QUOTE (MacGyverGrrl @ 15 October 2007 == 05:47 PM)
The candlestick defibrillator, while a cool idea, would not have worked witht he speaker wire. Not enough current to tickle, let alone jump start a heart that is not beating correctly. Defibrillation works by stimulating the heart into a rhythmic electrical pattern so that it begins beating properly. It will not start a heart that has stopped beating completely. Ventricular fibrillation is a condition where the heart muscle is quivering rather than contracting in a predicatable regular rhythm. A shock with an electrical source will help jump the heart back into its normal pattern.
Mac's candlestick defibrillator makes for a great story, however it is unlikely to work in a real life situation. In addition, he would likely have electrocuted himself. The rubber matting he cut and used as grips for the candlesticks would not have protected him.
MacGyver says he needs to run a current through his chest to break the magnetic field which is making the "nylon" material form in Craig's heart. So he wasn't actually defibrillating.
He would have only needed a current stronger than the one generating the magnetic field I would assume.