If a person suffered a major MI. Heart stops. How long can he maintain conscious!


Question: Forgive me if you already knew this, but I want to reinterpret your question a little bit.

First, MI is shorthand for myocardial infarction. Myocardial is a fancy medical term for the heart muscle, and infarction is a fancy medical term for death.

NOW, when a person suffers an MI, there whole heart does not die, but rather a piece of their heart dies. What happens in most people is that a blockage develops in an artery that feeds a specific part of the heart. When that specific part of the heart no longer receives blood, then it dies.

In fact, people can live through a few MI's provided that each infarction is a small one. In other words, each time the patient suffers an MI, he develops a blockage in a small vessel feeding a small area of the heart. What eventually happens; however, is the patient's heart becomes progressively weaker and weaker leading to a condition called heart failure.

Getting back to your question. Once someone suffers a heart attack, the heart itself is usually irritable, and a number of complications can result. These complications can be mechanical, electrical or just pump failure.

The rhythm complications can include rhythms called ventricular tachycardia, which would then progress to ventricular fibrillation, and then asystole, which is what you are referring to as when the heart stops.

My explanation is long winded, but I wanted to make clear that just because someone suffers a heart attack, it does not mean that their whole heart stops stone cold. If you already knew this, forgive me. :)

Now, getting to your question. If the brain's oxygen supply is interrupted for more than a few seconds then the patient loses consciousness. Some people experience this phenomonen on a daily basis as they get out of bed (me included). As you get up of bed, blood rushes to your feet, and you feel lightheaded because your brain lacks enough blood for 1-2 beats before your body redirects blood flow to the brain.

Your brain will suffer irreversible brain damage after 4-8 minutes, and if the brain is without oxygen for > 15 minutes the prognosis is very poor. That being said, I have seen patients walk out of the hospital even after > 30 minutes of no oxygen to the brain (they do have severe memory and personality issues; however).

Hope I was able to answer your question!


Answers: Forgive me if you already knew this, but I want to reinterpret your question a little bit.

First, MI is shorthand for myocardial infarction. Myocardial is a fancy medical term for the heart muscle, and infarction is a fancy medical term for death.

NOW, when a person suffers an MI, there whole heart does not die, but rather a piece of their heart dies. What happens in most people is that a blockage develops in an artery that feeds a specific part of the heart. When that specific part of the heart no longer receives blood, then it dies.

In fact, people can live through a few MI's provided that each infarction is a small one. In other words, each time the patient suffers an MI, he develops a blockage in a small vessel feeding a small area of the heart. What eventually happens; however, is the patient's heart becomes progressively weaker and weaker leading to a condition called heart failure.

Getting back to your question. Once someone suffers a heart attack, the heart itself is usually irritable, and a number of complications can result. These complications can be mechanical, electrical or just pump failure.

The rhythm complications can include rhythms called ventricular tachycardia, which would then progress to ventricular fibrillation, and then asystole, which is what you are referring to as when the heart stops.

My explanation is long winded, but I wanted to make clear that just because someone suffers a heart attack, it does not mean that their whole heart stops stone cold. If you already knew this, forgive me. :)

Now, getting to your question. If the brain's oxygen supply is interrupted for more than a few seconds then the patient loses consciousness. Some people experience this phenomonen on a daily basis as they get out of bed (me included). As you get up of bed, blood rushes to your feet, and you feel lightheaded because your brain lacks enough blood for 1-2 beats before your body redirects blood flow to the brain.

Your brain will suffer irreversible brain damage after 4-8 minutes, and if the brain is without oxygen for > 15 minutes the prognosis is very poor. That being said, I have seen patients walk out of the hospital even after > 30 minutes of no oxygen to the brain (they do have severe memory and personality issues; however).

Hope I was able to answer your question!

If the heart is not pumping at all it is a matter of seconds.





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