eli5 – If we can not shock a heart back after it flatlands… how do we get heart transplants to start back up?
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Flatlining is when the bioelectrical system of the heart no longer functions. Transplant hearts still have a working bioelectrical system and survive for 4 to 6 hours outside of the body
Defibrillators don’t restart stopped hearts, they fix fibrillation which is arrhythmic contractions of the heart. When someone’s heart has stopped / flatlined, the preferred method is CPR. In the case of heart transplants, after the donor heart is connected, I think a light flick or tap from the doctor is all it takes to get it to start pumping again.
We don’t. They are beating the whole time, before, during, and after the transplant. If the heart stops beating before it gets inside the patient then the heart is “dead” and the patient is fucked.
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