ventricular fibrillation

[ ven-trik-yuh-ler fib-ruh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. a cardiac arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, caused by rapid, chaotic electrical impulses to the ventricles: prevents the heart from pumping blood normally, which leads to a complete loss of blood pressure and pulse, followed rapidly by death if not treated. : VF, VFib. Compare atrial fibrillation ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of ventricular fibrillation¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Mr McKeown, who is 37, was taken to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, where they discovered he had suffered a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest, which is when the heart quivers instead of pumping normally.

From BBC

Caffeine overdoses can cause primary cardiac arrests in the form of ventricular fibrillation, which is different from sudden cardiac arrest.

From Los Angeles Times

She described the cause of death as an “acute myocardial infarction and ventricular fibrillation.”

From Los Angeles Times

If the impact is strong enough and occurs at a specific moment between heartbeats, it can send the heart into an erratic, disorganized rhythm called ventricular fibrillation.

From Washington Post

The transplant recipient, 57-year-old David Bennett, had advanced heart failure and a type of arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation.

From Science Magazine