A flatline is an electrical time sequence measurement that shows no activity and therefore, when represented, shows a flat line instead of a moving one. It almost always refers to either a flatlined electrocardiogram, where the heart shows no electrical activity ( asystole), or to a flat

electroencephalogram Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method to record an electrogram of the spontaneous electrical activity of the brain. The biosignals detected by EEG have been shown to represent the postsynaptic potentials of pyramidal neurons in the neocortex ...

, in which the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a ve ...

shows no electrical activity ( brain death). Both of these specific cases are involved in various definitions of

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

Cardiac flatline

A cardiac flatline is also called asystole. It can possibly be generated by malfunction of the electrocardiography device, but it is recommended to first rule out true asystole because of the emergence of such condition. When a patient displays a cardiac flatline, the treatment of choice is

cardiopulmonary resuscitation Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spon ...

and injection of

vasopressin Human vasopressin, also called antidiuretic hormone (ADH), arginine vasopressin (AVP) or argipressin, is a hormone synthesized from the AVP gene as a peptide prohormone in neurons in the hypothalamus, and is converted to AVP. It then trave ...

(epinephrine and atropine are also possibilities).Page 113
/ref> Successful resuscitation is generally unlikely and is inversely related to the length of time spent attempting resuscitation. Defibrillation, which can be used for other causes of cardiac arrests, is not recommended, despite commonly appearing on medical dramas as a remedy for asystole.

References

{{Med-stub Cardiac electrophysiology Medical tests Signs of death