Ventricular fibrillation occurs when there is rapid or chaotic heartbeat due to the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart) beating too fast and losing its pump function. It is a life-threatening and emergency condition.
The main symptom of ventricular fibrillation is losing consciousness and sudden cardiac arrest.
Another early sign of symptom is ventricular tachycardia, a very rapid, but regular heartbeat of 100 beats or more a minute occurring in the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. If ventricular tachycardia is left untreated, it can lead to ventricular fibrillation. Patient with ventricular tachycardia may feel palpitations, chest discomfort/pain, shortness of breath or giddiness.
Ventricular fibrillation is characterised by very fast and very irregular heartbeats. It is a form of arrhythmia and is usually due to poor functioning of the heart’s ventricles. A patient could lose consciousness within seconds and die within minutes.
High risks of coronary artery disease
Poor heart function and heart failure
Strong family history of sudden cardiac death (including genetic disorder of the heart muscles (e.g. hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy)
Electrical disorders of the heart (e.g. Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) or inherent abnormality of membrane of the heart muscle cells specialised in conduction (e.g. Brugada Syndrome and congenital long QT syndrome)
Severe metabolic derangement (e.g. severe hyperkalemia)
