Thursday February 25, 2010


Q: What is the maximum joules you can use to cardiovert refractory atrial fibrillation?


Answer: 720 Joules

Energy requirements for atrial fibrillation are 100-200 J initially and 360 J for subsequent shocks. But for refractory atrial fibrillation a study has shown good response to higher energy shocks of 720 J.




Saliba W, Juratli N, Chung MK, Niebauer MJ, Erdogan O, Trohman R. Higher energy synchronized external direct current cardioversion for refractory atrial fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. Dec 1999;34(7):2031-4