A Pulseless, Nonbreathing Patient Undergoing Chest Compressions and Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation

A pulseless, nonbreathing patient undergoing chest compressions and bag-valve-mask ventilation after a witnessed loss of consciousness is attached to a heart rhythm monitor and found to be in ventricular fibrillation. Two defibrillators are available for use in the Emergency Department-one is a monophasic defibrillator; the other is biphasic. The difference between these two devices is:

A) The monophasic defibrillator can deliver only a single shock to a patient; the biphasic defibrillator can deliver two shocks in rapid succession.
B) The monophasic defibrillator delivers a shock during a single phase of the cardiac cycle; the biphasic defibrillator shocks the patient during both systole and diastole.
C) The biphasic defibrillator sends electrical current through the patient in two directions (from one paddle or patch to the other, and back) , while the monophasic defibrillator forces electrical current through the patient in a single direction.
D) The biphasic defibrillator uses twice the current of that used by the monophasic defibrillator.