Someone told me an elaborate story about this happening, and I am thinking that he is telling a lie, seeing that a person is technically dead if they need CPR in the first place. What do you think?
2007-10-10 01:52:00 · 6 answers · asked by Gina E 4 in Health ➔ General Health Care ➔ Other - General Health Care
Yes, it is possible - but not plausible. The more elaborate the story you heard, the les likely it is true. CPR can "kick start" a heart back into normal rhythm, and the patient can simply get up and walk away. Rare though. This does happen more frequently with electrocutions than any other cause.
2007-10-10 02:36:56 · answer #1 · answered by Quantum Aurelius 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It could be that your friend is describing a case of someone who did not need CPR in the first place. Occasionally it happens that someone panics and does CPR on someone who's just sleeping or unconscious. The person then awakens and walks (or perhaps, worried about suddenly awakening to having their chest pounded on by a stranger, runs) away.
A very brief cardiac arrest caused by lack of oxygen could be quickly reversed by providing oxygen - conceivably the person could wake up right away. This would be something like removing an airway obstruction and then providing several rescue breaths. More likely to occur in children because their hearts are quite strong and resilient.
Rarely ventricular tachycardia (a type of cardiac arrest) will resolve with a thump to the chest - again, could conceivably cause the victim to wake right up if the thump happened right away. I've heard of a case in an ER where someone went into arrest right in front of the doctor in the ER and was shocked within a couple of seconds and woke up and said, "Ow! That really hurt! Stop it!"
BUT... every cardiac arrest victim I've witnessed has been unconscious after the heart was restarted - even the ones who were restarted 1-2 minutes after arrest. Seems that even in this day and age, cardiac arrest is still a big shock to the system!
2007-10-10 16:04:36 · answer #2 · answered by Doxycycline 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yup, ive seen it many times.
Sometimes a patient will vagal down to a bradysystolic rhythm. You perform cpr and a few seconds later they are back.
Some people also have heart rhythms like sinus arrest where the heart pauses for several seconds, and people start CPR and the patients heart restarts its rhythm.
Kids can also rebound quickly if their cardiac arrest is caused by respiratory insufficiency and cpr is started immediately after the arrest begins.
There are many scenarios where CPR can be performed for a short period of time and be successful.
2007-10-10 09:02:04 · answer #3 · answered by nursebob 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It depends on the reason the heart stopped, but yes, it is possible...especially if it was an otherwise healthy person who suffered some sort of trauma or blow to the chest, or perhaps getting something caught in the windpipe, etc. I do hope whoever the person was that this happened to still allowed him/herself to be taken to the hospital and examined.
2007-10-10 09:48:22 · answer #4 · answered by kathy_is_a_nurse 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like a lie to me.
2007-10-10 09:05:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
it's possible, they can't b dead over 6 min or won't be able to revive
2007-10-10 09:00:11 · answer #6 · answered by Hazel 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋