use of defibrillators is reserved for those provides specially trained in their use. This is because like all medical procedures they are not used without some inherent risk.