Your heart stopping for 10 minutes is a medical emergency and can be fatal. When your heart stops for 10 minutes, it's known as cardiac arrest. When cardiac arrest occurs, your heart stops pumping blood around your body. This means your vital organs, including your brain, are deprived of oxygen-rich blood, and can be damaged or even die within minutes.
Signs & Symptoms of Cardiac Arrest
When your heart stops for 10 minutes, the signs and symptoms of cardiac arrest can include:
• Loss of consciousness
• No pulse
• No breathing
• Pale or blue skin
• Dilated pupils
• Confusion or disorientation
Causes of Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac arrest can occur for a number of reasons, including:
• A heart attack
• Electrical problems in the heart such as ventricular fibrillation
• Certain medical conditions such as an electrolyte imbalance
• An overdose of certain drugs
• Severe physical trauma
• Extremely high or low body temperature
Treatment of Cardiac Arrest
Treatment for cardiac arrest is immediate medical intervention. This includes:
• Administering CPR
• Administering an electric shock to the heart (defibrillation)
• Administering medications such as adrenaline
• Inserting a breathing tube into the airway
• Inserting a chest tube to drain blood or other fluids from around the heart
Outlook for Cardiac Arrest
The outlook for someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest depends on how quickly treatment is received and how severe the underlying cause is. If CPR and defibrillation are administered quickly, it can greatly increase the chances of survival. Without treatment, the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest is very slim.
