I’ve had it done couple times to attempt stop tachycardia. My heart used to randomly get stuck in sinus rhythm at 180bpm, which was annoying.
Adenosine blocks electrical signals through the atrio-ventricular (AV) node for a second or two. So you appear to flatline on an ECG. It never worked for me. A Diltiazem injection was what reliably worked to reset my rhythm.
I’ve since had a cardiac ablation to fix my hearts fucked up wiring. A doctor sends a scope into an artery in your leg, travels up to your heart, finds the cells that are causing electrical impulses to loop uncontrollably, then burns them.
It’s about a 45 min procedure door to door, and it’s the equivalent of removing some excess solder from a bad circuit board. So yet another IT department inspired fix.
Have gotten a dose of this before in the ER. Absolutely do not recommend!!
Do I even want to know? Must feel like you’re dying?
Ive never rexperienced anything like it. It happens extremely fast. Dr injected into the IV and instantaneously every muscle in my body contracted (at least that’s what it felt like), I lost my vision temporarily although my eyes were still open. Similarly I couldn’t hear anything either. I was filled with an extreme feeling of…rushing…adrenaline… Really hard to describe. I felt my heart give one last big THUMP and then stop.
And suddenly, my heart started again. My vision and hearing restored, I was back in the ER surrounded by Dr and nurses and techs. Breathing hard, somewhat confused and experiencing a little twinge in my back from the contractions.
The whole experience took maybe 3-4 seconds. It felt like minutes.
That sounds all sorts of awesome and awful at the same time
