Definition

A medical procedure that uses electric shocks to restore a normal heartbeat by stopping the irregular beating of the heart.

Example

The doctor performed defibrillation to save the patient's life after the heart stopped beating normally.

Conversation

Did you hear about that emergency at the gym yesterday?

Yeah, I heard someone needed defibrillation after collapsing during a workout.

It's scary how quickly things can go wrong like that.

I know, right? I'm glad they had a defibrillator on hand.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Defibrillation is formed from "de-" (meaning down or away), "fibrilla" (from Latin "fibrilla", meaning a small fiber), and "-tion" (meaning the action or process of). The term describes the process of removing or reducing the fibrillation of the heart, which is an irregular and often rapid heart rate.

Memory Tip

Think of 'removing' ('de-') the 'small fibers' ('fibrilla') that cause the heart to beat irregularly — that's what defibrillation does.

Visually Confused Words