Defibrillation Burns

Defibrillation is a therapeutic method for delivering an electrical shock to the heart to restore it to a functional rhythm. The risks of defibrillation include electrical BURNS to the person being resuscitated and electrical shock or burns to the person administering defibrillation. Burns may occur at the contact points of the paddles or electrodes and also elsewhere on the body where there are items of metal such as jewelry or, in a hospital setting, monitoring electrodes. As well, anyone in contact with the person or with the bed the person is lying on is at risk for contact electrical shock.