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After a defibrillation attempt started a fire in an oxygen-enriched intensive care unit environment, seven popular electrode gels were tested for spark-generating properties by repeated 360-J electrical discharges into a 50-Ω test load. Gels with low initial impedance (7±1 Ω) allowed a high current flow (51 ±1 A), maintained a cool temperature (27°C to 33°C), and did not spark. Gels with high initial impedance (125 ±14 Ω) allowed less current (26 ±2 A), heated to 52°C±2°C, liquified, and generated an electrical spark after the fourth or fifth discharge. Federal standards should be developed to identify and label electrode gels that can be used safely for high-current applications such as defibrillation. (JAMA1988;260:3021-3024)
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Russell S. Hummel (1988) studied this question.
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