Wake up time after CPR

[Bunting97]

Can someone wake up within 5 minutes of receiving CPR after having a cardiac arrest ? Asking out of curiosity.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

CPR is intended to maintain an oxygen supply to the brain by usually chest compression but sometimes mouth-to-mouth, and occasionally both. Particularly after cardiac arrest the heart does not usually restart spontaneously. At least two people I know have arrested and received CPR; one failed to stabilise and died shortly after whilst the other was in hospital for about five days receiving stents in the process. Often patients are heavily sedated or even comatose for a period afterwards.

As time passes it becomes harder to piece events together. Whilst you obviously collapsed evidence of CA and subsequent CPR seems debatable. You have had a close call but have turned your life around. The focus has to be in the future not the past as that cannot be changed! If you cannot get that day out if your mind counseling may be appropriate.

Good in the future!

[Driver11]

Hi I don't know if I'm typical or not however I had a cardiac arrest on September 2nd and woke up 2 weeks later in intensive care. I was given CPR and luckily a local dentist had a defibrillator which was used to get me going . 8 months later and everything is going OK

[JulianM]

If an AED is used right away, yes. It happened last year for one of our members in the health club where I work. It's why we have an AED on site, though outcomes are not guaranteed and depend totally on what caused the cardiac arrest in the first place.

[stevejb1810]

In theory, yes they can, but so much will depend on why the patient is receiving CPR in the first place. But as has been stated by Michael, Julian and Driver, there is no fixed time for recovery and positive outcomes are far from guaranteed. Bottom line is if you need CPR you are not in a good place.

[Sillyfroggy]

As far as I knew, CPR only addresses the plumbing issue by pumping blood around the body. Cardiac arrest is an electrical problem when the heart is ‘fibrillating’ (shaking like a jelly, thus not pumping blood) and a defibrillator is the only thing that can fix that, by stopping the heart and it hopefully kicks itself back into a sinus rhythm. I would suggest you may have been in early respiratory arrest, which is why your mate brought you ‘back’ with CPR. I saw you post about this recently. I hope you’re still querying that occasion!

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Sillyfroggy]

Not all cardiac arrests are 'shockable'.

The heart can stop beating in an organised way for other reasons.

Other causes of a cardiac arrest are a huge loss of blood, drowning, drug overdose and electrocution.

When the pads of the automatic defibrillator are placed on the person's chest it automatically analyses the rhythm of the heart and then says whether it is a shockable or not . If it is the machine tells everyone to stand back before the shock is given.

[Sillyfroggy in reply to Milkfairy]

Yes, that’s right Milk. In the other types of arrest the cause needs correction. I was assuming the OP hadn’t suffered a catastrophic bleed or drowned etc. His last post was about a drug overdose, which often leads to respiratory arrest.

Tried to simplify the answer to fit the specific situation 😊

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Sillyfroggy]

Yes Bunting97 admitted in their original post that they had taken cocaine.

Cocaine can cause coronary artery spasms.

An intense prolonged coronary artery spasm whatever the cause can lead to a heart attack and / or arrhythmias leading to a cardiac arrest.

It isn't really important.

What is important is Bunting97 and their understandable ongoing anxiety. I would agree with Michael's sugesstion that Bunting97 seeks further medical advice and support if necessary.

Bunting97 wrote a lovely reflective post to us all and I wish them the very best in the future.

[Harbourside]

I had a CA end of January. Luckily, paramedics had arrived at my home only 5 mins before I arrested. One paramedic did CPR on me whilst another went to get the defib, which was used twice. I had no output for 6 mins. I was transferred to hospital and went straight into theatre where a stent was immediately inserted as my right artery was occluded. Good luck with your recovery.

[stitch13]

Hi Bunting 97.

I had a Sudden Cardiac Arrest 19th December. I had CPR for 6 minutes and 1 shock delivered! I remember at one point telling them to 'stop that, you're hurting my ribs',whilst trying to push their hands away. Don't remember anything else after that until I arrived in Cath lab half an hour later and was drifting in and out till evening and fully awake in ICU.

All the best on your recovery.