Final answer:
Treatment for asystole includes high-quality CPR, airway management, and IV medications, but not defibrillation. Defibrillation is used when there is disorganized electrical activity in the heart, like in ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia but is ineffective in asystole.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the event of asystole, which refers to the total lack of electrical activity in the heart, immediate medical management is crucial. For asystole, the management involves administering high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), possible intubation for airway management, and administration of intravenous medications like epinephrine as per Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) protocols. It's important to note that defibrillation is not effective in asystole and is not recommended.
Defibrillation is used to treat conditions such as ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT), where there is some form of electrical activity in the heart that the defibrillator can aim to reset. The use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) can be vital in cases of VF or VT, using verbal instructions to enable even non-medical personnel to attempt to save a life through the restoration of a normal sinus rhythm.